Bodybuilding legend Phil Heath led a historic career but admits it came with a fair amount of financial struggle. In a recent YouTube video, Heath reflected on earning income in bodybuilding with Hany Rambod and discussed the importance of the coach-client relationship for achieving success in the sport.
Heath conquered the sport with bubbly fullness, massive proportions, and patience. He reached incredible heights as an IFBB Pro in the Men’s Open, having secured seven Mr. Olympia titles, winning the prestigious event every year from 2011 to 2017. He is tied with bodybuilding icon Arnold Schwarzenegger with seven Sandow trophies.
Whether he was going toe-to-toe with his arch nemesis Kai Greene or adding to his legacy with unforgettable performances, Heath has long been considered one of the greatest talents to ever throw on a pair of posing trunks.
While Heath solidified his name in the history of bodybuilding, he admits earning money in the sport came with its challenges. In his latest effort, ‘The Gift’ looked back on his era of bodybuilding, where athletes were tasked with acquiring income based on show participation, endorsements, and sponsors.
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Phil Heath & Hany Rambod Talk Coaching Compatibility, Earning Income in Bodybuilding
First and foremost, Phil Heath stressed that a sign of an effective coach is someone who can make adjustments at any given moment due to the unpredictability of the sport. This is one of the reasons why Heath preferred Hany Rambod as his trainer.
“For all you guys out there that want you know, want to hire a coach and you’ve had some success and stuff like that, how about this… execute everything that he or she is saying, and when it doesn’t work, you then give them the look like ‘Hey man, this shit didn’t work man!’ Because a coach is what?
A person that can make adjustments at any given moment in time. Now, if they can’t make those adjustments, the coach should be fired. But I knew your track record and I felt, you know what, we’re going to figure this out. I liked you, I respected you and you have a different type of brain. You know what I mean, your background isn’t just bodybuilding, you worked consulting with aerospace companies, you’re a geek, a super nerd, a super professor.”
At one point early in his bodybuilding career, Heath only had $43 in his bank account and was forced to catch the bus or a ride to the gym.
“Bro, you gotta remember, I did the Junior Nationals with 43-fucking dollars in my bank account. That’s all I had. I spent all my money on prep. All my money on prep and then I finally get a contract you know, then, so what’s funny about that, I get the contract, they give me like a little sign bonus, when I say little, it’s not little, it’s five grand, I’m like man that’s great.”
“I had no vehicle. I was bumming rides from my roommate, either catching the bus or riding a bicycle to work during prep. Even with that money when I got that check, I’m like okay, I’m going to go out and buy a car. I buy a car it was a Lincoln, so I bought this green Lincoln ls8 with the V8 bought that bitch brought it home to our spot put the armor on the tires had the NPC wear because I got hooked up.”
“I’m driving to the gym within three minutes after I left my place I get rear-ended. I just had the car for three fucking hours. My credit score was like 560 or some shit.”
Upon earning his IFBB Pro card, Heath explained that he became the sport’s ‘golden boy,’ and began earning significantly more money.
“I was like the new golden boy. I was the guy making all this money [after earning my Pro card],” said Phil Heath.
“What was cool was that during those two off-seasons obviously, I’m training we are doing our thing. I was supplementing the income that I was so-called missing out on the Olympia by getting more guest posing and building a fanbase that way.”
When Heath signed with MET-Rx thanks to Frank Sepe, he made over $10,000 per month excluding the compensation earned from his Joe Weider contract.
“I left my job at Valley Total Fitness a year prior and I’m just getting paid as a Weider athlete. I waited and got a phone call from Frank Sepe and he was an athlete for MET-Rx.
I ended up signing with MET-Rx. I got my first contract. I’ll just disclose it, I was getting paid 10 grand a month and I’m thinking that with my Weider deal, that was really good money. It was huge money.”
Lastly, Heath and Hany Rambod discussed the different methodologies that led to ‘The Gift’s’ next-level three-dimensional look.
“I was just like trying to create different methodologies or just trying to come up with that 3D look and creating that. I was always about just what are the things we can do. But I never for a million years thought you would want to share that with anybody, meaning like Jay Cutler,” said Hany Rambod.
Heath isn’t the only IFBB Pro League star to give his thoughts on money in bodybuilding. Former eight-time Mr. Olympia king Ronnie Coleman has also been candid about his respective career earnings. He underlined that most of his income came from endorsement deals, underlining that it was in the millions.
Some in the sport, such as Bob Cicherillo argued that bodybuilding prize money needed an increase to entice participation from IFBB Pro League athletes. It appears the league heard these concerns as IFBB Vice President Tyler Manion revealed that the prize money pool for the Open was increased by a total of $210,000 recently.
There’s no denying that earning income in bodybuilding has changed drastically since Heath was on stage. Having led a lucrative and one-of-a-kind career, Heath hopes to see the sport continue to evolve.
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Watch the full video from Hany Rambod’s YouTube channel below:
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