After a stunning Mr. Olympia debut in 2008 when many thought he should have won it all; after the illness that kept him out of contention at last year’s Olympia prejudging and his shocking transformation before the finals where he was, with Jay Cutler, one of the two best bodybuilders on stage; after his controversial runner-up finish to Kai Greene at this year’s Arnold Classic and his best-ever placing at the O second only to Cutler we felt there was no better time to take a closer look at two of the weapons that help separate Heath from the rest: his phenomenal hamstrings.
HEATH ON HAMS
* “I train all my leg muscles together. I do quads first, hams second and finish with calves.”
* “The StairMaster is crucial for bringing in my ham lines. I tense my hams and glutes with every step.”
* “With hams, I usually front-load the sevens, doing them first with lying leg curls.”
* “Each exercise hits your hamstrings differently, so I typically do four different exercises.”
* “I don’t do stiff-leg deads first. I like to do them towards the end, so I’ve already pre-exhausted my hams and all the stress of the deads goes there and not on my back.”
