The 2024 Mr. Olympia is shaping up to be an unforgettable event with stories of redemption, triumph, and pride hanging in the balance. In a recent YouTube video, former champion Phil Heath offered advice to Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay and discussed who might win the biggest bodybuilding show of the year.
Bodybuilding fans will have the luxury of seeing their favorite Men’s Open competitors battle on stage at the nearing 2024 Pittsburgh Pro during a special guest posing ceremony. With a sneak peek of what might unravel at the annual Mr. Olympia competition, this spectacle has become a special part of the IFBB Pro League calendar.
Elssbiay, a former two-time Olympia titleholder (2020, 2021), will return to guest pose in Pittsburgh after taking a hiatus following his fourth-place finish at the 2023 Arnold Classic. Whether or not he could regain his title remains a mystery, which has prompted Heath to look further into the future of his career.
Phil Heath Offers Advice to Big Ramy, Discusses Who Will Win 2024 Mr. Olympia With Dennis James
Although Heath was unimpressed with Big Ramy’s fifth-place showing at the 2022 Olympia, he stressed that the former titleholder was under greater scrutiny given his championship status.
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“What I think and where they are going are two different things. I didn’t expect him, the 2022, I didn’t have him fifth, I mean, but I’m like but then where would you of had him Phil, maybe third, but you didn’t have him winning.”
“Come on dude, fifth? That’s bad. So, what message are we really sending,” adds Heath. “When you win, what do people do? They use a different microlens now, they use a much stronger lens now. When you were using that lens on me, you weren’t looking at him. So, now you’ve seen him more and now he is your standard, so now you’re like ‘Oh, wait a minute, there’s a scratch on the hood, there’s a knick on the tire, you know on the wheel,’ but we are talking about a Ferrari, and he’s going up against a Honda Civic or something.”
Heath complimented Ramy for his dominant side poses and thought he won the 2023 Arnold Classic.
“Look at Ramy’s winning poses and stuff, when I say winning pose, like the pose that they said this is your new Mr. Olympia, it was a side chest. That’s fucking crazy. That’s usually dedicated to the guys that are shorter like myself and can twist a little bit. He is wider than everybody,” says Heath.
“Why did he get fourth? Because when I saw the Arnold I wasn’t sitting there, watching it in the greenroom, bro, I thought he spanked everybody. He walked out and I was like this is a joke, it’s a wrap.”
As for Ramy’s future, Phil Heath believes that will become crystal clear following the guest posing event in Pittsburgh on May 11.
“I don’t know where he goes from here. I think some things will answer themselves come in Pittsburgh. I definitely believe that he’s got to probably stop with the old school pictures and videos that he and his team will post, tricking your mind into guessing when that actually was.”
With five months until Olympia’s 60th anniversary event, James predicted Choopan to leave Las Vegas victorious. Meanwhile, Milos Sarcev and Chris Cormier backed Derek Lunsford to retain his title.
“I’m going to say Hadi is going to win the Olympia. No big explanation, just give me the names,” asks Dennis James.
“I’m going to go with Derek,” says Chris Cormier. “I think he improved his abs and I think that’s going to help him a lot. I’ve been lobbying for him to improve his abs for like two or three years now.”
“Who’s going to win?” asks James.
“I think actually Derek will bring it,” replies Sarcev.
Heath believes Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford are the clear frontrunners ahead of the 2024 Mr. Olympia show without seeing the guest posers square off in Pittsburgh.
“I think what Hadi has to realize is that the timing of this show is everything. That’s usually something that something only competitors truly understand. I think last year, being backstage at the Olympia, when I saw him [Hadi Choopan] take his shirt off before he even touched a dumbbell, it was a problem. I think he did not peak on Friday because he probably pumped up too much. I watched it first hand.”
“Derek won hands down, it is what it is,” adds Heath. “I definitely believe Hadi and Derek are the frontrunners.”
This wasn’t the first time Heath examined the rematch between Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford. During an interview with Bradley Martyn, ‘The Gift’ was blown away by the progress Choopan made from the Olympia to his victories at the 2024 Arnold Classic Ohio and UK shows.
Fans and Heath included look forward to seeing the next chapter between Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan conclude. All questions will be answered at the 2024 Mr. Olympia event in Las Vegas, Nevada October 10-13.
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Watch the full video from the Muscle and Fitness YouTube channel below:
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