A recently shared video gained global attention as it showcased an athlete sprinting up a challenging set of stairs with remarkable speed. However, some viewers criticized the people in the background of the video who, despite witnessing the athlete’s tremendous effort, remained ignorant and refused to move aside, making it harder for him.

What made the comments section all the more special was the comment of the 7x Mr. Olympia winner Phil Heath. The video struck a deep chord, transporting him back to his college days and stirring up a strong sense of nostalgia.

Phil Heath reminiscing about his college days

When Phil Heath came across the viral video on the ‘SportsCenter’ Instagram page, it instantly reminded him of his basketball training days during his college years in Colorado. Reflecting on the video, he shares, “We had to do this in college at RedRocks off-season 😤💪🏽”. The Red Rocks is an amphitheater in Denver that has ‘a large, tilted, disc-shaped rock behind the stage, a huge vertical rock angled outwards from stage right, several large outcrops angled outwards from stage left’. 

The Red Rocks are located about 1965 meters above sea level. During his days of being a pro basketball player, in his training, they were to climb the red rocks with a high-paced sprint and reach the top for their warm-up. Recalling those days that filled him with the adrenaline rush, Phil Heath makes the comment. The man delves into nostalgia and is also left in awe watching the athlete sprint uphill.

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The 7x Mr. Olympia champion was considered one of the greatest basketball players during his college days. As much as he is passionate about bodybuilding, he started off with his foot set on a goal to become a basketball star someday. However, looked as if life had other plans for him and that is what made him land in the world of bodybuilding. Although things turned out great for him, what really led to this turn of events in his life?

From a Basketball player to a bodybuilding icon

During his childhood, the bodybuilder firmly believed that his future lay in basketball. He secured a basketball scholarship at the University of Denver, where he played on the college’s top-tier Division I Basketball team. However, in 2022, when his team was eliminated in the first round of a tournament, he had a realization. The joy and passion he once had for the sport seemed to have faded away, and he no longer found the same enjoyment in playing basketball as before.

He said, “Something was just not easy with that. I didn’t like it. Hearing the buzzer sound and your career is done. I was going to class, and I was still living in the basketball house, so I’m still seeing the guys compete, and it hurt. I despised basketball for a long time. I didn’t go to a game for three years.”

Heath also realized that he had a physique that was stronger and more in shape than the rest of his teammates and he gave a shot at bodybuilding. He says, “I start training with these guys, and I realize I’m stronger than most of them who have already been bodybuilding for years. I end up working a night job with them over at Jackson’s Hole, in the LoDo area, where they’re all bouncers.

I thought, ‘This is pretty cool; these guys get paid to stand there looking huge? This is neat.” He then won his first Mr. Olympia title around 2011 and ever since then, there was no looking back for Heath. And that is how we got the bodybuilding icon Phil Heath, with a leap of faith!

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