Just out of curiosity why doesnt Phil compete in the arnold?

[ThaJerzeyDevil]

or even if ronnie was still in the game would competing twice a year really mess you up that much?

I just dont understand why you wouldnt want to hold the record of arnolds and olympias

[Unbiasedfan]

or even if ronnie was still in the game would competing twice a year really mess you up that much?

I just dont understand why you wouldnt want to hold the record of arnolds and olympias

Best compromise of longevity, legacy, physical and mental health imo.

[masthead716]

Peaking once a year and instead focusing on his supplement line, guest posings, appearances, expos, traveling etc is probably 20x the purse of winning the Arnold as well...and what Unbiasedfan said.

Not what I want to see as a fan, or for the sport's sake, but it's just the way it is.

[AdamantiumYoke]

1. As we have seen in the past, Phil most likely comes off the "supps" for a few months, just to let his body relax n stay fresh. So if he decided to compete at the AC, he will have to stay on "supps" for more time, which translates to much shorter off-season.

2. It is just about impossible for a competitor to hit the peak more than one times in a year [ acc. to expert opinions from many videos, forums, articles etc.] So, he might win the AC ,but then all the pace, schedule, cycles for the O will get messed up

3. I am not sure, but I think Phil once said, that the O is the highest award, and he wouldn't go for the 2nd highest one without any strong reason. He is already the best. But he was still happy and grateful to have won the AC Europe in 2013. [ Dorian Yates used to say the same thing about the O and AC]

4. By competing more often , he will risk his image and momentum of being the Best there is. Staying undefeated gives a psychological advantage too . [ Like after Ronnie lost to Gunter at 2002 SOS , the talks had started about how Ronnie wasn't invincible, and how he MIGHT slip from the top spot. However we all know how Ronnie bounced back and reinvented himself . I don't think Phil will be able to do that ever]

So, why jeopardize all the money, time, image for the 2nd best show when you can win the Best show ?


However IMO, this is all BS and I would like to see even Mr.O competing at other shows. And going by the same logic as other sports, maybe he should also qualify each n every year ( which is a big topic of debate in itself)

EDIT:
tl;dr Pretty much what the above posters have already said

[_Muskelberg_]

because he doesnt have to

[WizardsOfAus]

Because winning the arnold is futile for him, in terms of both prestige and prize money. He's already a 4 time Mr Olympia, and if he does the arnold then he jeopardizes his chances of winning the Olympia (and the $275,000.00 paycheck for 1st place). If he competed at both the arnold and the O, he would have to do two separate contest preps in a year, which are very taxing physically, mentally, and financially and it would be much harder for him to peak for the Olympia.

[ThaJerzeyDevil]

thanks for the responses imo if you call urself a "competitor" it means to compete and personally if i had the potential to be a IFBB pro I would want to compete more than once a year especially after having 4 Olympia titles under my belt

[BartPimpson]

We all wish Kai and Phil did the Arnold, but sadly it adds a pretty complicated 3-4 month contest prep to their year, and the juice isn't worth the squeeze (I would argue that 4th place at the Olympia is better than 1st at the Arnold.)

[MaKaiser]

I guess there are just some sports which competing in just takes so much out of you physically that you can't give it your all more than once a year without it impacting severely on your health and your performance.

I'm thinking boxing, UFC, marathon running etc.

For the guy at the top who is held to a certain standard, he must really just have to give it his all for the main show.

For example I couldn't have seen Mayweather fighting a few months before his fight with Pac.

For bodybuilding though it's probably less about how tough the training and recovery is but rather how fecked their bodies are from protocols.

In saying that from the looks of Phil's off season he could stroll the Arnold without having to effect his Olympia showing that much. Hell he could probably go on stage now and win from the looks of his last guest posing.

[B-Neva]

it's not part of our game plan