"No" to the Arnold - the Divergent Paths of Lee Priest, Phil Heath

Phil "The Gift" Heath placed second at the 2008 Arnold Classic

Two prominent IFBB pro bodybuilders, Lee Priest and Phil Heath, decided to sit out of the 2009 Arnold Classic for different reasons. Did they make the right decision?

January 8, 2009

Special for Bodybuilding Weekly

Last year, Dexter Jackson scored a hat trick, winning all three major IFBB shows in March and then topped it off by also taking the Mr. Olympia title.  Two major contenders in the IFBB pro bodybuilding ranks have decided not to attempt to achieve the same difficult task, for different reasons and with different results. 

Finishing third in his first Mr. Olympia, Phil Heath has decided to concentrate on moving up the ladder with Sandow on his mind.  The bodybuilder known as "The Gift", who placed 2nd at the Arnold Classic last year, has decided to skip the Columbus event in March and utilize that time preparing for next September's Olympia in Las Vegas. 

And after battling for nearly three years to be reinstated by the IFBB, Aussie Lee Priest has decided to make his return to the stage at the Australian and New Zealand Pros instead of the Arnold Classic.  That may come as a surprise to some people, since all three shows are within a week of one another and the Arnold is viewed as the next big thing after the Mr. Olympia contest.

The Arnold show is held in a much higher regard than either the Australian or New Zealand shows.  Being from Australia, perhaps Priest feels that his best chance at taking one of the championships - or at least placing in the top three for Olympia qualification purposes - is with minimal travel.  "I don't want to fly all the way to the U.S. to do the Arnold only to have to turn around and come right back six days later," he said last month.

While this strategy may make sense, concentrating on the Arnold Classic may have gone a longer way than two shows not as prestigious.  On the other hand, Phil Heath's decision to stay away from Columbus may end up paying huge dividends.

Heath's high finish in 2008 gives him a "pass" in having to win any other contests prior to the Olympia.  He has proven his worth and if he were to come into the Arnold at less than his best, he stood to lose some of the credibility that he has gained in the past year.

"After the Olympia, I definitely feel I could not only place high at the Arnold, I could win it," Heath said.  "But my goal is to be Mr. Olympia.  I just feel that to continue to improve and satisfy everyone - including myself - I would need another 10 months.  I think I can be 240 on stage - dry and hard.  But we can't do it in March. I just need that time in the gym."

Dexter Jackson proved that you can diet down for more than one show a year and take home first place.  Most of the top Mr. Olympia competitors trained a solid 12 months for that show, with lesser results.  Stay tuned to Bodybuilding Weekly to see how the Arnold results and aftermath may have an effect on the Olympia stage.