SIX-TIME MR. OLYMPIA Phil Heath IS MORE AFRAID OF HIMSELF THAN HE IS OF HIS COMPETITORS—AFRAID OF WHAT HE’S STILL CAPABLE OF ACHIEVING. AT 37 YEARS OLD, HE HASN’T PEAKED YET, ACCORDING TO HEATH, AND FANS AND FOES ALIKE SHOULD FEAR WHAT HE WILL BRING TO THE STAGE. HERE’S HIS TAKE ON LAST YEAR’S MR. OLYMPIA TOP FIVE.
FLEX: NONE OF LAST YEAR’S MR. O TOP FIVE HAS COMPETED IN 2017. WORRIED ABOUT SURPRISES?
Not good enough. Never was, never will be. Best evidence of that is the contest tour that followed last year’s Olympia, which I wasn’t part of. If Shawn was the threat he says he is, he would have won those shows instead of losing them to Ramy, Dexter, and William. Saying he beat me in 2016 is disrespectful to all of them, too. They’re the ones he should be losing sleep over.
SINCE 2014, PEOPLE HAVE BEEN SAYING RAMY WILL ONE DAY BEAT YOU.
I beat Ramy like I beat everyone—better muscle, better symmetry, better separation, better overall conditioning. Ramy should weigh less, but the problem is that when he weighs less, he sacrifices muscle and conditioning. And when he does that, he stops being able to dwarf people on the stage. It kind of seems like when he loses the weight, he loses his advantage, but at the same time, he’s never going to look his best without losing the weight.
COMPETING AGAINST THE LEGENDARY BLADE…
Dexter Jackson is a champion, but I’ve beaten him in contests ever since 2009, when he was dethroned. He hasn’t earned a point against me in, what— we’re approaching 10 years since he’s beaten me. Yes, he’s been in a lot more shows, and yes, he has more wins than any other pro in the IFBB…but you have to ask: If I’d done all those shows, too, if I’d been competing with him along the way since I won my first Olympia title, would he have as many wins on the record? I don’t think so.
WILL “THE CONQUEROR” HAVE HIS DAY?
What does William Bonac have to do to win the O title? Well, for starters, he’s going to have to go through me. I don’t think that’s going to happen, but you have to be honest and know that everyone up there is a threat. I happen to think William is a threat to everyone other than me. There’s no frontrunner against me. I was one of those who noticed William early on, when no one knew who he was. I’ve got nothing bad to say about William.
Per Bernal
“They’re all incredible competitors with incredible physiques. They get credit for that—but I also take some credit for that myself, because I’m the reason they’re pushing themselves to the limits of what they can do. No one can look me in the eye and say I’ve maxed out. Getting past me isn’t going to be easy for anyone. I’ve taken their best before, and they don’t know what they’re going to be facing from me in September. Going up against me, nothing less is going to count.” ~ Phil Heath, 6X Mr. Olympia
