Phil Heath Versus Dorian Yates: Who Would Win In An Olympia Showdown?

February 20, 2018

Who would be the Olympia king?

Bodybuilding veteran and IFBB Hall Of Famer Shawn Ray recently weighed in on how he thinks Phil Heath would compare on stage to Dorian Yates. Lately, many bodybuilding fans have been comparing today’s top competitors to competitors from the ‘Golden Age’ of bodybuilding. Shawn seems to think that Phil would not be able to contend with Dorian.

First comes his argument that competitors are ‘only as good as the guys they compete with.’ This is a common sentiment in every competitive sport, that the true measure of an athlete is in his competition.

“Why do I say he’s better than Phil heath? Phil heath during his time had to beat and take away the title from an aging Jay Cutler and he did that. Then he had to hold off a three-time runner up Kai Greene.”

Shawn seems to think that Dorian had stiffer competition, and that Phil’s competition would not be seriously competitive on stage with Dorian.

“Kai green has the goods. He just doesn’t have the genetics when you stand next to Phil Heath. Phil heath held off a 46-year-old Dexter Jackson a year ago. So when I go back to saying ‘You’re only as good as the guys you compete with,’ I’m not so sure that Kai Greene in the 1994 to ‘97 Olympia is gonna be battling a Dorian Yates for the title.”

Next Shawn delves into a fascinating physical analysis of the two greats. He says that Phil Heath boasts better arms -especially triceps- than Dorian. Phil also has better abdominals and thighs, but the real problem for him will be Dorian’s frame.

“That wide back of Dorian Yates is gonna make Phil Heath look even more narrow than he actually is. He’s gonna be just as hard as Phil Heath especially from the rear when you see those frickin calves popping out… The back is Dorian’s all day long, but he’s gonna battle with him in that back double bicep, but when they open up in that back lat spread, Dorian opens up way too wide for Phil – front lat spread way too wide for Phil.”

Shawn says that Phil has never had a competitor test him in this way.

“Big Ramy is only 5’9 at best maybe only 5’9 and a half. But he doesn’t have that height and that’s what made Lee Haney so great is he had that height working for him and Dorian the height working for him.”

In the run-up to this year’s Olympia these observations and opinions are worth considering. In the end, Shawn Ray leaves us with a heuristic that summarizes his reasoning.