Why Did Phil Win? Phil Heath Vs Kai Green at Mr Olympia 2014

Why did Phil win? And why are so many fans outraged by it?

Before breaking down the drama of the Olympia, it needs to be acknowledged that, according to sources educated in the matter, Phil Heath had the capability to win the Olympia based on fair judging alone. Whether or not politics swayed the result in any way, Phil had the physique to win another Sandow, with or without any under-the-scorer’s-table leniency in his favor.

“The Olympia is an overall package look. It isn’t who had better this or who had better that,” bodybuilding judge Skip Hill said to me on Tuesday. “Phil is a better bodybuilder because he has the whole package. The things I like about Kai’s physique are things I would like on me, but they aren’t things that are put together for the ideal look.

“Phil wins from his overall package. Everything from skin tone, to balanced conditioning, to how his muscles flow with each other. Everything on him is put together.”
When I walked into the gym Sunday morning, the Olympia results fresh in my mind, I asked the elitefts Senior Content Manager for his impression of the competitors. In his explanation of why he thinks the judges scored Kai below Phil, he described Kai as, “a collection of freaky bodyparts.” This is precisely how most bodybuilding fans see the Olympia competitors: freaky.

“Look at Kai’s lats,” Hill said. “Those lats are the thickest lats I have ever seen. It’s like you could put your hand in there up to your third knuckle. And the feathering on the outside of his quads is otherworldly.

“He may even have smaller joints than Phil, if you were somehow able to measure. His biceps have peaked so ridiculously, but the area around his elbow has stayed relatively the same size. It’s almost like he has rounder muscle bellies. Look at Kai’s chest. I don’t think that Phil’s chest is terribly round or full or all that remarkable. He’s bigger, but he doesn’t have that look that someone put an airhose in the muscles and blew them up.”

This is where the fascination with Kai’s physique develops. He looks absolutely inhuman. His back is swallowed up by his lats and you can nearly see each muscle fiber in his outer quads. This doesn’t sway the judges quite as easily as it does the fans, though. These are judges that every single day see bodies developed to the extent of Olympia competitors. Their mentality resides so deeply embedded in the culture that the emotional response to an IFBB Pro’s extraordinary physique has long since worn off. The judges aren’t like you or me, who become so amazed that comparisons are difficult to fairly make.

Why did Phil win?

1. Traps : Kai Green’s traps look too big and unbalanced with the overall body frame. This disturbs his overall muscle flow and looks out of place. Where as Phil Heaths traps are in proportion to his over all body.

2. Triceps: Kai Green’s triceps looks smaller as compared to Phil Heath in the most muscular pose. Phil had fuller and longer triceps.

3. Waist: Phil Heath is gifted with smaller waist which works to his advantage against Kai Green who comparatively has broader waist.

4.Forearms: Kai Green’s forearms looked flat as compared to Phil’s massive and fuller forearms.

5. Quads: As compared to Kai, Phil had come with a larger, more detailed legs with smooth curve giving aesthetic appeal.

We feel these are the few areas where Phil won over Kai Green. Well friends, these are just our opinions and observations. Please feel free to comment if you feel other wise.

So, what do the judges see that the fans don’t? According to Skip, it isn’t one specific attribute; it’s everything. It is balanced conditioning. It is uniform proportions. When you look at Phil’s physique, no singular body part stands out. That may sound like a weakness, but to these bodybuilding judges, it is a strength. Nothing is a strong point because everything is equally strong.

Phil’s champion-worthy physique acknowledged, there were some unusual competition and non-competition factors at play in Vegas this year. The most glaring of which was an ongoing conflict between Kai and Phil, a rivalry that appears to have grown into potent hatred.

Sources:
https://www.indianbodybuilding.co.in
http://www.elitefts.com