“A Place Where I’m Almost Hallucinating”: 7x Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath, Trained Until He Was Crying, to Keep the Promise He Made to His Dead Father

Winning a title such as Mr. Olympia is a challenging feat in itself. And Phil Heath went the extra mile and won seven Mr. Olympia titles before he retired. What pushed ‘The Gift’ to give beyond his best? As it turns out, it was a promise made to his late father. The champion’s father, Donald Heath, has been one of the biggest driving forces behind him.

While in an old interview with media personality Ed Mylett, the bodybuilder opened up on his dad’s memories and how far he went to fulfill a promise he made to Donald.

Phil Heath pushed himself till he cried

Back in the days when Heath trained under Hany Rambod in San Hose, he was determined to make it big. But one of his usual training days became a turning point in his life when he pushed himself to the brink. It started as a normal leg day. Rambod instructed Heath to go on with his training. At that time, the bodybuilder’s now-wife, Shurie, noticed that the trainer did not tell him when to stop.

Rambod knew Heath enough to assure her that the bodybuilder knew his limits and would stop when he wanted to. While both trainer and trainee had an understanding amongst themselves, this day was different. Heath kept going with his walking lunges and various other exercises. This went on till Heath recalled, he had tears in his eyes.

Read More: “I Miss That Guy”: 9 Years After Losing His Father, Phil Heath Nearly Breaks Down Into Tears During an Honest Confession to Fans

It turns out, pushing himself to the point of tears was for a special reason. Heath confessed during the interview how, at that point, he was doing it all for his deceased father. Since he already planned to walk the extra mile towards his goals, he wanted to “keep going” as his father advised him to. The bodybuilder revealed, “I thought well…I got to go to a place where I’m almost hallucinating”. And he did. Although he had ‘the gift’ in terms of his genetics, Phil Heath has always worked a little harder every day to fulfill his dreams.

The extra rep and the extra set: How Heath set his expectations

After winning his 7th and final Mr. Olympia before he moved on, Phil Heath had an emotional speech to share with his fans. Winning multiple titles required struggles and sacrifices, and the champion had witnessed his fair share of them.

He confessed he never expected to win a single title, let alone seven, during his bodybuilding journey. He went to the gym looking up to the previously reigning champions like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and others. He revealed, “I’d be in there dying. Looking at those pictures in the gym, of Schwarzenegger, of Coleman, of Haney, of Dorian, and of everybody. And I would just tell myself: ‘one more set. One more rep.’” And well, he eventually succeeded and etched his name in the world of bodybuilding!

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