Phil Heath started making his presence felt on the Olympia stage in the late 2000s. In 2011, Phil Heath dethroned Jay Cutler to become Mr. Olympia. By the time Shawn Rhoden finally beat The Gift, he had equaled the Mr. Olympia record of Arnold Schwarzenegger. The seven-time Mr. Olympia’s last bodybuilding competition was in 2020 when he lost to Big Ramy.
Recently, the modern bodybuilding legend appeared on Chris Williamson’s Modern Wisdom podcast. During the podcast, Heath joined the ranks of bodybuilders who have started to come clean about their steroid use. While Heath admitted to taking multiple PEDs, there was one substance he vowed to have never touched.
Phil Heath is ready to prove it, but there’s a catch
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During the podcast, Chris Williamson asked Heath how much testosterone he took during his prime. The seven-time Mr. Olympia said his maximum steady dose was 1300. However, the bodybuilder said he did try higher doses. Heath increased the dose to 1700 once but had undesirable side effects. “It was just stupid,” thought the former champion.
He also experimented with the infamous drug Trenbolone Acetate, a.k.a. Tren. However, he immediately regretted using the substance because of the harsh side effects and stopped. It was a similar scenario with human growth hormone, more popularly known as GH in pro-bodybuilding. Heath said he reduced his GH because he didn’t want to mess with his insulin production.
While many bodybuilders use excessive GH and balance it with insulin, it can have detrimental effects. “I never run insulin. Never ran in my entire life. Never!” said the former champion. “I’ll put on a freaking show, like hand-on-Bibles, like lie detector tests, but you’re gonna pay me that million,” Heath said to prove a point.
Heath even agreed to do it on “National Television. I don’t give a da*n.” However, his reasoning was simple. “You’re not going to put me through this bulls**t and me not get something out of it,” said the bodybuilder. This isn’t the first time Heath made a revelation during an interview. He once recounted the memory of meeting Arnold Schwarzenegger before winning his seventh title.
When the bodybuilding icons met
In 2019, Phil Heath sat for an interview with Patrick Bet-David. During the interview, Heath revealed the “interesting” relationship he and Arnie share. The 43-year-old said the two seven-time Mr. Olympia winners “don’t really talk,” but have immense mutual respect for one another. The former champion recalled the Austrian Oak came to his booth.
Heath told the five-time Mr. Universe, “It would be an honor to be tied with you for seven.” However, instead of saying anything back, Heath recalled that Schwarzenegger hugged him and nodded in acknowledgment.
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While Phil Heath candidly discussed the drugs he used during his career, he didn’t touch certain substances. The bodybuilder also ensured not to jeopardize his health in pursuit of bodybuilding glory.
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