Phil Heath wings pose

Phil Heath
Bodybuilding career
It was not until 2002 that Phil Heath pursued bodybuilding and began to compete in events.

His hard work paid off in 2005 when he won the overall title at the NPC (National Physique Committee) USA Championships, earning 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, The Colorado Pro Championships and The New York Pro Championship.
In 2007, Heath placed fifth at the Arnold Classic, although fans and critics had him as high as third place.Nonetheless, he qualified to compete in the 2007 Mr. Olympia contest. Heath, however, decided not to compete at the contest, stating that he needed more time to improve in order to be competitive.
This proved to be a good decision as Heath ended up winning the 2008 Iron Man show and placed second to Jay Cutler at the 2008 Arnold Classic. In his 2008 Mr. Olympia debut, Heath finished third, becoming the first rookie to place in the top three since Flex Wheeler in 1993. A day before the Friday pre-judging for the 2009 Mr. Olympia competition, Phil caught a stomach virus which caused him to come in to the first day 10 pounds lighter than planned. He was a heavy favorite for the 2009 Mr. Olympia title[citation needed], but ended up taking fifth. In 2010, he took second place at the Mr. Olympia contest when Jay Cutler won his final title. In 2011, Heath became Mr. Olympia when he defeated Cutler. In 2012, Heath defended his Mr. Olympia title defeating Kai Greene.
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, and trains at Armbrust Pro Gym in Wheat Ridge, Colorado. Phil has released four bodybuilding DVDs: "The Gift", "The Gift Unwrapped", "Journey to the Olympia" and Becoming Number 13. The latter three films are by Bodybranded Films and director Johnathan McFarlane.