LOS ANGELES — Like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Phil Heath has become synonymous with the world of bodybuilding, and rightly so. Heath is a seven-time Mr. Olympia champion — tied only with the former California governor.

In “Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story,” Heath documents his battle to return from injury and cement himself among the greatest bodybuilders of all time. It also recounts his rise through the ranks under the scrutiny of the media to cement his legacy.

In making the documentary, Heath told Spectrum News he peeled back the layers of who he was and who he is today. Bodybuilding, he said, allowed him to get through a lot of different pain points in his life, and it has allowed him to see how he sees himself when things don’t go right.

“We all need to get those words out; we just don’t know how. Being a seven-time Mr. Olympia, yeah, I experienced so much, but I did not make the time to address various issues and ‘Breaking Olympia’ definitely gave me that opportunity,” he said.

One relationship that has changed since Heath left the world of competition has been his relationship with the gym. He says it has certainly been different, and it has been a major adjustment.

“When you are training for the Olympia … it is the Olympia or nothing, and I needed to know what nothing was. I did not go to the gym for some time. I realized I needed to get back in there, but I wasn’t in there for the Olympia. I was in there for Phil Heath’s life. You are in there just to be in there. There is no competition. There is no one you have to beat. You just have to enjoy it,” he said.

“Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story” features contributions from Dwayne Johnson, Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Kai Greene, Brandon Curry and Dexter Jackson.

For Heath, it was a breath of fresh air to see and hear what some of former rivals and friends had to say and to see their support. 

“I love those guys. I love everybody that did this project,” he said. “It meant the world to me.”

Anyone looking to get into bodybuilding needs to do a self-audit of their emotional attachment to food, alcohol or sodas and truly define what weightlifting, the gym means to them, Heath said.

“They need to write these things down — not for social media, what does it mean to them — and they need to stare at them for a week because then they are able to have the proper intention as to how they are going to move forward. It is not always going to be easy. You need to have a set of intentions, but most importantly, you have to love yourself through it,” Heath said.

In watching his story, Heath hopes folks will recognize that we all have this life with so many variables and unknowns, but if we continue to work hard, take a deep breath, know what we are going to be ok.

“I hope everyone can walk away from ‘Breaking Olympia’ knowing they are a champion in their own right … they just have to step in to that every single day and give it their best go,” Heath said.

“Breaking Olympia: The Phil Heath Story” is now available to stream on Prime Video, Apple TV and YouTube TV.

Click the arrow above to watch the full interview with Phil Heath.