Phil Heath – 2020 Competition?

Phil Heath. Phil…… Phil……. Phil. Every news story with this man since the 2018 Mr. O contest is big. From Stealing the watch, wondering why he lost and finally, speculation on when he is going to be competing next. The final story in that list being recent news. Will he compete in the 202 Mr. Olympia?

There are 4 opposing views on this topic. Firstly, Phil Heath will make a return at the 2020 Mr. O. Secondly, he will return to the Mr. O at some point, we just aren’t sure when. Thirdly, Phil will return to compete eventually, just not at the Mr. Olympia. Then fourth and finally, Phil Heath is retired from competing.

In my opinion, the most likely reality we are facing is that Phil Heath is retired from competing. He had a 7 year reign as Mr. Olympia. The prime of his competitive career was 2011-2014. From 2015-2018, he progressively had a lower quality physique. To be tied for the 3rd most Mr. Olympia titles, you have to be a smart man. Phil clearly would realize his prime is behind him. This is the primary reason why I think Phil Heath is retired from competing.

Dylan Bartlett

Robbie Robinson Vs. Phil Heath

Phil Heath is back in the news again. For what? No he didn’t steal anything, His gut is the reason of course. On the instagram post about him beginning a diet, an IG user said that with the gut, Phil ain’t ever gonna win another title. Our boi, Robbie, agreed, replying that the gut got to go.

I am on board with Robbie here, the gut on Phil needs to be gone if he gonna win anything.

Phil Heath Competing In 2019?

Discussion surrounding Phil Heath has popped up recently, focused on the potential of him competition at the 2019 Mr. Olympia. With him winning the Mr. O 7x, he would not need to qualify for this year, as anyone who wins the Mr. O can compete for life, plus he placed 2nd last year, which would qualify him immediately. This discussion came from his girl posting about how he is gonna be beginning a diet. Secondly, a french youtuber/bodybuilder claimed (key word claimed) that Phil said he gonna do an 8 week diet, see how he is looking at the end, then decide if he is going to compete then. This would seem to more likely of a case now that there is the post that he is beginning a diet.

Now, Phil hasn’t always gotten along with the media. His long history of beef with Nick Miller from Nick’s Strength and Power on YouTube is a prime example of this. Now, he his girls post could be just something to fuck with the media. People could be like “OMG? HE DIETING? HE GONNA COMPETE!!!” While he is just like “Nah fam, I’mma just dieting”. I honestly think this is a likely explanation. Being 100% honest, I don’t like Phil & I know I am biased against him. I think he looked great at the ’11 Olympia and that’s one of the best Mr. O physiques of all time, but I think he is a jerk. For me, his beef with NSP makes it difficult for me to believe any stuff he hints at, as I always think he wants to fuck with the media.

What do you guys think? You Think Phil is gonna compete this year? Why or why not? Have a beautiful day and go make some gains.

Dylan Bartlett

Big Ramy Near Olympia Condition

Big Ramy, a giant of a man. There is a reason he is called BIG Ramy; even around the mass monsters of today, he still looks relatively big. He recently weighed in at 316.8 pounds (143.7KGs). The interesting thing is, last year, he said 1 day out from the Mr. O, he was claiming to be 310lbs, only 6.8lbs lighter than currently.

When you are that big, 6.8lbs is not significant and can be lost fairly quickly. Imagine how quickly you can lose weight when you begin dieting. Pretty quick right? How about how quickly a 200 lb man can lose weight than a 125 lb woman. Pretty quick right? This can make it clear that 6.8lbs for Big Ramy would not be difficult for him to lose.

I personally think that Big Ramy, being 316.8lbs, should begin to diet for Tampa in August. Imagine how dominant he would be if he had the size he already has, and elite conditioning, he would blow everyone, even Dexter, out of the water. This would be good momentum for the Mr. O in September in my opinion.

Thanks for reading. Comment what you think.

IG post: https://www.instagram.com/p/Bx8iI77lgto/

Arnold Wants Drug Tested Competitions

Arnold, 7x Mr. Olympia, wants drug tested competition. His opinion on modern bodybuilding is very well known and he is quoted saying “it is body building, not body destroying”. A lot of the modern drug use today is a result of the freaky mass monster that are seen today.

Compared to the 70’s and 80’s, the mass monsters today use a lot of drugs. Some drug dealers have said they don’t know half the stuff that is being used today. In the “golden era” guys used D-bol, test, etc. GH, insulin and others were not around or not popular yet. John Meadows also said “we have gone from using drugs in prep to never going off cycle of drugs” on the iron culture podcast with Omar isuf & Eric helms.

Do I think this a good idea? Both yes and no. I think there should be natural competitions that exist, however, I do think open (not tested) competitions should remain as a stable part of the IFBB and other organizations. Natty competitions should be there for those who do not want to juice. However, I think having a place for the freaks and drug users to compete is a good idea.

What do you guys think? You think all competitions should be drug tested? Just some? Why?

Generation Iron article: https://generationiron.com/arnold-schwarzenegger-wants-drug-testing-in-bodybuilding/

Breon Ansley Vacuum Pose

Recently, Breon, the 2 time classic physique Olympia champ posted an IG video of him hitting a vacuum pose. This is notable for multiple reasons. First, he isn’t the biggest fan of the vacuum pose. Secondly, the vacuum is seen by many as needed in classic, such as the 2x runner up to Breon, Chris Bumstead. Thirdly, it looks really good on him.

Breon has been honest on his views regarding the vacuum pose, he is not a big fan of it. He has long felt doing the crunched abs variation looks better on his physique. With winning 2/3 of the classic titles since classic became a thing (and in the top 6 the other time), who can blame him? The judges have rewarded him.

Many fans and other competitors see the vacuum pose as something needed in classic. It is seen as something that makes something more classic, as many competitors from Zane, Arnold, Hanney, Franco and many more could all hit the vacuum. People see if you will be rewarded in the classic division, you need to hit the vacuum.

In my opinion, Breon has a really good look with the vacuum. It is in his offseason and he still has a deep vacuum, so in contest condition? He will look insane.

Reference video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=C6IirQqiT3I

ABC News Article

Yesterday at 9:54pm, an article by Jo Khan was published on ABC News under the health and wellbeing section. The topic of the article? What’s it about? In their opinion, although to the general public, bodybuilders may seem like health & in good shape, this is not reality. They first discuss what even is competitive bodybuilding, as many of their readers do not know. Their following section discusses the effect being stage lean has on the human hormones. Following this, a section dedicated to dehydration & exhaustion. Next is a section on mental health. The final section is a section talking about how bodybuilding isn’t for everyone, but has positives. All of these are interesting sections, so let’s begin.

Their explanation of what competitive bodybuilding is very good. They describe what typically goes on while competitors are on stage, and the typical cutting process prior to the show. It is said that the shorter prep time you give yourself, the worse it’ll be for your body, which is widely agreed upon in bodybuilding circles.

The next section discusses the effect being stage ready can have on human hormones. Many bodybuilding competitors diet so greatly that they approach essential body fat levels, which is the amount their bodies need to simply live. The impact this has on the female reproductive system is mentioned, along with how in natural males competitors, their natural testosterone levels can drop as a result.

The following section is discussing dehydration & exhaustion. It is common for bodybuilders to dehydrate themselves for a show to get the “dry” look, as the appearance of competitors holding water leads to a less conditioned look, hurting their overall physique;. It’s also mentioned how bodybuilders do not feel well mentally going into a show. This has been mentioned by Sadik Hadzovic before when he said to look your best, you have to feel your worst.

Following this, there is the discussion on the impact this has on mental health. It’s stated many competitors can feel empowered going on stage, while others can get body dysmorphia. On a related note, it’s been said that eating disorders can come as a result of competing, one place mentioning this is the iron culture podcast.

The final section is the potential benefits of competing. It is mentioned that there is a belief that if competitors slowly adjust, it can be done safely and improve the health of the individual.

Now time for what I think. Personally, I do not think it is some new discovery that bodybuilding is not healthy. Whether naturally done or with the help of PED’s, getting stage ready is not the best thing for the body to be doing. Many of the points in the article are valid and many competitors deny them. This article mainly discusses the impact of competing on natural competitors, enhanced competitors are a whole different level.

Thanks for reading everyone, I hope you enjoyed.

Article:
https://www.abc.net.au/news/health/2019-05-01/bodybuilding-health-effects-dehydration-starvation-hormones/10971608