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Team Never Quit

Phil Heath: 7X Mr. Olympia on the Mindset to Win and Stay Hungry at the Top

Team Never Quit

Marcus Luttrell

Self-improvement, Mental Health, Education, Personal Journals, Health & Fitness, Society & Culture

4.86K Ratings

🗓️ 9 July 2025

⏱️ 87 minutes

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

The Gift: Phil Heath on Greatness, Grit, and the Mr. Olympia Mindset

In this week’s Team Never Quit Podcast, Marcus and Melanie are joined by none other than Phil Heath, a seven-time Mr. Olympia champion and one of the most iconic names in modern bodybuilding. Known as “The Gift,” Phil shares his journey from a basketball scholarship at the University of Denver to becoming one of the most genetically gifted and mentally driven athletes in bodybuilding history.
In this conversation, Phil opens up about his early days as a collegiate athlete, how he transitioned into bodybuilding, and what it truly takes to stay at the top of your game—physically and mentally. He also discusses and what discipline looks like when the lights are off and the crowd is gone.
Listen in as Phil also shares his endeavors in life after the stage—and what lies ahead.
Whether you're into fitness, personal development, or stories of rising to the top against all odds, this is a powerful episode packed with wisdom from a true champion.

In This Episode You Will Hear:
• I was an athlete my whole life. (3:36)
•  I was born in ’79. What a time to be alive. You saw greatness right in front of you through the athletes. (3:41)
• Violence is everywhere. You just have to play life with your eyes open. (6:19)
• I chose to be different. I was willing to be ridiculed by other people. I didn’t care. I just wanted to be focused, and always be competitive with myself. (7:04)
• I always wanted to be stronger, faster, and show more grit. So, I always wanted to be leading at the front. (7:41)
• Seeing other people’s life choices, and realizing that you have choices, and you have consequences. (8:13)
• [I thought] maybe, just maybe, God’s got something for me. (18:04)
• In my fifth year of college, I was looking for identity. (23:09)
• Proverbs 27:17 “Iron sharpens iron.” (24:19)
• Do your best. If you’re going to use social media, look at experts first. (29:00)
• I wanted to understand the champions. (30:07)
• I didn’t hire a coach or anything like that. I just trained with my friends and kinda - trial and error. (32:43)
• Be honest with yourself, and never say quit. (32:54)
• When I won the Mister USA competition in Las Vegas, 20 years ago – right before I go on stage, they come to my hotel room and they go “Here you go. You got the cover.” (36:13)
• It’s so amazing how God works. We meet (Jay Cutler), we take this photo, and we become best of friends. (41:23)
• Body building really is about validation in a way. (46:12)
• On my worst day, I have to make that day the best day in the gym. (48:30)
• [My dad used to say] “If I could put 2 feet on the ground, lace ‘em up, I can go to work.” (50:52)
• I put in the work. I had no training partner. I don’t even know how I did it. (53:16)
• I just knew that no matter what happens, I’m gonna be immortalized in history. (58:13)
• Your nickname is “The Gift”. What a better way to do that by honoring God. (74:23)
• I don’t want to latch on to something that ain’t for me, or for my wife, because I’ve gotta be the protector of her, too. (85:00)

Support Phil
  - https://phillipheath.com/ 
YT: https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCAappHS4hPvOe7ko1g_VRIw IG: philheath

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Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0

The Team Never Quit podcast is brought to you by Navy Federal Credit Union.

0:04.3

If you're looking for a car this summer, go check out how Navy Federal and True Car are making it so easy for you to find the right one at NavyFederal.org.

0:14.3

Obviously, I just chose to be different.

0:16.4

I was willing to be ridiculed by other people.

0:18.6

Just did not care.

0:19.5

Just wanted to be focused and always

0:20.9

being competitive with myself. All right, everybody, welcome back to the TNQ podcast.

0:38.3

I'm your host, Marcus LaTrell.

0:40.3

Every week it's my job to fire you up to ignite the legend inside of you and to push you to your greatness.

0:46.3

Join me every week as I take you into my briefing room with some of the most hard charging people on the planet.

0:52.3

They're going to show you how to embrace the suck of life,

0:55.2

teach you the values of working your ass off,

0:57.3

and charge through whatever life throws at you.

0:59.8

This is the Team Never Quit podcast.

1:03.3

Don't buckle up, Buttercup.

1:16.5

Ladies and gentlemen, welcome back to another episode of the Team Never Quit podcast.

1:19.5

As always, thank you guys so much for listening and watching.

1:24.1

And please don't forget to hit that like and subscribe button wherever you're getting this show.

1:29.1

So today, before we kick it off with their very special guest, let's do our usual and get that Patreon question of the week. And this week, we've got, if you could only do

1:36.1

one exercise for the rest of your life. What would that be? Oh, man. Kind of a perfect question for this podcast.

1:45.8

Yeah.

1:47.3

I guess I'd have to do burpees.

...

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