Phil Heath Shares Insight On His PED Use & Doses: “I Took Less Than Everybody And I Can Point It Out”

PED & Testosterone
Phil Heath Instagram (@philheath)

Phil Heath broke down his steroid use in bodybuilding and it might surprise you to hear!

Bodybuilding legend Phil Heath is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all-time and he did it in his own way. During a recent interview, Heath shared insight on his PED & testosterone use during his days of competing.

“I love this conversation because I took less than everybody and I can point it out. I have bloodwork from the very beginning.”

Heath totaled seven Olympia titles over the course of his career. In 2020, he stepped on stage for the final time but has been active in the gym ever since. During the 2020 show, Heath finished third and fans have been waiting for his return ever since. His seven titles is second all-time to Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney, who are tied at the top for eight. Many wonder if Heath would return in hopes of matching this all-time record.

Despite keeping his physique in championship shape, Heath ruled out a return in 2023 back in May. This does not mean that it is off the table for 2024. Heath has provided many updates showing off his progress to this point.

Phil Heath Bodybuilding Mr. Olympia

Phil Heath: “You Build It With The Base Form”

Phil Heath shared his dosages of steroids during the beginning of his career and it might not be as much as you think.

“I won the Mr. USA taking 500mg of testosterone and a shot of Deca a week. I didn’t have any money but I whipped everybody’s ass. First crack at it and quoted as one of the greatest Mr. USA’s of all-time. Didn’t take growth hormone until my second Arnold Classic.”

Heath turned pro in 2005 and did not begin taking growth hormone until 2008. By this time, he already had two victories under his belt. He also upped his test dosage to 750mg. Heath was far ahead of other competitors because he made sure to focus on his base.

“That car, a little Honda Civic with some turbo kick, handmade and handcrafted Ferrari’s will always beat that sh*t. And if you put a little bit of a mod on that sh*t, you can’t catch it…Let me work on the base form.”

 

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Phil Heath Talks Work In The Gym

During his interview with Chris Williamson, Phil Heath went into more detail about the early days of his career.

He impressed with an insane physique that was built with hard work in the gym. When he began taking a step up in competition, Heath focused on improving himself rather than entering shows when he wasn’t ready.

“I did the Arnold Classic in 2007. I had won the two previous shows in 2006, Shawn Ray and New York Pro. I realized I needed more time off to do the Olympia because I was gonna be undersized. It made no sense to get. my ass beat by a bunch of guys that are seasoned veterans.

Did the ’07 Arnold, placed fifth. The first time ever losing. Okay, let me take some more time off. I decided to have a deeper offseason. Understand that, what’re the differences between me and everyone else? Time in the gym. What are drugs gonna do? They’re not gonna shrink time. You need time in the gym.”

 

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The work that was done? Phil Heath did it in the gym rather than with drugs because he wanted to have a strong base. Also, Heath mentioned that he wanted to be prepared incase drug tests were implemented and he could ween off it without losing his build.

“You build it with the base form. You need to do it appropriately. We knew how to do it during. It’s not an all-year-round thing because then you become a drug addict…You have to be a fuc*ing idiot to take all these drugs, not win, and put yourself, not only in financial debt, but physical debt.”

Phil Heath continues to train hard in the gym with his eyes on a potential comeback in 2024. If this happens, there will be plenty of eyes on the bodybuilding legend.

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Greg Patuto
Greg has covered the four major sports for six years and has been featured on sites such as Sports Illustrated, Fox Sports, SB Nation, NJ.com, and FanSided. Now, he is transitioning into the world of bodybuilding and strength sports.