At the Muscle & Fitness podcast, Milos Sarcev took out his phone to highlight a new Instagram post in which he compared 2025 Mr. Olympia champion Derek Lunsford’s back and biceps definition to the all-time greats.

While Sarcev praised Derek as having the best back in the lineup, host Dennis James stopped him mid-commentary, “You can’t look past Phil. Yeah, Phil’s back biceps at his prime was the most complete. Yeah. When it comes to detail, detail, 3D look, right, Milos?” said James.

Sarcev was still hesitant to name Phil Heath as having the greatest back and biceps definition. He explained that the photos don’t do justice to the comparisons, emphasizing that Derek has the best back in the set.

He added, “Nobody beats Derek in these pictures. Not even Ronnie. Not—uh—not Phil, not Lee Haney, not Samir, not Ronnie.” James was not convinced by Milos’ assessment, as he believed that people often underrate Phil Heath. Despite this, Heath still possesses one of the best physiques in bodybuilding.

“For me, in that picture, Phil has the most crisp, detailed back double biceps, where everything is symmetrical on both sides. Yeah, that's just my opinion. Sometimes we forget how great Phil really was. He didn't win seven—he didn't win seven Olympias because he got lucky,” said James.

Nicknamed ‘The Gift,’ Phil Heath became one of the most monumental bodybuilders after the Mass Monster era. With seven Mr. Olympia titles behind him, he stands alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger as a seven-time champion.

Well, what are the secrets of his wide back? Let’s hear it from the man himself.

How Phil Heath Trains His Back?

“My overall approach to back training is knowing that a bigger muscle is a stronger muscle; however, back health is No. 1 for you to be able to do this,” expressed Phil Heath about having a good back workout.

The 7x Mr. Olympia used to train back twice to three times a week to have that Greek-God definition. Here is his complete back workout designed by Hany Rambod:

• Neutral wide-grip lat pulldown = 4 sets of 8–12 reps
• Plate-loaded lat pulldown machine = 4 sets of 8–12 reps
• Reverse-grip lat pulldown = 3 sets of 8–12 reps
• Barbell bent-over row (underhand grip) = 4 sets of 10 reps
• Seated cable row = 3 sets of 8–12 reps
• Machine pullover = 4 sets of 10–12 reps
• Weighted back extension = 4 sets of 10 reps

His philosophy for back training is straightforward: push each set to failure, train until exhaustion, and let the results speak for themselves.

Written by

Suryakant Das

Edited by

Oajaswini Prabhu