To break through on the Olympia stage, Awodibu learned from one of the best.
After winning the 2022 New York Pro and Indy Pro shows, it might be fair to say Blessing Awodibu is one of the bigger up-and-coming names in bodybuilding. To help further cement his place at the upcoming 2022 Mr. Olympia — his debut in the sport’s flagship contest — he recently enlisted the help of a living legend.
On Oct. 24, 2022, Awodibu posted a video to his YouTube channel where he trained with seven-time Mr. Olympia champion (2011-2017) Phil Heath. The two have previously worked together in the gym and, in this instance, they focused on polishing up Awodibu’s arms.
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With introductions out of the way, the pair immediately jumped into the workout fray. While Awodibu tackled his biceps on the preacher curl machine, he discussed Heath’s approach to arm training during the early parts of his career. It apparently came to a point where Heath was training his arms so well he had to slow down and let the other parts of his physique fall in line.
“I would have a full arm day, but then I would do chest and tris, then back and bis,” Heath said. “By the time I turned pro, my arms were overpowering everything.”
As Awodibu transitioned to an incline biceps curl machine, Heath gave him a tip to warm-up first for a measure of established control.
“I know how to do this, but after the contraction, the machine almost pulls me down when I lower it,” Heath explained to Awodibu. “I really have to control this one.”
Eventually, Heath had Awodibu do some “Heath Curls” — the bodybuilding legend’s variation of single-arm dumbbell curls where one does several reps on one side before alternating. This differs from traditional curls, with an athlete alternating every individual rep. A mix of concentration curls, rope pushdowns for the triceps, cable overhead extensions, and single-arm cable pushdowns would follow through the rest of the routine.
Here’s an overview of the workout:
*Blessing Awodibu Arm Workout with Phil Heath, October 2022
- Single-Arm Preacher Curl Machine
- Single-Arm Incline Curl Machine
- “Heath Curl”
- Standing Concentration Curl
- Rope Pressdown
- Cable Overhead Extension
- Single-Arm Cable Pushdown
*Note: Sets and reps numbers not provided.
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While Heath won’t be competing alongside Awodibu at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, that doesn’t mean he won’t have an important role. The bodybuilding great will be one of the lead commentators in the announcers’ booth, offering his experienced insights on the contest.
Meanwhile, Awodibu will try to make a name for himself amongst some of the sport’s active dynamos like Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay and Nick Walker. If he’s taking cues from someone such as Heath, chances are Awodibu might flourish. The 2022 Mr. Olympia will take place on Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV.
Featured image: @blessing_awodibu on Instagram
