IS PHIL HEATH THE MOST HATED MR. OLYMPIA CHAMPION EVER?

MUSCLE INSIDER EXAMINES THAT POPULAR THEORY

“In my heart, I knew. I was like, “Phil, this is just the beginning.” Your legacy is not gonna to be dictated on winning one Olympia. It’s going to be dictated on how many.”

—Phil Heath, Mr. Olympia, 2011–2017

Okay, maybe the title of this piece is a little harsh, but can you argue with us? There are only two kinds of people in this world: those who love Phil Jarrod “The Gift” Heath, and those who hate him. Just because he has a massive social media following doesn’t mean he’s adored and respected by all. A lot of the things he’s said and done haven’t sat well with the bodybuilding community. Everyone loves a little controversy, right? Maybe. What’s interesting to note is that he has 800,000 less Instagram fans than Kai Greene—a guy who does nothing but share motivation, inspiration, and freaky, intense training clips! Despite these fans, however, Phil has a huge number of online haters, too. If you recap the careers of iconic Mr. Olympias such as Larry Scott, Sergio Oliva, Samir Bannout, Dorian Yates, or Ronnie Coleman, at no time have they ever had fans who hated them with such vigour. So what is it that makes Mr. Heath such a notorious Mr. Olympia?

Phil “The Gift” Heath’s Gift of Gab

Right off the bat, he was on the IFBB Pro radar when he won his pro card after less than three years of training. His background was NCAA basketball, so he already had that incredibly athletic frame and solid work ethic, but still—three years? Some guys spend decades trying to get their pro cards, and even then, only end up getting it as a Master because it’s taken them that long. His foray into bodybuilding shot him up the ranks like a rocket in space. Heath won the 2005 NPC USA Championships (both the heavyweight and the overall title) and subsequently competed at the 2006 Shawn Ray Colorado Pro 10 months later. He placed first at his inaugural pro show, and it only got better for him from there. From the time he was an amateur, he was touted as the next big thing by legends such as Hany Rambod and Peter McGough. Imagine what that does for a young guy’s ego? We’ll tell you: He knew he was such a genetic phenom that he gave himself the nickname “The Gift” (which was deemed entirely appropriate by McGough himself, but still). Who does that?!

It’s also easy to get his goat on social media. Phil is known for responding to tweets with attitude, sarcasm, or even just biting one-liners. Granted, he’s human just like everyone else, with character flaws and a heart like everyone else, but the guy is supposed to be an ambassador for the sport. Everything he says and does is scrutinized, and thus, he should probably conduct himself with a little more poise and patience.

Phil’s Sickening Stage Presence

Who can forget his epic stare-down with Kai Greene onstage in 2014? But even before that, at the Olympia press conference that year, when Bob Cicherillo asked Phil for three reasons why he thought he would beat Kai that year, his response was simply, “2011, 2012, 2013.” Mic drop. Is this the way any other Mr. Olympia champ has acted onstage? This is the Olympia crown, people, the most prestigious event on the IFBB Pro circuit, and Phil is the current representative of that crown. Whether it’s a little verbal abuse or throwing elbows onstage to intimidate Kai, that behaviour is nothing a champion should do. Be above this, Phil! Jay Cutler didn’t do this to you.

After his first few Olympia titles, he told the world that he wouldn’t just beat Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney’s record of eight Olympia wins, but that he would win 10—not just nine. He has stated on a number of occasions that he wanted his record to be untouchable, so not just one title better than the record, but two. When Arnold set the record at seven, Haney respectfully beat it by one. Ronnie respectfully tried to beat it by one, but Heath has to beat that by two now, and it’s on after winning his sixth title. Fellow contenders/colleagues such as Shawn Rhoden have publicly taken great offense to this. It’s one thing to disrespect someone onstage by shoving them around a little. It’s another thing entirely to announce that you have no threats to your title for the next four years.

Speaking of which, let’s not forget the arrogance displayed in the Generation Iron movie. Similar to how Arnold was portrayed in Pumping Iron, Phil was cast as the rich, arrogant, spoiled guy. The guy planned his own after-party and bought a three-piece suit to celebrate a victory that hadn’t happened yet. His balls are as big as his biceps.

Giving Back, Not Giving In

Have you ever seen Phil doing a great deal of charity work, or speaking to kids at schools? Our opinion is that he should be doing more as Mr. Olympia. Arnold posed at jails to inspire people who were in a bad spot in life.  And Schwarzenegger was also made Chairman of the President’s Council on Physical Fitness and Sports by President George Bush Sr. in 1990—a big job for an action star at the height of his career. Phil should be doing radio show interviews, podcasts, TV interviews (Cutler was on radio, TSN’s Off the Record, and multiple TV shows), or literally anything else to improve the sport’s reputation and his own credibility. As Mr.Olympia, the industry needs Phil to do more to help grow the interest in bodybuilding as a whole. He’s got the best physique in bodybuilding history, it’s now time to match that with legendary  leadership.