Phil Heath won the Mr Olympia on seven occasions, raising the trophy every year from 2011 to 2017. But even for all his success, Heath shared in a recent Instagram post that he initially struggled to grow his back. To turn things around, “The Gift” followed what he calls the three-second rule—and you can too.
“Back was my greatest weakness upon starting my competitive bodybuilding career,” revealed Heath. “Many critics would say how I could never win because of my back not being wide enough or well developed enough. Instead of listening to them, I looked into the mirror and recognized where I lacked development was an opportunity to learn, taking things slowly, being methodical and more intentionally focused on contracting the muscles to make them grow.”
Follow Phil Health’s Three-Second Rule
Heath’s three-second rule is a staple used by many bodybuilders and involves holding the contraction at its peak. And the concept is not limited to the back. Demonstrating the details on the seated high row machine, “The Gift” explains the process for progress that can be applied to any pulling movement. “Pull all the way for a three count,” begins the big man. “Slowly working the negative, going all the way up for a good stretch, and then pulling back down with your elbows.”
With the motion now at the end of the pull, Heath holds on to the weight while counting to three. The Olympia champ explains that what you should never do, however, is “use a lot of body English,” in other words jerking and swaying, and rushing through the exercise. “That’s not what’s gonna get it done,” says The Gift. “What’s gonna get it done is full stretch (at the top), pull down, squeeze, and then slowly go up.”
Of course, the three-second rule is based on time under tension. A slower tempo has been scientifically associated with more muscle gain, but increasing the time under tension beyond 10 seconds could be less effective, so don’t hold on for too long. For one thing, hypotrophy requires heavy loads, and longer TUT’s often require lighter weights. So, three seconds is a sensible plan for bodybuilders.
“I know we all have weaknesses, but it’s the strength from within ourselves, tied with relentless determination and proper movement, eliminating fear of failure, over and over again, (that) produced what was a weakness into my greatest strength,” Heath says.
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