IFBB champion Phil Heath has etched his name in the halls of bodybuilding forever. Being the only one apart from Arnold Schwarzenegger, to claim seven consecutive Mr. Olympia titles, he has attained greatness. Surprisingly, the athlete was not always as confident as he seems today. In the recent podcast episode of Modern Wisdom by Chris Williamson, Heath opened up about his life and career.

He dived deep into his memory to recall the intriguing details of his very first bodybuilding competition. Although the athlete appeared absolutely shredded, his performance was obstructed by his mental limits. 

Phil Heath recalls his first bizarre experience at bodybuilding competitions

In the podcast, the 43-year-old athlete primarily discussed his mental struggle as a competitive bodybuilder. Speaking of his first competition, Heath confessed that he felt rather insecure after observing his fellow competitors. Moreover, he was not aware of the fact that many athletes had enhanced their frames with PEDs.

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Therefore, underestimating his all-natural physique, he felt he didn’t stand a chance of winning. Heath expressed, “so that’s when I was like, you know, walking out like this, like the Terminator, that’s what I was thinking about, just walk out like the Terminator, like be strong be this when really I was just looking like an idiot.”

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However, the athlete’s anxiety got worse after he went on stage. He felt that everyone could see that he was putting up a “false bravado.” Basically, struggling with confidence issues, Heath eventually realized his true worth. “so I’m paying attention to the negative beliefs more than the actual reality that I’ve done the work I’m gonna win this thing and now it’s time to own all of it,” the pro added. But a subsequent instance bolstered the athlete’s self-esteem. 

A random lady’s comment uplifted Phil Heath 

Following his anxious experience at the show, a lady yelled out a compliment for Phil while he was on stage. She asked him to smile while performing on stage. “So it wasn’t until the point by a lady that yelled out: ‘smile you’re beautiful,’ that I realized like oh wow okay now I can be in my own,” The Gift reminisced. 

While some amount of external validation is absolutely necessary to lift up one’s self-esteem, Heath received it aptly at a time when he needed it most. Since then, there has been no turning back for the American icon. He pursued the sport with the utmost passion and prevailed gloriously. 

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What do you think of Phil Heath’s first-ever bodybuilding competition? Did you expect him to be this anxious? Tell us in the comments.