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My initial article had a title that included the word still but I don’t like to use that word when it comes to a seven-time Mr. Olympia that never really left. I think the word still seems almost like a knock. And there is no knock here. Sure, in the past, I would have told you that Phil had very thin skin and I probably would have said that that was a little disappointing. When I say thin skin I’m not talking about onion skin, I’m not talking about the skin tight muscle that we all look for in a great bodybuilding champion. I’m talking about sensitivity. irritability maybe is a better term, but I digress. Years ago, Phil blocked me and he even told me why. He said that I was too vocally supportive of the late great Sean “Flexatron” Rhoden. And even though that was many moons ago, it’s still kind of stings. because I remember when Phil beat one of my heroes, Gustavo Badell at the Iron Man. I remember meeting Phil in 2008 in Kalamazoo, Michigan. I remember being a big fan of his and then when he blocked me it kind of hit me hard. I stopped being a Phil Heath fan with that. Nonetheless, I have always tried to be somebody who recognizes tremendous achievements – both on and off the stage. “The Gift” was a competitor that was about the business. He was like Ronnie and Jay in that regard. He was unlike a lot of the current champions that don’t really see the bigger picture. Phil was a guy that could have gotten eight, nine, maybe even 10 Sandows. His physique was just that good. There was a time when his midsection was a bit questionable, but he fixed that when he came back in 2020. He was firing on all cylinders; he stayed in the mix and had he not given up, he probably would have won back the Olympia. Phil had so much going on for him. His work with The Rock, his had multiple businesses and income streams, he was happily married. The guy had it all. That said, there comes a point in time when bodybuilding just doesn’t do it for some of these guys anymore. It’s no longer interesting to the top guys if they’re not winning anymore. They lift for fun, but competing? They’ll only compete if they’re winning.
Make sense?
But Phil didn’t leave the sport he just stopped competing. His status was very much like that of Chris Bumstead. I mean after you win so many times there isn’t much left with the stage. but unlike Chris, Phil didn’t win at the end. Phil’s end was more like Ronnie’s. He saw his run come to an end because of another competitor. And like Ronnie, Phil wasn’t able to get the title back. What’s really sad is that when he came back, the guy that took the title from him was not on that stage. Phil never had that rematch that he wanted. Nonetheless he came back and he looked phenomenal. He looked like those first few years where he was dominating the stage. I think it was different for him then. Even then when he came back and looked so good, Kai wasn’t there. Throughout his run he had this competitor who pushed him, that was relentless, and had the tools to beat him. When that guy wasn’t there, I don’t think his heart was quite in it. Who’s to say that Ronnie would have been as great if he didn’t have Jay chasing after him all those years. I guess that’s a question for the ages.
Phil has always kept the muscle on, though. Unlike Kevin Levrone, for example, who downsized tremendously for movie roles, Phil has stayed somewhat within reach of the stage. And that says a lot. Very much like Kai, Phil could jump into a contest in six weeks if hewanted to. So could Jay. These guys may not be as big as they were when they were competing but they aren’t much smaller, either. Then there are guys like Dexter retire fully and they will probably live much happier lives. Honestly, it is taxing on the physique to carry large amounts of muscle, but that being said, Phil never got huge. He was never one of these mass monsters walking around at near 300 pounds. That was part of the reason he was so successful on stage. Because he wasn’t about trying to outsize everybody else. His whole thing was class. He had a very artistic physique that a lot of people thought looked like a throwback to yesterday. Even though he had narrow clavicles, he was able to build something truly special. And when he posed on stage everybody wanted to stop what they were doing to look at him. There’s a reason why Jay Cutler picked him out of the crowd. Jay didn’t have to do it, but he did it because he saw true potential. And granted, when the two first met, Phil was a baby bodybuilder. I don’t even know if he was taking anything at the time. His physique looked quite natural, but it also looked incredibly gifted (pun intended). The Gift was truly one of the greatest bodybuilders that ever walked the planet.
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Phil Heath Looks Insane!! – IronMag Bodybuilding & Fitness Blog
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