While bodybuilding presents aesthetics and musculature of the human body, it also brings to light discussions about Performance-enhancing Drugs and several health issues. An experienced bodybuilder like Phil Heath, who has not only won seven Mr. Olympia titles but also has been an athlete for decades, knows the dark side of his sport. Therefore, when an opportunity presented itself to talk about fitness influencer Sam Sulek on the ‘True Geordie’ podcast, he didn’t hesitate to spill his views.
The hour-long conversation with Brian Davis, who hosts the True Geordie podcast, contained subjects like Heath’s mental health struggles, young bodybuilders’ mistakes, PEDs, and many more. While Heath had a heart-to-heart chat about many of these topics, he ended up discussing how rookie bodybuilders got into PED cycles without too much context or knowledge and ended up harming themselves. That’s when Davis asked him about Sulek’s online presence, image amongst fans, and Heath’s view on his whole schtick.
Heath began by expressing his rage over young fitness enthusiasts hopping on the drug train without prior knowledge or precautions. Comparing the situation with how he trained, he revealed how he would get his blood work done every 3-4 months, while rookie fitness freaks wouldn’t bother.
This led him to discuss Sulek’s case and how he has developed a controversial image due to his training routine and alleged cycle. Both Heath and Davis agreed that his PED usage seemed quite evident due to his physique and size. However, the former had a burning question about his accountability surrounding the situation.
“If there’s drugs involved, and you’re not explaining it to the next person that adores you…I get there’s a double-edged sword with this…you say ‘oh yeah I’m on test, and I’m on this…’, well, we all know you’re committing a felony.”
However, Heath admitted that on the other side, since Sulek wasn’t ready to accept or talk about his cycles publicly, he was being “disingenuous”. While the situation was sticky and he didn’t intend to paint the 22-year-old as a villain, he was curious about his age when he started it all.
“Because, how does that resonate with a 14-year-old, a 15-year-old. They may look at him and say, ‘well, I don’t care about competing, because oh that takes a lot of work’.”
With a following of over five million on Instagram, Sulek has been one of the few influential fitness figures for young minds. While Heath clarified that he heard he was serious about competing, the preparation proved to be a wake-up call for the 22-year-old. Bodybuilding as a sport went beyond looking good for the camera. It involved a lot of strenuous posing, strategy, and stamina. Although Heath made it look effortless on stage, he knew the blood, sweat, and tears he shed to get there.
Phil Heath admits to sacrificing years of joy for his titles
In a chat with Piers Morgan, Heath talked about his bodybuilding journey and the hardships he faced while preparing for the sport. Training under popular coach Hany Rambod, he knew he had to give up on most indulgences to get to the top.
“I sacrificed a little bit over 10 summers.”
Preparing for the Olympia meant forgoing junk food, social life, and the little joys in life. He recalled being a chaotic mess at former NBA athlete Jamal Crawford’s wedding since it was weeks away from the championship. Heath had to bring his own meals since he couldn’t indulge in the wedding catering. However, it was all worth it for the bodybuilder when he won the Sandow and remained the undisputed champion for seven years.
