Will focus on Olympia only in 2011
Phil Heath has decided to skip major competitions before. But none of those decisions was tougher than his most recent: to sit out the 2011 Arnold Classic to focus solely on being his best ever at the 2011 Olympia.
'It was a very hard decision for me to make because not doing the Arnold is kind of like an opportunity missed,' Heath said. 'After placing second there two years in a row, that still stings a little bit because I feel like I can win the contest this year. But at what cost would that be? After placing second at the Olympia I feel like I've solidified my position as one of the top two bodybuilders in the world.
'Sitting out gives me the opportunity to make really, really drastic improvements and put myself in a position to bring an even better physique in 2011. And there's no other way to do that except by putting in the time in the gym.'
This isn't the first time Heath has decided to bypass a marquee event with an eye on the future. He skipped the Olympia after qualifying in both 2006 and 2007 - to much criticism - in order to make the necessary improvements to be considered a threat at that contest. The decision paid off, as Heath debuted in Vegas in 2008 with a third-place finish.
This year, Heath lost a close decision to defending Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler. In the eyes of many, that decision could have just as easily gone to Heath.
'Every decision I've made in my career, I've had no regrets on,' Heath said. 'Of course I know I'm gonna have at least a couple days where I'm upset I'm not doing the [Arnold]. But I'm doing this for the reasons of trying to bring my best to the Olympia.'
Joe Weider's 2011 Olympia Weekend will be held on September 16 and 17 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
source: Flex
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My Side Note:
2011 is shaping up to be a rest year for Bodybuildings' top contenders with the news that Kai Greene also will be absent from the already star depleted Arnold Classic line up. Will Jay Cutler simply step on stage in average shape and walk away with the HUGE $$ ???
I suppose with the top guys out we look for the next stars on the way up who will knock these guys off in the near future.
With the terrible news that the Arnold Classic event will not be professionally filmed by the GMV Bodybuilding DVD team and has gone the way of low quality on-line coverage fans around the world are making their voices heard in disapproval of this decision on forums and bodybuildings' best websites.
This form of coverage has been proven to be a huge flop with the fans. The fans are voting with their feet and are walking away in droves from shows that are not filmed professionally and can not be viewed in High Quality HD 16:9 Widescreen. Is this contest also doomed to going the way of all the early season pro shows that went down the low quality coverage path and then in turn the low top pro turn out because of it? Without doubt the fans of our great sport deserve better!
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Check out Phil Heath winning in 2008 the much loved and now sadly lost from the sports calender 'Iron Man Pro' at the below URL:
http://www.primecutsbodybuildingdvds.com/2008-Iron-Man-Pro-2-Disc-Set
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