Phil Heath, aka “The Gift,” is a monumental figure on the earth of bodybuilding, each physically and mentally. Standing at 5’9″ and walking the stage at 240lbs, Phil has won Mr. Olympia an insane 7 times! This provides him the dignity of getting the third most Mr. Olympia wins in history, only being beaten by Lee Haney and Ronnie Coleman. This has led him to be considered one of the highest bodybuilders of all time, leaving a trail of kicking ass on stage while leaving a plethora of motivation.
Winning Mr. Olympia 7x isn’t any easy feat (hell, just walking on stage is tough enough!), so we’ll dig into his training and see what Phil Heath’s workout routine looks like.
Who Is Phil Heath?
Phil Heath is an American bodybuilder who was lively in bodybuilding in the course of the early 2000s. He earned his pro card in 2005 after winning the general title on the NPC (National Physique Committee) USA Championships. He then won his first pro show on the Colorado Pro Championships in 2006, where he competed against the formidable Kai Greene. This competition would set the stage for the birth of considered one of the most important rivalries in bodybuilding history! Here’s a video of their infamous fight at Mr. Olympia 2014!
Over the following couple of years, he debuted at Mr. Olympia in 2008. While he didn’t win, he placed third, making him the primary rookie to put in the highest three at Mr. Olympia since Flex Wheeler in 1993. From this point forward, everyone knew he was a force to be reckoned with. 2009 he placed fifth, followed by a second-place finish in 2010.
Phil Heath’s dedication to his training is really inspiring. He honed in over the following yr and put 100% effort into his training. Finally, in 2011, all his work paid off, and he won his first Mr. Olympia win. He would then return the following yr to defend his crown. He’d do the identical the following yr and on the other hand and again – Phil Heath went on to win a complete of seven consecutive Mr. Olympia wins!
He absolutely dominated this era and wasn’t replaced until 2018, when Shawn Rhoden knocked him off to second place. He’d only competed for one more couple of years, along with his last competition being Mr. Olympia in 2020, where he placed third and ended his reign in bodybuilding.
Phil Heath’s Workout Routine
Phil Heath would normally utilize a 5-day body-part split training a muscle group once per week. As a 7x Mr. Olympia champ, his workout plans normally contain a ton of volume, so they don’t seem to be for beginners. Here’s what it will seem like:
Session 1: Legs
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Stiff-Legged Deadlifts | 4 | 8-10 |
| Seated Leg Curls | 4 | 15-20 |
| Lying Leg Curls | 7 | 10-12 |
| Front Squats | 3 | 12 |
| Hack Squats | 3 | 12 |
| Leg Extensions | 4 | 10-12 |
| Leg Press | 7 | 7 |
| Seated Calf Raises | 4 | 10-12 |
| Standing Calf Raises | 7 | 10-12 |
| Leg Press Calf Raises | 7 | 10-12 |
Session 2: Chest and Triceps
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Dumbbell Incline Press | 4 | 10-12 |
| Standing Cable Incline Fly | 4 | 10-12 |
| Hammer Strength Bench Press | 3 | 10-12 |
| Pec Decks | 7 | 10-12 |
| Dips | 3 | 10-12 |
| Close Grip Bench Press | 3 | 10-12 |
| Triceps Pushdown | 3 | 10-12 |
| Lying Triceps Extension | 7 | 10-12 |
Session 3: Rest Day
On at the present time, Phil Heath would engage in various types of recovery, akin to saunas and massage. He’s also known to make use of various chiropractic methods, akin to spinal decompression in addition to acupuncture.
Session 4: Back and Biceps
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Wide Grip Pull-ups | 3 | 10-12 |
| Power Grip Chin-ups | 3 | 10-12 |
| T-Bar Rows | 4 | 10-12 |
| Bent Over Rows | 4 | 10-12 |
| One Arm Dumbbell Rows | 3 | 10-12 |
| Straight Arm Pulldowns | 7 | 10-12 |
| Standing EZ Bar Curls | 3 | 12 |
| Hammer Curls | 3 | 12 |
| Concentration Curls | 3 | 12 |
| Hammer Strength Preacher Curls | 7 | 8-10 |
Session 5: Shoulder and Traps
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Smith Machine Military Press | 4 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell Front Raise | 4 | 10-12 |
| Upright Rows | 4 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 7 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell Shrugs | 4 | 12 |
| Barbell Shrugs | 4 | 12 |
Session 6: Cardio Exercises
For cardio, Phil Heath generally kept his sessions to about half-hour or so and would either involve HIIT or steady-state, depending on his needs in addition to the time of yr. One piece of kit he loved was the stair climber, so get in on that and climb some flights if you wish to train like Phil Heath!
Session 7: Rest
Sundays are reserved for complete rest, allowing Phil Heath’s body to get better and recharge for the upcoming week of intense training.
Progressing On Phil Heath’s Workout Routine
Progression on Phil Heath’s workout routine is comparable to another effective training plan; you will need to use progressive overload. The important difference with Phil Heath is his insistence on using proper form. Phil was not impressed by moving heavy weight with crap form.
At the identical time, Phil Heath was known to make use of things like tempo training and time under tension. He would decelerate reps and really consider working the muscle.
5 Phil Heath Workout Training Principles
Phil Heath competed professionally for around 15 years, learning rather a lot from his own experience and from rubbing elbows with other greats. One among the most important influences in his bodybuilding profession was his coach, Hany Rambod. Listed below are a few of an important guidelines of Phil Heath’s training.
1. Emphasis On Safety
In stark contrast to Ronnie Coleman’s emphasis on pushing heavy weight, Phil Heath kept his ego on the door and didn’t worry about how much weight he was moving.
“The heavier you lift, the greater the chance factor. I need to all the time use a weight I can control, manage, and give attention to my muscles. Too many individuals are too anxious about what other people think after they’re training.” – Phil Heath
Nevertheless, this concern for safety went further and even affected his exercise selection. Perhaps probably the most famous example is Phil Heath’s decision to stop performing the barbell bench press. The truth is, in 2009, he had a scare with a possible pec tear using the Smith machine bench press and stopped that, too. He now favors using a chest press machine but can be known to make use of dumbbells.
He also mentioned he likes doing body weight lunges and concentrating on a deep stretch. The underside line is that Phil Heath lifted smart and didn’t worry about people while within the gym; he let his results speak for themselves. This might be what allowed him to compete professionally for 15 years!
That is in stark contrast to the best way many old-school bodybuilders lifted. Back in the course of the Golden Era, many bodybuilders would utilize strength training of their normal routine. The truth is, the greats Lou Ferrigano and Franco Columbu even competed in the primary installment of World’s Strongest Man!
This doesn’t suggest the Golden Era bodybuilders were careless in any respect; it’s just interesting to see how the methodologies have evolved over time.
2. FST-7
FST-7, a training method specifically created by his coach, Hany Rambod, stands for ‘fascia stretch training seven.’ FST-7 is if you perform 7 sets of 8-12 reps with 30 seconds of rest on the last exercise of a muscle group, a method that Phil Heath has credited for his muscle fullness and pump during competitions.
For instance, for example you are training the chest. You first do your workout routine. Then, on the last chest exercise of the session (which is generally an isolation exercise just like the cable fly), you perform 7 sets of 8-12 reps with 30 seconds of rest.
Now, for example you’re training your chest and shoulders. You’d then use FST-7 for the cable fly (chest) and the last exercise for the shoulders, akin to the lateral raise.
This can be a video of Hany Rambod training each Phil Heath and Jay Cutler using the FST-7 method to coach chest.
3. Smart Exercise Selection
As seen above with the chest press, Phil Heath prioritized exercise selection. He believed that it is best to do what works for you and select one other exercise if something doesn’t suit you.
For instance, it’s well-known that Phil Heath didn’t like performing squats. He preferred to coach his legs with things just like the leg press and hack squat. Now, he didn’t think that squats were bad; he just felt they didn’t suit him, and the risk-reward ratio wasn’t price it.
These kind of decisions are throughout his workout routine. The first takeaway is to do what works for you. Do not get caught up in social media or doing an exercise because so-and-so uses them. Be honest with yourself about what you would like and, more importantly, how much you’ll be able to lift!
4. Perfect Your Technique
As you’ve got seen, Phil Heath prioritizes safety in his training. A part of that is using great technique. He firmly believes that your first goal while training is not to do more weight or perform more reps but slightly perfecting your technique. When you’re good, you’ll be able to start using progressive overload.
Now, a part of this was obviously for safety. As well as, he stressed the necessity to hit the muscle the best way you would like.
5. HIIT
Cardio, baby! Phil Heath did his cardio and specifically promoted HIIT for his workout routine. He claims he even increased HIIT during his Mr. Olympia prep.
There are a couple of aspects that cause his preference. The primary is he believes it’s more interesting than regular state. Altering the intensity keeps him focused and allows him to stick to his cardio training.
He also claims that HIIT is “higher” for fat loss. There’s plenty of nuance there, and we would not necessarily 100% agree with the statement about fat loss basically. Nevertheless, HIIT might be higher for fat loss while maintaining muscle mass, especially for those with lower body fat percentages.¹ Phil Heath also won Mr. Olympia 7x, so HIIT obviously works, which it 100% does.
Phil Heath’s Eating regimen
With that style of volume, Phil Heath needed to eat rather a lot to keep up his size at 240 lbs. It’s estimated he ate around 5,000+ calories a day to attain this.
His macro breakdown was heavy on protein and carbs. Going a bit of deeper suggests his protein intake was high, even for bodybuilders. He consumed around 400 grams of protein each day, which puts him at around 3.6 grams of protein per kilogram of body weight, which is about 1.75x the traditional protein intake for bodybuilders (2.0g/kg).
Phil Heath also didn’t shrink back from carbs. He admittedly ate a ton of carbs and noted that his body just responded well to them. That is an interesting component, as Phil Heath does not imply that everybody eat as much as he did because everyone’s body is different. This tackle nutrition is comparable to his tackle exercise selection, noting that different people have different needs. Smart. Regardless, he reportedly ate around 600 grams per day.
Phil Heath reportedly didn’t track his fat consumption specifically. His fat intake naturally got here from his eating regimen, akin to his love for eggs, beef, and salmon.
Phil Heath’s Workout Routine: Conclusion
Phil Heath’s workout is intense. He generally trains a muscle group with around 20 sets during one session. Now, 20 weekly sets per muscle group tends to be the advisable maximum for most individuals. Nevertheless, this must be done across two workouts with a single session with only about 10 sets per muscle group as we detail in our post How Many Sets & Exercises Should I Do. This implies he’s doing about twice as many sets in a single session.
At the identical time, it is important to notice that Phil Heath admits to using various anabolic steroids, which is what allowed him to hit his muscles so hard on a single day. Due to this fact, this program just isn’t for beginners. It could help to have training foundation with not less than a yr of experience and better volumes. Further, this each day volume is probably going an excessive amount of for a natural lifter and is unnecessary.
Now, we’re definitely not suggesting anyone go and begin using just in order that they can run Phil Heath’s program! As an alternative, we at SET FOR SET simply imagine it is important to be transparent with these items.
That said, all you would want to do to run his program is knock off some sets. For instance, as an alternative of running the 7 sets for the finisher, just do 4-5. For exercises with 4 sets, knock a pair right down to 3. Easy peasy.
Either way, his training is intense, and when paired along with his eating regimen, you are certain to construct muscle for those who’re the proper candidate.
References
- Gabriel Nasri Marzuca-Nassr, Macarena Artigas-Arias, María Angélica Olea, Yuri SanMartín-Calísto, Nolberto Huard, Fernanda Durán-Vejar, Francisca Beltrán-Fuentes, Aris Muñoz-Fernández, Andrea Alegría-Molina, Jorge Sapunar, Luis A. Salazar, High-intensity interval training on body composition, functional capability and biochemical markers in healthy young versus older people, Experimental Gerontology, Volume 141, 2020, 111096, ISSN 0531-5565, https://doi.org/10.1016/j.exger.2020.111096.
