Phil Heath and Jay Cutler Respond to Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Controversial Men’s Physique Comments, Support Derek Lunsford’s Victory
Bodybuilding legends Phil Heath and Jay Cutler recently dissected the results of the 2025 Arnold Classic, addressing Arnold Schwarzenegger’s polarizing remarks about the Men’s Physique division. The seven-time Mr. Olympia and four-time Mr. Olympia champion also weighed in on Derek Lunsford’s dominant performance in the Men’s Open showdown.
The 2025 Arnold Classic delivered intense competition, leaving fans and industry veterans buzzing with debate. During the event’s live broadcast, Schwarzenegger sparked controversy by labeling the Men’s Physique category as “bogus” due to its signature board shorts, which obscure the athletes’ leg development. His comments sent shockwaves through the bodybuilding community, prompting backlash from competitors and fans alike. Men’s Physique champion Ali Bilal, who clinched the coveted Arnold Classic title, later expressed his disappointment and declared he would no longer compete at the event.
Meanwhile, in the marquee Men’s Open division, the highly anticipated battle between reigning Mr. Olympia runner-up Derek Lunsford and 2023 Arnold Classic winner Samson Dauda lived up to expectations. Despite Dauda’s previous victory over Lunsford at Olympia, he was unable to replicate that success in Columbus. Lunsford brought his most complete and conditioned physique to date, showcasing significantly improved leg density and symmetry since his last competitive outing in Las Vegas.
Phil Heath and Jay Cutler Weigh in on Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Criticism of Men’s Physique
In a recent YouTube discussion, Heath and Cutler broke down Schwarzenegger’s critique, debating whether his remarks were justified or unnecessarily dismissive toward Men’s Physique competitors.
Regarding concerns over prize money discrepancies, Heath noted that financial incentives are determined by each competition’s promoters. He explained that during his career, he specifically chose to compete in the Men’s Open category due to its superior prize purses, which historically outweigh those of other divisions.
With the 2025 Arnold Classic now in the books, the bodybuilding world remains divided on Schwarzenegger’s comments, but the undeniable highlight of the event was Derek Lunsford’s triumphant performance and the ever-growing evolution of elite-level physiques in the sport.
“The Olympia, so why isn’t everyone making $600,000 at these shows? They are doing it because they want to do it. They come up with their own metric. They come up with their own thing. I’m thankful that I made a lot of money at the Open. If I had to do it all over again, I’d do freakin Open because I want to make the most money.”
“To say we should get paid more because the NPC, they are not realizing the NPC doesn’t funnel money into the IFBB. I love the fact that these guys are unified. I think that’s great. But I also don’t believe that you should ever say you would never want to do a show again,” he shared.
Phil Heath and Jay Cutler Dissect Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Men’s Physique Comments
Phil Heath remained uncertain about what exactly Arnold Schwarzenegger said that was outright disrespectful. However, Jay Cutler took a stronger stance, believing Schwarzenegger’s remarks undermined the dedication and competitive legitimacy of Men’s Physique athletes.
“What did Arnold say that was disrespectful?” states Heath. “I’m saying this, I ain’t got no horse in this race. I just want to know for my own.”
“It shows a disrespect. Their theory is, and I understand every side you’re saying. Arnold spoke about the division like what is this, I don’t understand it.
Why are they wearing these shorts? The pajamas joke I think it’s kind of, it’s very insulting that they are not respected as the other divisions in a sense.”
2025 Arnold Classic Men’s Open Analysis
Breaking down the Men’s Open contest, Heath highlighted that Derek Lunsford’s physique improved progressively throughout prejudging. He emphasized that no other competitor on stage in Columbus could match Lunsford’s razor-sharp conditioning, fullness, and muscle separation.
“He actually improves as prejudging goes. So, with the added size, it actually benefitted him. Because no one was going to out-condition Derek, especially in that lineup.
So it was to his advantage. I’m still shocked, but I’m happy for him because we just mentioned when you go through that loss, you’re angry. He told me yeah I was angry. I was like good, you can admit it,” he shared. “When you try to walk around like nothing bothers you, it’s like are you really being purely authentic? It’s okay to be upset.”
Assessing areas for Samson Dauda’s future improvements, Heath kept it straightforward: he believes Dauda’s primary focus should be on refining his conditioning to achieve more striated detail. Despite this, Heath acknowledged that Dauda’s leg development has made noticeable strides since his previous outings.
“I think the only other thing he needs to focus is on is just get harder. I don’t see him as hard as Derek. When I think of winning, I think of dominating. Samson, he’s not dominating because he hasn’t figured out those problem areas. Even with the hamstrings, which I thought were improved.”
“His legs did improve. I just think maybe it could have been a timing issue. I still felt like he improved from Friday to Saturday, but it just wasn’t enough. ”
When discussing Andrew Jacked’s third-place finish, Heath asserted that size is not an issue for the towering competitor. Instead, much like Dauda, he needs to fine-tune his conditioning to bring deeper muscle maturity and definition.
“Who is telling him that he needed more size?” wonders Heath. “I’m not trying to stir up no bullshit with judges and stuff because I’m sure he didn’t talk to all the judges. It ain’t just size that Andrew Jacked needs. He needs conditioning, period.”
Between them, Heath and Cutler have amassed a staggering 11 Mr. Olympia titles, giving significant credibility to their insights. While Cutler interpreted Schwarzenegger’s remarks as dismissive toward Men’s Physique athletes, Heath remained on the fence, unsure if the criticism was truly meant as disrespect.
