by Harry Fessel, ProSource Website Editor / Senior WriterArticles
The ProSource Interview With
Bodybuilding Legend and Business Icon
Rich Gaspari
Watching Rich
Gaspari bound up onto the stage at his Muscle Beach Hall of Fame
induction recently--the physique of a serious bodybuilder hardly
concealed by a conservative short-sleeved polo and slacks--it's easy to
forget that it has been almost thirty years since he first leaped into
national prominence at the 1985 IFBB Night of Champions and 1985 Mr.
Olympia. In many ways, Gaspari is the champion who never left; he has
been both an ambassador and innovative force for the sport ever since
his retirement in 1996.
So swift and startling was
Gaspari's ascent to the peak of the profession (he was 22 years old when
he placed second in his debut at the Night of Champions, 23 when his
storied three-year rivalry with Lee Haney began at the 1986 Mr. Olympia)
that he was dubbed
"The Dragon Slayer,"
a name he bears with pride to this day. Indeed, since he left the
stage, Rich Gaspari has never ceased finding new dragons to slay, both
in the gym and as the CEO of Gaspari Nutrition,
one of the industry's acclaimed manufacturers and retailers of
cutting-edge sports supplements.
Though he is little
more than a year away from receiving his AARP card, Rich Gaspari has
little enthusiasm for reflecting on the past. Instead, he is
laser-focused on the future. In a sport where many once-celebrated pros
are content to slap their name on a supplement line and coast into a
retirement consisting of appearances and photo ops, Gaspari adheres
fiercely to a "Walking the Walk" philosophy. Easily the most visible CEO
in the bodybuilding marketplace, Gaspari stars in a hugely popular and
ongoing series of intense "Walking the
Walk" training videos on the web and is the
centerpiece of a $25,000 Train with Team Gaspari Contest in which
contestants compete for the opportunity to train with high-profile
athletes like MMA champion Frankie Edgar, former IFBB
champ Flex Lewis, and, of course, Rich
Gaspari. In most ways, his training regimen is as grueling and
productive today as it was thirty years ago. Recently, we got the
always-on-the-go CEO to sit down briefly for a short
interview.
ProSource: Fifteen
years since your retirement, you've still got a competition-caliber
physique. Your training videos on YouTube are models of high-impact
intensity. How do you do it?
Rich
Gaspari: You can't surrender to lowered expectations. I
always say that I want to be in excellent condition, not for my age, but
for any age. That's the mindset that you have to possess. Now someone
might say, well, your body can't do at 48 what it could do at 20, and to
a certain narrow extent, that's true. On the other hand, I know a lot
more at 48 than I did at 20. About how to train, how to eat, how to
rest, how to grow. I've got supplement technologies and training methods
that weren't available to me two and three decades ago. I do a five-day
training regimen, one body part per day, maximum focus and intensity. I
eat seven times a day, each meal two hours apart, to maintain optimum
metabolic and anabolic efficiency. I stick to a 40/45/15
protein/carbs/fat regimen. I've always had a good bodily metabolism, so I
don't have to do a lot of cardio, but I do some cardio for fat-burning
purposes. Also, speaking of an advantage I have now that I didn't have
years ago, I'm gluten-free. I cut all wheat-based products, barley,
refined carbs, out of my diet and substituted in sweet potatoes, brown
rice, and fruit. A lot of fruit. At Gaspari Nutrition, our flagship
muscle-building protein, MyoFusion, is gluten-free. I
take that every day, and I use it in recipes when I cook. And I've
never felt better.
ProSource: A lot of athletes in the
ProSource family regard you as an inspiration. As a guy who got into the
sport at age 15 and 89 pounds, what do you have to say to a beginning
bodybuilder who's maybe struggling and not seeing the results they would
like to see?
Rich Gaspari: Well, first of all, let's
define expectations. Not everyone is going to be a champion pro
bodybuilder. Everyone can't win the Arnold Classic. At that level, there
is a genetic component to it. A guy like Arnold or Flex Lewis, they
have a genetic predisposition to building muscle. That's a fact of life.
It's like I was saying before with metabolism. I've always had a fast,
efficient metabolism. I don't have to do a lot of muscle-deteriorating
cardio to burn fat. That's an example of a genetic advantage. Now,
having said that, everyone has the capacity and the opportunity to get
in top condition. Achieving that is an ongoing process; you have to
stick with it. Also, you have to be willing to experiment and find what
works for you. Switch up your workouts, shock your muscles. Don't fall
into a rut. Learn from the people around you in the gym. Stay focused.
Bodybuilding goals are achieved over the long run. There are no quick
fixes.
ProSource: Okay, here's a desert island question. You're
stranded on an island with access to only three kinds of supplements.
What do you take with you?
Rich
Gaspari: [Laughs.] Okay, first, let's remember that
supplements are food, so if you're not going to bring food with you to
your desert island, you're not going to last long. Supplements are proteins, they're carbs,
they're amino acids. The basic building
blocks of life. So, first, I'd bring a protein supplement. A protein supplement is actually the
most inexpensive and efficient means of adding protein to your diet.
Ounce for ounce, it's cheaper than chicken or steak or fish. You need a
top-quality protein with highly bioavailable amino content, processed to
preserve maximum nutritional value. Secondly, a multivitamin. A good one, like
our own Anavite,
goes beyond the basic vitamins and minerals to cover compounds you're
going to need on your desert island, like a clinically active dose of
beta alanine, and L-Carnitine L-Tartrate for enhanced recovery. Finally,
because I'd be training like crazy on my desert island, in the absence
of anything else to do, I'd want a quality pre-workout supplement like
SuperPump
Max.
ProSource: Gaspari Nutrition has a terrific reputation in the
industry. What, in your mind, is the most important characteristic of a
successful supplement company?
Rich
Gaspari: In Gaspari Nutrition's case, I think it's obvious
to our customers that we're just like them. We're athletes; we care
about our bodies and our conditioning. I'm right out in front, using our
products and sharing training tips in our videos. You can go on our
site and "Train With Rich Gaspari," you know? I think the typical
customer would be surprised (or maybe they wouldn't) at how many
supplement companies out there are run by fat, tired guys in suits. Guys
who, if they weren't selling supplements, would be selling ceiling fans
or something. We're not like that. Also, just as important, be truthful
with your customers. You have one chance to impress a new customer. If
you lie to them, if you make an outlandish claim, you're done. That
customer is gone forever. Honesty is essential to existing in this
business over the long haul.
ProSource: You've always had a great
relationship with ProSource, as Gaspari and ProSource have prospered
over the last decade. What's a key characteristic you associate with
ProSource? What, in your mind, is responsible for ProSource's
success?
Rich Gaspari: ProSource was already
established as an industry leader when we first got started at Gaspari Nutrition. They
had set an example that we very much wanted to follow. Not just in the
high-quality of the ProSource brand of supplements, but also in honesty.
ProSource was the first big manufacturer/retailer to set a high
standard for communicating accurate information to customers. Before
ProSource, there was a substantial portion of this industry that was
real "back of the magazine" stuff. Outlandish claims, very little actual
science, skimpy research and development. ProSource was a pioneer in
changing all that. The
ProSource supplement buyer's guides that they starting issuing
in the 90s were a revelation. For the first time, you had unbiased,
in-depth reviews of brand-name supplements. That was just unheard of.
And that commitment to accuracy and integrity continued right through
their general business practices and customer service. You would call
ProSource on the phone to order a product, and you'd get a supplement
expert on the phone who was knowledgeable about the products. That was a
big step forward and it continues to this day, with their customer
service and also through their website, which is a premier source of
cutting-edge information on supplement science and training trends.
We're two companies, Gaspari Nutrition and
ProSource, that believe in the same things.
ProSource: Thanks for the good word, Rich,
and thanks for sharing your thoughts with our
readers.
