Phil Heath Breaks the Internet with Breaking Olympia
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by Roger “Rock” Lockridge
Less than a few days after the release of the long-anticipated film “Breaking Olympia,” the film has been the talk of the bodybuilding world and beyond. Various people throughout the bodybuilding world have shared posts about watching the film and being both inspired and entertained. It has also been covered on several mainstream outlets such as Yahoo.
For the few of you that may not be aware yet, the movie documents the journey of seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil “The Gift” Heath as he prepared for his return to the bodybuilding stage at the 2020 Mr. Olympia.
While the road to the stage in Orlando is shown in part, this movie covers far more ground than that alone. You get to see Heath’s entire journey from birth to greatness. Viewers will learn about his upbringing in Seattle and travel with him to college at the University of Denver, a journey that covers both a lot of highs and lows that Heath never spoke of before.
From the ashes of that part of his life, you see the birth of his bodybuilding career, going back to his amateur days in Colorado until he achieved IFBB Pro status. From there, his rise to bodybuilding immortality is portrayed by Heath himself as well as several of his onstage contemporaries, including four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, fellow Sandow Trophy owners Dexter Jackson and Brandon Curry, and three-time Arnold Classic champion Kai Greene. Hearing Heath’s and Greene’s thoughts about their rivalry alone made this worth the watch.
From there, you witness the end of Heath’s run in 2018 and subsequent hernia surgery, followed by his process of returning to the stage, even during the first several months of the pandemic. Heath would finish third in the 2020 Olympia behind champion Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay and runner-up Brandon Curry in what Heath called “his final contest” at the end of the film, confirming his intent to retire after the show.
Various other notable celebrities and peers share their thoughts during the film as well, including Dwayne “The Rock” Johnson, eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, head judge Steve Weinberger, and renowned trainer for Michael Jordan and Kobe Bryant, Tim Grover.
The film shows some training content that may get you amped up for your next workout, but the film in its entirety could be considered a part of a bodybuilding fan’s must-watch collection,
“Breaking Olympia” made its world premiere in Birmingham, England earlier this month and is now available in the United States through several outlets, including Amazon Prime, YouTube, Roku TV, and others. Various premieres are scheduled throughout Canada on April 6, including in Edmonton at the Landmark Cinemas Edmonton City Centre and Kelowna Innovation Centre in British Columbia. It will also be available through Super Channel on April 1.
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