Phillip Heath

Phillip Jerrod Heath (born December 18, 1979 in Seattle, WA) is an IFBB professional bodybuilder.

Biography

Nicknamed "The Gift", Heath played basketball for the University of Denver before turning to bodybuilding in 2002. His hard work quickly paid off when he won the overall title at the 2005 NPC (National Physique Committee) USA Championships and earned the right to compete as an IFBB Pro. "The Gift" immediately made a splash in the IFBB, winning his first two pro events in 2006, which were The Colorado Pro Championships and The New York Pro Championship.

Phil placed fifth at the 2007 Arnold Classic, although fans and critics had him as high as 3rd place. Nonetheless, it qualified him to compete in the 2007 Mr. Olympia contest. Heath decided not to compete at the contest, stating that he needs more time to improve in order to be competitive.

This proved to be a good move, as he ended up winning the 2008 Iron Man show and placed second to Dexter Jackson at the 2008 Arnold Classic. Phil finished 3rd in his Mr Olympia debut in 2008, and became the first rookie to place in the top 3 since Flex Wheeler in 1993. He was a heavy favorite for the 2009 Mr Olympia title but placed 5th. Phil caught a stomach virus 24 hours before the Friday prejudging and caused him to come in to the Olympia's first day roughly 10 pounds lighter than he had planned.

Heath has been featured in many fitness and magazine articles, including being featured on the cover of FLEX magazine. Heath currently resides in Denver, Colorado.

Competitive stats

* Height: 5 ft 9 in (175 cm)
* Competition weight: 230 pounds (100 kg)
* Off-Season weight: 255 pounds (116 kg)
* Arms: 22 inches (56 cm)
* Legs: 31 inches (79 cm)
* Calves: 19.5 inches (50 cm)
* Neck: 17.5 inches (44 cm)
* Waist: 28 inches (71 cm)
* Chest: 53 inches (130 cm)

Competitive history

* 2003 Northern Colorado State, Novice, Light-Heavyweight 1st and overall
* 2003 NPC Colorado State, Light-Heavyweight, 1st
* 2004 NPC Colorado State, Heavyweight, 1st and Overall
* 2005 NPC Junior Nationals, HeavyWeight, 1st and Overall
* 2005 NPC USA Championships, HeavyWeight, 1st and Overall
* 2006 Colorado Pro Championships, 1st
* 2006 New York Pro Championship, 1st
* 2007 Arnold Classic, 5th
* 2008 IFBB Iron Man, 1st
* 2008 Arnold Classic, 2nd
* 2008 Mr Olympia, 3rd
* 2009 Mr Olympia, 5th