Speaking to Phil Heath, his drive, confidence and intensity is immediately obvious. Regarded as one of the greatest bodybuilders in the history of the sport, the Seattle-born and Rainier Valley-raised Heath is a seven-time Mr. Olympia winner. He won the competition every year between 2011 and 2017, finishing second in 2010 and 2018, too.
Heath is regarded so highly as a bodybuilder that documentarian Brett Harvey wanted to tell his story in “Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story,” which breaks down his legendary career and his pursuit of an eighth Mr. Olympia crown following a serious injury.
“I always felt that I was quite misunderstood in the sport of bodybuilding,” Heath says over Zoom. “That usually happens with most high-performing people. Because they’re extraordinary. They’re not common.”
Heath has always been an impressive athlete. While attending Rainier Beach High School, he took part in the long jump, but what he really loved was the 100- and 200-meter sprints as well as the 4×100 relay. “I really loved to compete against other fast people. I did that throughout high school and went to state.”
Above all of that, though, was Heath’s love of basketball. “That was definitely my No. 1 sport. I just loved watching it growing up. In my opinion, in the 1980s, those were the best basketball players of all time. Magic Johnson, Larry Bird and Michael Jordan.” Heath’s basketball skills were so strong that he played shooting guard on the school’s basketball team, which won the state title in 1998. He was even able to get an athletic scholarship to the University of Denver.
Before he left Seattle for Colorado, Heath got his first taste of bodybuilding. “As a kid, I’d watch bodybuilding on ESPN. It was always awesome. It wasn’t a sport that I was looking at and thinking, ‘How do I get into this?’ But it always made an impression.”
It was while at the University of Denver that Heath’s interest in bodybuilding became more serious. It began when he started supporting friends who were competing in amateur bodybuilding. Then Heath began to participate in university bodybuilding demonstrations. When he realized that his basketball career wouldn’t go past college, he changed his diet and training so he could feature in events.
“I found competitions around town. It was just something that made me go, ‘Wow! This is really impressive.’ I never thought I could do it. Because you’re looking at someone who has put their whole life into it. They’re on this stage. It wasn’t just the working out and diet, it was actually the entertainment aspect of it. There was a real art to being on a bodybuilding stage.”
Heath remained in Colorado for the next 20 years, moving to Michigan during the pandemic. During his time in Denver, he built up his physique and perfected his bodybuilding technique and expertise. In 2005, he won the overall title at the National Physique Committee USA Championships, then the following year won the Colorado and New York pro championships, and in 2008 he made his debut at Mr. Olympia.
It was after he won his seventh Mr. Olympia crown that Heath was approached by Harvey about making the documentary. When he met Harvey, Heath was immediately impressed because he had a look-book on him that outlined what they wanted to explore and how they were going to make the film.
“I was very shocked by their intentions. Because they had very, very good intentions. Not just regarding me as a bodybuilder, but me as a human being and a man, and me growing up in Seattle. They wanted to find out all of the different things that make me tick, how I got into bodybuilding, not just how I became one of the greatest of all time.”
Heath hopes viewers are able to learn from his mindset, which has allowed him to achieve so much with bodybuilding. He wants people to see that they have greatness within themselves and to use that to get through dark moments.
“Everyone has a gift. It’s their job to understand what it is,” explains Heath. “If someone asked me, ‘Do you feel like you’re going to win the Olympia?’ I’m going to say, ‘Yes.’ When people reacted negatively to that, I would get upset. Because I’m a logical person. If I put in the time and effort and I have already proven myself, I’m going to be confident in my ability. That’s not just geared to competing in bodybuilding. That’s a mindset that has helped me through different peaks and valleys and helped me navigate through that. “
With “Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story” having already been released in cinemas and now available to watch online, people have already been contacting Heath with praise, who has been overwhelmed with the messages of support and positivity. “I’m just so proud of it. I’m so thankful to have had the opportunity to get my words out, because a lot of people don’t get that. Everyone involved was so honest and vulnerable, and hopefully that will make bodybuilding more relatable.”
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