Bodybuilding veteran Rich Gaspari has become a respected voice in the community for his analytical and hot takes since moving on from professional competition. In a recent post made on Instagram, Gaspari shared his thoughts on training intensity and motivated his followers to push themselves in the gym.
During his days of competing on stage, Rich Gaspari proved to be one of the most disciplined and consistent performers in the Men’s Open division. The IFBB Pro League competitor was renowned for his insane conditioning levels. While he did not win the Sandow trophy, he finished runner-up on three occasions and went head-to-head against some iconic names, including eight-time Mr. Olympia Lee Haney, Lee Labrada, and Robby Robinson.
Gaspari never shies away from expressing his opinion. The outspoken analyst has been at odds with the modern mass monsters of the Open class lately. He bashed the unrealistic physiques seen in the division and preferred the look of reigning four-time Classic Physique Olympia champ Chris Bumstead’s physique.
Following the 2022 Mr. Olympia, Gaspari criticized champion Hadi Choopan for a lack of conditioning from the back. He drew a comparison between the backs of Hadi and former six-time champion Dorian Yates to illustrate his point. Choopan fired at Gaspari for the uncalled comparison and told him to consider factors such as the color, lighting, and camera angles.
Gaspari later defended his take as constructive criticism. He believes that contemporary bodybuilders focus too much on building muscle mass and end up sacrificing definition. He later urged Choopan to come back with an improved level of conditioning, reminiscent of the dry look of the older generations.
He chimed in on the dethroning of former two-time Mr. Olympia Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay at the latest Olympia contest as well. Rich suggested Ramy failed to retain his title because his prep coach misled him.
Rich Gaspari imparts crucial insights on the significance of training intensity
In a recent Instagram post, Rich Gaspari shared his thoughts on training intensity and encouraged his followers to test their limits in the training room.
“What is the definition of training intensity? First off, it’s a mindset to push your body physically to failure,” said Gaspari. “Now what is failure? That’s a grueling training intensity, not hurting yourself, but training so hard that your body will collapse after getting to that level.
Intensity is hard to put into words unless you experience it. It’s training so hard that you want to stop because the burn is so intense and your muscles feel like you’re going to collapse.
“But mentally, doing those reps where you want to just give up but you don’t. Intensity is using all the advanced techniques; supersets, drop sets, slow-mo reps, giant sets, assisted reps, negatives, and even chain reps to push a muscle beyond failure. True intensity is suffering. You do that last rep and that last sec. It’s being in the gym full of people but being in there in your own world with only you and your training partner. Intensity is mind challenging the body to go beyond what you feel you can do.“
Rich Gaspari continued his feud with Open bodybuilders by claiming they prioritized steroids over training quality. He believes athletes in the Open today are too dependent on drugs.
RELATED: Lee Haney: We Reached A ‘Level of Conditioning’ In My Era Where We ‘Could Walk Away Alive’
Earlier this month, Gaspari talked about the anti-aging benefits of using peptides. He encouraged using the substances to slow down the aging process and underlined having a solid nutrition plan. Regardless of your fitness level, Gaspari believes it’s best to push the pace when working out.
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