Mr. Olympia 2011: How Basketball Helped Phil Heath Be a Bodybuilding Champion

Some people think that bodybuilding is just about lifting weights and protein shakes, but new Mr. Olympia Phil Heath proves that theory wrong.

Heath is jacked—no doubt about it—and I am almost certain that he spent more time in the gym lifting weights and working on his tone than any of us could ever imagine.

That being said, Heath’s story provides us with an in-depth look at what it really takes to be a champion.

Anybody can lift weights, but you have to be an incredible athlete to be one of the best.

It’s so much more than hitting the gym, listening to your pump-up music while grunting, and eating a juicy protein bar after the workout.

Sadly enough, that seems to be perception we have of bodybuilders.

Truth is, it couldn’t be further from reality.

Heath may be the best bodybuilder in the world right now, but according to Sporting News he pursued the sport of basketball during college:

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Former University of Denver guard Phil Heath was hardly a heavyweight on the basketball court. He averaged just 1.3 points per game during his four-year career.

But after basketball, Heath has found a different path in the world of athletics. Now he excels in the world of bodybuilding.

Over the weekend, Heath—nicknamed "The Gift"—won the 2011 Mr. Olympia competition, defeating four-time champ Jay Cutler. (And no, the Bears' QB is not moonlighting as a bodybuilder. It's a different guy.)

"I feel awesome," Heath said in an interview with flexonline.com. "Words cannot describe how I feel right now. I'm so happy I was able to do it and able to have fun while doing it.

Heath reportedly weighed 180 lbs. during his playing days at the University of Denver, according to The Post Game. Needless to say, Heath has bulked up a bit since those days.

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As good of a story Heath’s transformation from a scrub basketball player to world-class bodybuilder is, I think there is a deeper lesson in all of this.

It’s overused and cliché, but don’t judge a book by its cover.

Bodybuilders have gotten a bad rep, but Heath has shown us that it should be quite the opposite.

He won not only because he put in the work, but because he is a tremendous athlete.

“Fringy” sports don’t seem to get the credit they deserve nowadays. In a sports culture that is so predicated around hype, highlights and bright lights, they seem to get pushed under the rug.

Mr. Olympia 2011 proved once and for all that athletes are athletes.

No excuses and no exceptions. If you compete, you're an athlete.