Phillip Jerrod Heath (1979-)
Early Life
Phil Heath was born on December 18, 1979 in Seatle, Washington. Heath's father left when he was just a baby. Phil Heath grew up in Adams County, Wisconsin and attended Adams-Friendship High School, where he played guard on the varsity basketball team. One of his former high school teammates, Jamal Crawford, currently plays for the Los Angeles Clippers. Heath attended the University of Denver on a full athletic scholarship. While at Denver, Heath double-majored in IT and Business Administration and played guard for Denver's Division I basketball team.
Bodybuilding Career
It was not until February 2002 that Phil Heath pursued bodybuilding. Before that he was more into running and playing basketball and only lifted weights once in a while. His hard work paid off in 2005 when he won the overall title at the NPC USA Championships, earning the right to compete as an IFBB Pro. He immediately made a splash in the IFBB, winning his first two pro events in 2006, The Colorado Pro and The New York Pro.
In 2007, Heath placed fifth at the Arnold Classic, although fans and critics had him as high as third place. However, he qualified to compete in the 2007 Mr. Olympia contest. Although he decided not to compete at the contest, stating that he needed more time to improve in order to be competitive.
This proved to be a good decision as Heath ended up winning the 2008 Iron Man show and placed second to Jay Cutler at the 2008 Arnold Classic. In his 2008 Mr. Olympia debut, Heath finished third, becoming the first rookie to place in the top three since Flex Wheeler in 1993. A day before the Friday pre-judging for the 2009 Mr. Olympia competition, Phil caught a stomach virus which caused him to come in to the first day 10 pounds lighter than planned. He was a heavy favorite for the 2009 Mr. Olympia title, but ended up taking fifth. In 2010, he took second place at the Mr. Olympia contest when Jay Cutler won his final title. In 2011, Heath became Mr. Olympia when he defeated Cutler. In 2012, Heath defended his Mr. Olympia title defeating Kai Greene.
Heath has been featured in many fitness and magazine articles, including being featured on the cover of Flex Magazine. Heath currently resides in Denver, Colorado and trains at Armbrust Pro Gym in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Phil has released four bodybuilding DVDs: "The Gift", "The Gift Unwrapped", "Journey to the Olympia" and "Becoming Number 13." The later three films are by Bodybranded Films and director Johnathan McFarlane.
Competitive Stats
- Height: 5 ft 9 inches
- Competitive Weight: 240 pounds
- Off-Season Weight: 275 pounds
- Arms: 23 inches
Competitive History
- 2003 Northern Colorado State, Novice, Light-Heavyweight 1st and overall
- 2004 NPC Colorado State, Heavyweight, 1st and Overall
- 2005 NPC Junior Nationals, HeavyWeight, 1st and Overall
- 2005 NPC USA Championships, HeavyWeight, 1st and Overall
- 2006 Colorado Pro Championships, 1st
- 2006 New York Pro Championships, 1st
- 2006 BBC Classic, 1st
- 2007 Arnold Classic, 5th
- 2008 IFBB Iron Man, 1st
- 2008 Arnold Classic, 2nd
- 2008 Mr Olympia, 3rd
- 2009 Mr Olympia, 5th
- 2010 Arnold Classic, 2nd
- 2010 Mr Olympia, 2nd
- 2011 Mr Olympia, 1st
- 2011 Sheru Classic, 1st
- 2012 Mr Olympia, 1st
- 2012 Sheru Classic, 1st
- 2013 Mr Olympia, 1st