{"id":11957,"date":"2023-04-13T01:21:38","date_gmt":"2023-04-13T01:21:38","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/?p=11957"},"modified":"2023-04-13T02:01:56","modified_gmt":"2023-04-13T02:01:56","slug":"phil-heath-names-top-2023-olympia-contenders-teases-potential-return","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/everything-else\/phil-heath-names-top-2023-olympia-contenders-teases-potential-return\/","title":{"rendered":"Phil Heath Names Top 2023 Olympia Contenders, Teases Potential Return"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>Few bodybuilders will ever be able to match <a data-lasso-id=\"233848\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/phil-heath-jacked-training-physique\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Phil Heath&#8217;s competitive rap sheet<\/a>. With seven consecutive Mr. Olympia titles from 2011-2017, only <a data-lasso-id=\"233849\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/arnold-schwarzenegger-charity-5-million-personal-training\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Arnold Schwarzenegger<\/a> (seven Olympia wins) and <a data-lasso-id=\"233850\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/ronnie-coleman-greatest-bodybuilding-poses\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Ronnie Coleman<\/a> and <a data-lasso-id=\"233851\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/lee-haney-mr-olympia-retirement-decision\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Lee Haney<\/a> (eight Olympia wins each) are on par with the modern titan. Such a reality potentially makes Heath&#8217;s prognostication for the <a data-lasso-id=\"233852\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/2023-mr-olympia-date-confirmed-orlando-florida\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">2023 Mr. Olympia<\/a> all the more intriguing. <\/p>\n<p>On Apr. 11, 2023, Heath appeared in a YouTube interview with <em>The Voice of Bodybuilding<\/em>, <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/bob-cicherillo-nick-walker-arnold-classic-loss-explanation\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"233853\">Bob Cicherillo<\/a>, to discuss the upcoming Olympia. In the process, Heath named some of his top contenders for the title, including <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/hadi-choopan-ripped-physique-update-2023-mr-olympia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"233854\">defending champion Hadi Choopan<\/a>. The living legend even touched upon <strong>what it would take for him to return to the stage in posing trunks<\/strong>. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube\"><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/phil-heath-2023-olympia-contenders\/\"><img src=\"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/04\/lyteCache-7.php\" alt=\"YouTube Video\" \/><\/a><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-call-out-bm-icon is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><em><strong>More from Breaking Muscle:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/deadlift-form\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"233855\">7 Tips to Perfect Your Deadlift Form<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><strong><em><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-build-muscle\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"233856\">How to Build Muscle: The Training and Diet Guide for Lifters<\/a><\/em><\/strong><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>Before breaking down who he thinks could topple Choopan, Heath gave the athlete a wholehearted endorsement for a repeat title. It&#8217;s Choopan&#8217;s background, in addition to his elite fitness, that Heath thinks provides the champion with bodybuilder an edge over his peers. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cI think Hadi\u2019s [Choopan] a repeat champion,\u201d\u00a0Heath said. \u201c&#8230; You got to look at someone\u2019s origin. Champions have a specific origin of how they got here in the first place. You think of someone that has grown up in that environment in Iran. Everything matters. This thing means everything to him and his country. There\u2019s a lot of expectations, but he\u2019s met those expectations in a very quick period of time. He\u2019s never really been off.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As for who could unseat Choopan, Heath likes the potential of <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/derek-lunsford-ronnie-coleman-back-biceps-workout\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"233857\">Derek Lunsford<\/a> and <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/nick-walker-2023-arnold-classic-reflection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"233858\">Nick Walker<\/a>. Perhaps not by coincidence, Lunsford was the 2022 Olympia runner-up <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/derek-lunsford-hany-rambod-mens-open-2022-mr-olympia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"233859\">after transitioning from the 212 class<\/a>, while Walker finished in third place. <\/p>\n<p>For different reasons, this trio appears to be bodybuilding&#8217;s top Cerberus monster of sorts. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cIt\u2019s a three-headed monster at this point,&#8221; Heath explained. &#8220;It\u2019s either Derek [Lunsford] and I can make a case for Nick [Walker]. Nick is an anomaly, he\u2019s very different &#8230; It\u2019s going to cancel out a lot of guys because of the density and muscle maturity, because those two [Choopan and Walker] won\u2019t be out-conditioned. The cool thing about Derek [Lunsford] is, now he\u2019s comfortable in that [Men&#8217;s] Open body. He\u2019s a hard worker, got a good support system, a good coach.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"sbi-embed-wrap\">\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media sbi-embed\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CpITgU2DMiP\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CpITgU2DMiP\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/reel\/CpITgU2DMiP\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Arnold Sports Festival (@arnoldsports)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"wp-block-group is-style-call-out-bm-icon is-layout-constrained\">\n<p><em><strong>More from Breaking Muscle:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/neutral-grip-pulldown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"233860\">How to Do the Neutral-Grip Lat Pulldown for a Bigger Back<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong><a data-lasso-id=\"233861\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/partial-reps\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">Partial Reps \u2014 Short-Range Movements for Maximum Results<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>As for his own personal competitive prospects, Heath still has no forthcoming plans to return to a bodybuilding stage. The 43-year-old icon never officially retired but hasn&#8217;t competed in nearly three years. His last competitive appearance on-stage was a third-place finish at the 2020 Mr. Olympia, when <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/mamdouh-big-ramy-elssbiay-reaction-loss-2022-mr-olympia\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" data-lasso-id=\"235504\">Mamdouh &#8220;Big Ramy&#8221; Elssbiay<\/a> captured his first title. <\/p>\n<p>Heath told Cicherillo that, at the right lucrative price for one of the sport&#8217;s biggest names, he might well return to compete soon enough. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cI produce a lot of numbers,&#8221; Heath clarified. &#8220;I know my worth, it\u2019s worth way more than $100,000 [Heath&#8217;s purse for third place at the 2020 Olympia] &#8230; There\u2019s definitely a number, they [Olympia organizers] have to come up. It would have to make sense &#8230; We would have to have a meeting of the minds and actually figure it out.&#8221;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><em>Featured image: @arnoldsports on Instagram<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/phil-heath-2023-olympia-contenders\/\">Phil Heath Names Top 2023 Olympia Contenders, Teases Potential Return<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\">Breaking Muscle<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Few bodybuilders will ever be able to match Phil Heath\u2019s competitive rap sheet. With seven consecutive Mr. Olympia titles from 2011-2017, only Arnold Schwarzenegger (seven Olympia wins) and Ronnie Coleman and Lee Haney (eight Olympia wins each) are on par with the modern titan. Such a reality potentially makes Heath\u2019s prognostication for the 2023 Mr. Olympia all the&#8230;<br \/>\nThe post Phil Heath Names Top 2023 Olympia Contenders, Teases Potential Return appeared first on Breaking Muscle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11959,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":""},"categories":[20,1,21,22,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11957"}],"collection":[{"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11957"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11957\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11960,"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11957\/revisions\/11960"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11959"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11957"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11957"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11957"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}