Mr. Olympia Phil Heath is one of the most decorated bodybuilders in the sport. Nicknamed ‘The Gift’, Heath’s amazing symmetry, muscle size, balance, proportions and conditioning earned him the second-most Mr. Olympia title of all time alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger did.
On August 22, 2023, podcast host Chris Williamson published a video on his YouTube channel. We interviewed Heath about his use of performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) in his illustrious bodybuilding career.. Check out below.
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[Related: Former Bodybuilder Calum von Moger Opens Up About Mental Health Struggles During Interview With Zack Telander]
When asked if he had ever worried about drug use and its long-term health effects during his competitive bodybuilding career, Heath said he took more steroids than other competitors because he could not afford it. Claimed the quantity was small. Heath said he was willing to release the blood test transcripts “for money or one day on my podcast” to back this up.
Heath took 500 milligrams of testosterone and one weekly shot of “deca” (nandrolone decanoate) to win the 2005 Mr. USA title in his professional debut.Around Medinika, “Nandrolone decanoate is thought to have a strong anabolic effect but a weak androgenic effect.” (1)
Heath didn’t add growth hormones until the 2008 Arnold Classic, in his third year of his professional career, where he won a silver medal, after which he increased his testosterone to 750 milligrams per week.
Heath opined that athletes who take PEDs too early in their bodybuilding careers impede their sporting potential and have shorter lifespans. He stressed the importance of maximizing one’s physique naturally before becoming an enhanced lifter.
The Gift believes that many modern bodybuilders take too many steroids early in their careers. Instead of improving their physique to the quality needed to succeed in an elite contest like Olympia, they instead suffer from damaged muscle tissue and poor skin quality. According to Heath, a professional bodybuilder should cycle his PED throughout the year to maintain overall health and avoid addiction.
Heath won his first two pro shows as a natural athlete because he knew that some bodybuilders in Colorado who took PEDs had developed side effects and were not winning shows. After researching his anabolic steroids, Heath concluded that the risks of taking PEDs early in his career were not worth the tradeoff. In addition, Heath was concerned about the possibility of the IFBB conducting drug tests.
Heath relied on infrared saunas, neuromuscular massage, acupuncture and spinal decompression to facilitate recovery. He revealed that his maximum weekly dose of testosterone was 1,300 milligrams and that he had never used insulin.
I tried 1,500 milligrams and it started running watery.
Heath tried Trenbolone, a synthetic analogue of testosterone that “works anabolic effects by altering the action of endogenous growth factors.” steroid — but stopped immediately to avoid liver and kidney damage. Blood tests when taking Trenbolone showed elevated levels of prolactin (a polypeptide hormone involved in lactation and breast development). (2)(3)
Heath’s preferred PEDs were Winstrol (a trade name for Stanozolol, an anabolic androgenic steroid used for “improving energy, appearance and physique”) and growth hormone. (FourStill, Heath remained in moderation and kept low doses to put the finishing touches on his figure for the show. He suggested that the lack of social media platforms during the sport’s heyday allowed him to limit his steroid use.
Professional bodybuilders have to decide whether they are influencers or bodybuilders.
According to Heath, today’s professional bodybuilders compete with social media fitness influencers for sponsorships and as a result use steroids year-round without achieving the quality physique their predecessors have shown. Deciding to do so is putting your health at risk.
reference
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Patane, FG, Liberto, A., Maria Magritte, AN, Marlandrino, P., Esposito, M., Amico, F., Coshimano, G., Rosi, GL, Condorelli, D., Nunno, ND, Montana, A. (2020). Nandrolone Decanoate: Uses, Abuse, and Side Effects. Medicina (Kaunas, Lithuania), 56(11), 606. https://doi.org/10.3390/medicina56110606
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JF Yarrow, McCoy, SC and Borst, SC (2010). Tissue selectivity and potential clinical applications of Trenbolone (17β-hydroxyestra-4,9,11-trien-3-one): A potent anabolic steroid with reduced androgenic and estrogenic activity. steroid, 75(6), 377–389. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.steroids.2010.01.019
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Al-Chalabi, M., Bass, AN, Al-Salman, I. (2023). Physiology, prolactin.in stat pearl. Statpearl Publishing.
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Karimui, FN, Bideskan, AE, Poole, AM, Hosseini, SM (2019). Neurotoxic Effects of Stanozolol on Hippocampus in Male Rats: Does Stanozolol Cause Apoptosis? biomolecule concept, Ten(1), 73–81. https://doi.org/10.1515/bmc-2019-0009
Featured Image: @philheath on Instagram
