Phil Heath 2013 magazine scans - Interview with the Champion! + new pics

[SammyJr]

If you can't read the small print on the mag, I have it all at the bottom of the article in text form.

[SammyJr]

TEXT

A candid talk with the reigning, two-time Mr. Olympia

After defending his Sandow at the 2012 Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath has proved that he is the best bodybuilder in the world for the past two years running. But with each year he sits atop the mountain, the target on his back grows ever larger. Case in point: Even before Heath was able to catch a breath following his victory, talk turned to the 2013 Mr. Olympia. With Jay Cutler making his comeback, and an even hungrier Kai Greene, Shawn Rhoden, and others eager to take what Heath has, this year’s O is shaping up to be the biggest in recent memory—and the biggest challenge of Heath’s career. We sat down with the two-time champ to get his take on his most recent win, how life is different as Mr. O, and what he’s got in store for the competition as he eyes a three-peat at this September’s ultimate bodybuilding event.

FLEX Since the Olympia, you have every- where. It seems that every time I see your Twitter post, you are in a different country making appearances. What has your traveling schedule been like since the Olympia?

PHIL HEATH It has been nonstop since winning the Olympia. I went to India for the Sheru Classic [which Heath won for the second year in a row] and then I went to Turkey for a Team MuscleTech appearance, then to Atlanta for the NPC Nationals— which was great because I had a chance to reminisce about my amateur days. After the Nationals, my stepson and I went to Fort Hood to visit the troops. I got to thank them for all their service for our country. Being with the troops was a great feeling, because I was able to help them out with training, nutrition, and supplement questions, and believe me, they had a ton of questions. What was really badass was that I got to play the Xbox game Call of Duty: Black Ops, which was not even released yet. It was a real eye opener for my stepson to see what my travel schedule was like, and what it was like when I made appearances, signed autographs, and took pictures. After that it was on to Pittsburgh to see the “Boss”— IFBB Pro League chairman Jim Manion—to film my final segment of the bodybuilding docudrama Generation Iron, which is due to be released in theaters this summer. That is going to be very exciting!

Do people treat you different because you are Mr. Olympia?

Being Mr. Olympia does have certain advantages. When I was in Pittsburgh I left my watch back at the hotel, and I missed my flight. The next available flight was the next day and to make things worse, all the hotels in the area were sold out. But a friend in the Pittsburgh area told one of the hotel’s managers that Mr. Olympia needed a room, and magically, one became available. After that, it was on to New York.

What was that like, going to New York in the midst of Hurricane Sandy?

Once I heard the news of Hurricane Sandy devastating New York, I flew out to the NPC Eastern to show my support. All the bodybuilders stayed on their diets despite having no electricity in the area. And many gyms were closed. Talk about being warriors! The NPC Eastern was pushed back to a week later. Hats off to NPC NY Metro chairman Steve Weinberger for being able to move the show, because the original location was shut down due to water damage. But the show ran smoothly despite being in a new location. I can’t imagine dieting for a show and then having this happen and dealing with no electricity and all the other things, so props to all the bodybuilders on the East Coast and to Steve for pulling off the impossible.

About a week before Thanksgiving, trag- edy struck; my grandmother passed away at the age of 92. Talk about good genetics, she was 92 and still wore high heels, but she was a huge inspiration in my life. She was the first person to tell me to think big in life. She was the one to tell me to try to do something that no has ever done before in bodybuilding, which was “break the eight-time Olympia record.” I am forever grateful for having her in my life.

What has your training been like these past few months after the Mr. Olympia?

I’m not the typical bodybuilder, who needs to be back in the gym the week after the show. I talked to Dorian [Yates] and he mentioned to me that the worst mistake he made was going back to the gym immediately after the Olympia and not giving his body enough time to recover. It’s in my blood to get back in the gym to train, but I know that getting some R&R is going to be important for next year. People don’t realize the mental and physical stress that competing has on a person. We all suffer injuries, and we need time to heal and cleanse. I see a chiropractor regularly; it’s amazing how much he helps me out. He can diagnose neurological damage and muscle imbalances just by seeing how bodybuilders pose and by small differences in muscle size.

I follow a much more traditional training cycle, like I was back playing basketball. You don’t go full throttle year round in basketball, you have different types of training based on the season. You had an off-season, pre- season, competition, and then active recovery. The most important aspect for me is the mental recuperation. While training for the Olympia is physically grueling the emotional strain it puts on a person is worse. Right now, I am enjoying spending time with my family, my wife, and stepson. Earlier in my career, I made the mistake of going right back into the gym, but the strain was more psychological than physical. I learned a lot from Ronnie Coleman. After he won the Olympia each year he was always going on cruises and traveling the world and enjoying life. Now, I could never take off three months like Ronnie did, but I am learning to enjoy my life and most of all, spend time with my family and friends.

So let’s get back to the 2012 Olympia. You said in your winner’s interview that you were up all night after pre-judging. What was going through your head?

I have to admit, Kai Greene looked the best I have ever seen him, but I still thought that I was the clear winner. I found out after the show was over that I had first-place scores on the judges scorecards after pre-judging. That taught me a valuable lesson. I was really stressed because I did not want to leave anything to chance. In my basketball career, it was not uncommon for us to have a close game before halftime and then we would rally ourselves in the locker room and come out charging for the next two quarters. That is exactly what I did after prejudging—I came out charging! Hany [Rambod, Heath’s nutritionist/trainer] had me carbing up on different carb sources (white and brown rice, potatoes, etc.). potatoes, etc.). It’s interesting that when I looked at my pictures after pre-judging, even I was critical of myself. That’s where Hany really made the difference. He was completely sleep deprived, while I was resting. He was like the coach in the locker room motivating me. I can’t say enough about Hany—he is the best in the business for a reason. When I woke up the next day, I could not wait to get onstage. If you take a look at the 2012 Olympia DVD in HD, you can see the difference. Looking at pictures or at a webcam does not do bodybuilders justice when they are competing. You can look at all the pictures you want, but I am telling you to check out the DVD and you can see for yourself exactly what I’m talking about.

This off-season are you going to do anything differentluy now that Jay Cutler is coming back?

I can’t wait to start my off-season prep; Jay coming back is a huge inspiration to train harder. This off-season I am going to plan better. In the past, I would be traveling for appearances and skip meals or because of jet lag, skip a workout. But I am handling things much differently. Now, if I am scheduled to eat, I need to learn to say, “Excuse me, I will be back in 15 minutes, I have to go eat.” In the past, I missed meals because I wanted to be there for all my fans, but I need to learn to stay on schedule. But my main goal is just to be denser onstage, and that comes with having more muscle maturity. I don’t have specific numbers weight-wise that I need to get up to in the off-season.

I am not like all these bodybuilders who need to be 300 pounds in the off-season.

Bodybuilders get so fixated on weight, but when we diet down, we lose muscle. Look at Kai. He gets massive in the off-season, but he lost certain body parts when he dieted down. My metabolism is so fast that when I start dieting for a show, I get shredded, but tend to lose more muscle than I like. Last year and also for the 2011 Olympia prep, I was ready to compete at two weeks out. Hany is always making adjustments so that I don’t lose too much muscle going into the show. Training this year is going to be different as well. I used to train each body part once a week, and as everyone knows, I never trained my arms the entire year until about a month before the show. This year I am training each body part twice a week, and I am training my arms once a week. Yes, I said that, “I am training my arms once a week.” I don’t think it’s going to throw off my proportions like everyone says.

What were you most critical of after looking at your Olympia pictures and what do you want to improve on?

The shot that I want to improve on the most is my abs/thighs shot. I want to be denser when I hit it. I also would like to add more density to my legs.

With Jay making his comeback, does this Olympia have any special meaning for you?

This is going to be the best Olympia to date. Get your tickets now, because I am telling you it’s going to be a battle! But this will be my best Olympia win to date. All I heard last year was that if Kai came in shredded, no one could beat him. Kai’s waist was smaller than it has ever been and he was shredded, yet I still won. The reason this win will be so much more impactful for me is that I have tons of respect for Jay and he never won three Olympias in a row. But if I beat him, it will be something that my best friend never did, which would be really meaningful to me. In 2011, everyone said that, “Jay was hurt and not at his best.” By winning my third Sandow this year, it will solidify my title as being the undisputed Mr. Olympia. I am not trying to sound cocky or arrogant, but if you were to ask Michael Jordan in his prime if he thought he would lose next year’s championship game, he would have said, “No way, man, you’re crazy! I am the best player the team has.” It’s not being arrogant or cocky, it’s being confident and there is a big difference. Watch the DVDs of Ronnie Coleman during his Olympia reign and he had the same mindset. No one was going to come close to beating him, and that’s the mentality I have.

What’s your ultimate goal in bodybuilding?

I want to create a legacy. I want people to say that Phil Heath gave it everything he had before each and every show. When I was playing basketball, I was the shortest person on the team and each year I had to worry about getting cut. I trained hard every day knowing that if I did not do my job, somebody else would take it. I treat bodybuilding the exact same way; I want to be the best and I will leave nothing to chance.

[Gorky88]

2011 looked better in my eyes but that 3/4 pose in just plain sick!

[Iceman1981]

Nice article. Thanks Sammy.

[germanyt]

Boy I hate those filters. The untouched stage photos look so good. Why do they feel the need to filter, shade, and sharpen?

[ProteinKreatin]

Thanks 2013 Mr. O will surely be interesting!

[Mr_Aryze]

Boy I hate those filters. The untouched stage photos look so good. Why do they feel the need to filter, shade, and sharpen?

This.

But I guess it is to appeal to the masses. Most fans of bodybuilding are not that knowledgeable, as with a lot of other sports.

[macmacc]

Training this year is going to be different as well. I used to train each body part once a week, and as everyone knows, I never trained my arms the entire year until about a month before the show. This year I am training each body part twice a week, and I am training my arms once a week.

Yeaaah buddyyy !! Ronnie style

[tumtum]

This.

But I guess it is to appeal to the masses. Most fans of bodybuilding are not that knowledgeable, as with a lot of other sports.

the exact reason why i've never bought a MUSCLEMAG

[Ajthemeso]

the exact reason why i've never bought a MUSCLEMAG

another good reason being they spread lies seemingly for publicity. i.e dexter jackson not competing in the AC.

[Larfleeze]

Awsome pics man, really wish they'd stop photoshopping the hell out of them though..kinda ruins it

[SammyJr]

Musclemag used to be awesome. Idk about anymore tho.

Awsome pics man, really wish they'd stop photoshopping the hell out of them though..kinda ruins it

Yeah same. Love my 90s mags, back when there was no such thing as a sharpen filter.

[PillClinton]

Would rep again, but ur always on spread

[MaKaiser]

Im not a huge fan of that "gull wing" pose that he does.
Cool article though Sammy be interesting to see what a new training style does for him.

[Che12]

Black and white pics are always good

[ProteinKreatin]

^ sick tbh!

[KuRdiSh]

Im not a huge fan of that "gull wing" pose that he does.
Cool article though Sammy be interesting to see what a new training style does for him.

yea i dont like it i think it might be shopped, i saw him hit the same pose at the olympia and his waist was poking out a lot more. reps for anyone whos got the pic.

good article tho thanks hips on spread

[SammyJr]

yea i dont like it i think it might be shopped, i saw him hit the same pose at the olympia and his waist was poking out a lot more. reps for anyone whos got the pic.

good article tho thanks hips on spread

You're soooo funny

My hips aren't big lol.

[nogjig]

Training this year is going to be different as well. I used to train each body part once a week, and as everyone knows, I never trained my arms the entire year until about a month before the show. This year I am training each body part twice a week, and I am training my arms once a week.

Yeaaah buddyyy !! Ronnie style

THIS!! hahaha cant wait the 13' olympia...

[Ajthemeso]

good article tho thanks hips on spread

insults OP while thanking him.

[snLassen]

Good article. Thanks OP!