Quotes from Phil Heath

I received a lot of criticism early in my career, but people didn't realize that I'd only been training for three years when I turned pro.

There were actually a couple of times I fell asleep at the gym on accident after a workout, but it was still late enough, so I went home and caught some sleep.

I stick to bread-and-butter bodybuilding. I hit my muscles from various angles, work on bringing up any weaknesses, and design workouts that are always challenging and helping me progress.

I train as smart as I can. I'm not concerned what others think. I do what works for me.

My goal every year is to be bigger and better than I was the year before. The competition just keeps getting better, and the pressure just gets hotter. Nothing gets easier.

We all go through things in life, and it's just how you deal with it. Try to stay positive throughout the worst.

Prior to stepping on stage, I prefer to continue being myself, whether that is making jokes with others, talking about other non-bodybuilding topics, or just sitting around listening to music.

Since I first signed with AMI's Weider Publications in 2005, everything has turned to gold.

I grew up playing basketball in the inner city of Seattle, and by the time I was a senior, I earned a full scholarship to the University of Denver.

I see guys who are in the gym all the time, but their bodies are not a reflection of that. They look the same from year to year, and that has to do with the fact that they're not evaluating the effect of their efforts.

We have to know how to eat right, train right, and take the right over-the-counter supplements.

Everybody that wants to work out wants to feel good and look better, but I think one of the biggest problems people have is they don't want to work out with a personal trainer, someone like myself, or even a couple of buddies, because they think, 'Gosh, if I work out too hard, I'm not going to be able to get up the next day!'

I want people to realize bodybuilders are athletes. We have a very meticulous philosophy on how we are able to gain muscle and lose fat simultaneously.

You can give me credit on a skilled sport - golf, basketball - but when it comes to someone's appearance - how often do guys compliment another man on anything? They find it feminine.

I've actually read that isolation is the enemy, so why do that to myself?

I went from 185 lbs to 285 lbs, became a 7X Mr. Olympia, tying Arnold Schwarzenegger, and competed against the most determined and fittest athletes in the world. This took hard work, tremendous dedication, and knowing what, how, and when to train.

When you see me at the show, I'm smiling because I want you to know I can do this all day.

When I started out in the industry, I turned to magazines like 'Flex' and 'Muscle & Fitness' - the people on their covers were my inspiration.

I've done, on video, 150-pound dumbbells in each hand -I think it was, like, twenty two reps - on an incline.

Every so often, I'll look at myself in the mirror and go, 'You're a bad mother,' you know? Like, 'You're a bad dude, man, and you're gonna show the world who you are when the time is right.'

There's no way in hell I could have achieved what I have without being a good student and listening to the wisdom of others

As Mr. Olympia, I have to go above and beyond. It's more than just showing muscle.

Some ladies like muscle.

Most people don't do front squats because they're uncomfortable, and there are easier alternatives, but to really add size to the quads, they're a must.