CAN PHIL REGROUP AND COME BACK IN 2019 TO RECAPTURE HIS TITLE?

What Should We Expect In 2019 from Phil Heath?

As we have seen year after year, it’s extremely difficult to dethrone the Mr. Olympia champ. In all the years, there have only been 14 different winners. Personally, I love the look Shawn Rhoden brings to the stage and if he can bring that same look to the stage in 2019, it’s going to be damn near impossible for anyone to knock him out from taking home his second Sandow.

I am never one to bet against Phil Heath. He himself even tells people that betting against him is never a good idea – you’ll go broke. And I’d tend to agree with him (that is until this year). We haven’t really seen Phil hit his peak the last few years which has me worried that we may never see Phil with his eighth Olympia title. He’s by no means “old” and we have seen what guys like Dexter Jackson can do year after year while no longer being a spring chicken.

In order for Phil to take back what he believes is his, this needs to be the most productive off-season he will ever go through. He needs to bring back his conditioning. He needs to bring back his abs (which I hope after his surgery from 2017 can be accomplished). He needs to come into the show in shape and not look gassed. He needs to come into pre-judging and the night show drier and not be holding onto those last bits of water. It may look like I’m being critical of Phil, yet Phil knows all of these things. He’s a champion and looking back and watching the video I’m sure he sees the same things I’m describing.

I’d like to see Phil come back better than ever and regain his title and take home number eight. But with the line-up getting better and better each year, I sense that Phil’s window of opportunity to remain on top of the bodybuilding world is closing little by little. Phil has nothing left to prove, but damn, number eight would certainly be nice to see.

AM I BEING TOO CRITICAL?

It’s going to appear that I’m “hating” on Phil or that I’m being “hyper-critical” yet the fact of the matter is, when you’re seven-time Mr. Olympia, the eyeballs and spotlight will be on you all the time. You will be compared against everyone in the line-up and those eyeballs will follow you around the entire stage.

Look, I personally know Phil. I’ve hung out with him many times when he was an athlete with the supplement company I worked for. I like Phil as a person and a human being. I would hope that from the times I have spent with him, that he sees my critique coming from a good place and not a place of hate. I want to see him win again and take back his title. Heck, I want to see him win 10 titles before he retires and hangs up his posing trunks.

I’m sure Phil and trainer, Hany Rambod, have already started planning what’s next and how to get Phil back to where he needs to be in order to compete and regain his title. Only time will tell. But one thing is for sure, 2019 is going to be one heck of a show when it rolls back around.