Phil Heath, a seven-time consecutive Mr. Olympia title winner, is no stranger to controversy. From time to time, he gives a stern response to his critics. The bodybuilding maestro is not one to take unasked advice lying down. While the reigning champion of 2011–2017 is very affable to his fans, his way of tackling his critics is very different.

Earlier, the IFFB pro shared a post on his social media, sharing a cryptic message targeted at haters who doubt his abilities. Let’s dig deeper to understand the message of the bodybuilding legend to his followers and doubters alike.

Phil Heath gives a fitting reply to the naysayers

Heath, through his Instagram, talked about people calling him ‘cold as ice.’ Not letting the criticism get in the way of his training and recovery, he had an unconventional response. He captioned the video with a long message revealing his madness in the method. The warrior-like bodybuilder mentioned, “Just how competitive are you willing and to become in order to achieve your greatest accomplishment?”

He further writes, “Here’s the best part in doing this is knowing that you must NOW become something even greater?!!! Gonna require you to go to a place others won’t understand. What’s great is they ain’t YOU as you’ve got goals to attain as your results matter more than their weak as** opinions.”

Thus, through his message, the bodybuilder shows his champion mentality. An athlete competing at the highest level aspires to greatness that few can understand. It requires immense sacrifice, including going to extremes to achieve results. In the video, he also says, “It’s funny because a lot of people talk about, man; he is cold as ice! But would not even get into something that’s cold. They say he is cold as ice! He’s got ice in his veins. Really?”

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Responding while taking a cold bath in the video, he adds, “How competitive can we can be that you bring your a** in 40-degree temperature in the morning?. Because it is going to do something for your mind-body experience.” 

Although beneficial, they are not as easy as they seem, and bodybuilders often indulge in them to reap the benefits. The muscular athlete says, “Do I love doing this? Hell no. I love the results. That is all that matters. To a lot of you, you won’t get uncomfortable because you haven’t fallen in love with the results.” However, Heath is not alone in adopting this lifestyle. ‘Marky Mark’ and Joe Rogan also boast of this approach.

Joe Rogan and Mark Wahlberg use cold plunge as a recovery method

Joe Rogan, the UFC commentator, also uses a similar method called the hot sauna cold plunge.’ Immediately after his cardio, he takes a sauna, followed by a cold plunge, to get his heart rate soaring. He attributes his overall well-being to this regime.

Not far behind, Mark Wahlberg plunges into an icy-cold water tank after his workout. The trend shows no sign of slowing down. The novel challenge helps these fitness gurus with “aches and pains”. Although ice baths are uncomfortable, they have a host of benefits. It helps boost metabolism and recovery and activates the mind-body connection by giving a jolt to the nervous system. Have you tried ice baths after a workout? Share your experience with us.

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