Era of The Dragonslayer
In the early ‘80s a youngster from New Jersey named Rich Gaspari, became known as “The Dragonslayer” for his ability to destroy much taller and heavier competitors over two decades before the 202/212 class existed.
Rich was known primarily for two things: being the first man to display clearly striated glutes on a bodybuilding stage, and for being one of the most fiercely intense trainers to ever touch the iron. Rich began training as a sickly 89-pound teenager. This was a guy all of us runts could look up to! He was the original underdog, the [FONT=tahoma, verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Rocky Balboa[/FONT] of bodybuilding giving it his all against seemingly insurmountable odds of success. And all around the world, millions more were also being inspired by the dogged determination and inhuman work ethic of The Dragonslayer.
A Painful Transition
Rich had turned pro at just 21 years old, and before the age of 30 had won nine pro shows including the first Arnold Classic in 1989, and had been runner-up at the Mr. Olympia three years in a row to the legendary eight-time champ, Lee Haney. But eventually, Gaspari found that his burning desire to win was fading. “Honestly I was getting tired of it, burnt out,” he says. “I had been competing since I was in high school.” The turning point happened when Rich was 33 and training for the Night of Champions. While doing barbell shrugs with 600 pounds, he herniated two disks in his neck. The right side of his body was virtually paralyzed, and he was stuck in bed for over two months, unable to walk and in excruciating pain. “I had a lot of time on my hands to think, and I came to the realization that I couldn’t depend on my body to make a living anymore,” he states.
Over and over, Rich kept coming back to the idea of starting his own supplement company. Weider had cut his endorsement contract, and he was forced to sell his house and move back in with mom and dad in Edison, New Jersey. Gaspari Nutrition’s beginnings in 1999 were beyond humble. The whole company was Rich, with his office in mom’s basement and her garage acting as his warehouse. He drove to local gyms and contests in a beat-up old van that he still keeps today as a reminder of where he came from, setting up a table and a chair to display the two products he had.
In 2002, an electrical fire burned the house down, and Rich lost everything. Refusing to give up on his dream, Gaspari started from scratch and went back to work. Today, Gaspari Nutrition products are sold in over 85 countries and countless retail outlets. The company has won numerous industry awards, and Rich himself was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame and the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame. Few have ever made such a successful transition from professional athlete to business owner, but those who know Mr. Gaspari weren’t too shocked.
Keeping The Faith
Rich Gaspari could easily have let himself go, as so many other men do in their 40s and 50s. But Rich, now 53, he has always and will always be a bodybuilder at heart. Training is as much a part of his life as breathing. As such, he’s always found time to hit the gym even if it meant pumping late at night or after an exhausting day of meeting and greeting hundreds if not thousands of fans, customers and distributors at expos like the ones at the Arnold Classic or the Mr. Olympia.
Surprisingly, Rich’s training isn’t so very different from how it was in the days when he was Lee Haney’s worst nightmare. He still trains five days a week, but hits each body part once a week instead of twice since no 53-year-old recovers as fast as he did in his 20s. Despite shoulder issues, as most men training that long will have, Gaspari maintains a high level of strength. “I can still do any type of press with 110s, curl 70s or 80s and do lateral raises with 75s or 80s,” he says. “The reps are higher now than in the old days, out of respect to my joints.”
Considering that he easily keeps up in workouts out of town with athletes like Flex Lewis and Hide Yamagishi, Rich is an inspiration to all the older guys who think they have to let the young bucks have all the fun in the gym. It also adds another level of respect to all the athletes on Team Gaspari to know that their boss isn’t just behind a desk all day making deals and counting his money— he’s down in the trenches pulling and pushing plenty of iron just like them.
The biggest factor Rich initiated to see those deep separations and clear striations that were his hallmark was down to his diet. He made sure he got in seven meals a day, every two hours on the nose, with the following macronutrient ratio: 40 percent protein, 45 percent carbohydrates and 15 percent fat.
“The foods I would eat were grilled chicken, lean red meat and white fish, along with egg whites and MyoFusion shakes,” he explains. “My carbohydrates came from brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal and rice cakes along with some fruits like bananas, apples, strawberries, blueberries, melon and a small amount of apple juice in my protein shakes every day. Most diet gurus will tell you that you can’t diet on fruits and especially fruit juice, and I wanted to prove that myth wrong. I believe that as long as you are taking in proteins and even fats together with fast, simple carbs like juice, your body doesn’t have insulin fluctuations that can cause you to gain and hold fat and water.”
Rich even ate his veggies. “I really don’t like them, but I felt the fiber from broccoli, asparagus and mixed green salads was important. I also ate unsalted natural almonds as well as natural peanut butter and essential fish oils in capsule form for good overall fats. When looking at my food choices, overall this is a healthy diet and I was able to drop down to close to 2 percent body fat on it.
Then and Now
Rich keeps in top class lean shape and it feels just as good as it did three decades ago. “When I was a young professional bodybuilder whose main job was to train and eat to have the best physique in the world,” he says. “I now have huge responsibilities with my family and my company that I didn’t have before. There are no excuses for not keeping in shape. It may be just a bit harder and takes more planning and better time management.”
A side issue to him keeping in shape is it shows many of those people out there with families and responsibilities that if you make the time for yourself, you can get in shape. “Of course you don’t have to take it to an extreme, but I guarantee you can get in better shape than you are now,” he says. “Is it easy? Not a chance! It takes dedication, drive, persistence and a positive outlook on what you are doing.”
On behalf of my 47-year-old self and all the other guys out there working and taking care of families, I want to thank Rich Gaspari for showing us all you can do anything you want as long as you ditch the excuses and just do whatever it takes to train and eat to the very best of your abilities. And Rich— you will always be The Dragonslayer!
Rich Gaspari on the Secret to Success— Drive!
“We all get knocked down in life, over and over again. The difference is that some people stay down and moan about how unfair it all is and how the odds are stacked against them. The others get up, brush themselves off and keep moving forward. If it means they have to train harder, diet more strictly, do more cardio, be more focused— so be it. They will do whatever it takes to reach their goals, and they are resolved that they will never, ever give up. The bottom line is this. Without the drive to relentlessly push toward your goals in the face of critics and obstacles, of which there will always be many, success will never be yours. If you have that drive, nothing— and I do mean nothing or no one— will be able to stop you from making your dreams come true in life. You will never have to search for motivation to have a great workout, do your job better or work harder to build your company or your business. Drive is like a furnace, constantly fueling you with everything you need, mentally, physically and spiritually. Drive isn’t just an ingredient to success— it’s everything!"
Rich on How the Internet has Changed Bodybuilding
“When I started out we depended on the magazines for almost all our information. And back then, at least to me, the pro bodybuilders were almost like gods among men. We definitely didn’t know a whole lot about their day-to-day lives. I think any type of celebrity in sports or entertainment had a lot more mystique before the Internet came along. But the best part about the Internet is that there is such an incredible amount of information out there for anyone to have access to instantly. It’s not all good, reliable information— there’s a lot of misinformation and bad advice out there too. Those who know how to filter out the bad or useless information have a huge advantage. A person could give themselves a pretty comprehensive education in training, nutrition and supplementation right in his or her own home now.”
In the early ‘80s a youngster from New Jersey named Rich Gaspari, became known as “The Dragonslayer” for his ability to destroy much taller and heavier competitors over two decades before the 202/212 class existed.
Rich was known primarily for two things: being the first man to display clearly striated glutes on a bodybuilding stage, and for being one of the most fiercely intense trainers to ever touch the iron. Rich began training as a sickly 89-pound teenager. This was a guy all of us runts could look up to! He was the original underdog, the [FONT=tahoma, verdana, geneva, lucida, lucida grande, arial, helvetica, sans-serif]Rocky Balboa[/FONT] of bodybuilding giving it his all against seemingly insurmountable odds of success. And all around the world, millions more were also being inspired by the dogged determination and inhuman work ethic of The Dragonslayer.
A Painful Transition
Rich had turned pro at just 21 years old, and before the age of 30 had won nine pro shows including the first Arnold Classic in 1989, and had been runner-up at the Mr. Olympia three years in a row to the legendary eight-time champ, Lee Haney. But eventually, Gaspari found that his burning desire to win was fading. “Honestly I was getting tired of it, burnt out,” he says. “I had been competing since I was in high school.” The turning point happened when Rich was 33 and training for the Night of Champions. While doing barbell shrugs with 600 pounds, he herniated two disks in his neck. The right side of his body was virtually paralyzed, and he was stuck in bed for over two months, unable to walk and in excruciating pain. “I had a lot of time on my hands to think, and I came to the realization that I couldn’t depend on my body to make a living anymore,” he states.
Over and over, Rich kept coming back to the idea of starting his own supplement company. Weider had cut his endorsement contract, and he was forced to sell his house and move back in with mom and dad in Edison, New Jersey. Gaspari Nutrition’s beginnings in 1999 were beyond humble. The whole company was Rich, with his office in mom’s basement and her garage acting as his warehouse. He drove to local gyms and contests in a beat-up old van that he still keeps today as a reminder of where he came from, setting up a table and a chair to display the two products he had.
In 2002, an electrical fire burned the house down, and Rich lost everything. Refusing to give up on his dream, Gaspari started from scratch and went back to work. Today, Gaspari Nutrition products are sold in over 85 countries and countless retail outlets. The company has won numerous industry awards, and Rich himself was inducted into the IFBB Hall of Fame and the Muscle Beach Hall of Fame. Few have ever made such a successful transition from professional athlete to business owner, but those who know Mr. Gaspari weren’t too shocked.
Keeping The Faith
Rich Gaspari could easily have let himself go, as so many other men do in their 40s and 50s. But Rich, now 53, he has always and will always be a bodybuilder at heart. Training is as much a part of his life as breathing. As such, he’s always found time to hit the gym even if it meant pumping late at night or after an exhausting day of meeting and greeting hundreds if not thousands of fans, customers and distributors at expos like the ones at the Arnold Classic or the Mr. Olympia.
Surprisingly, Rich’s training isn’t so very different from how it was in the days when he was Lee Haney’s worst nightmare. He still trains five days a week, but hits each body part once a week instead of twice since no 53-year-old recovers as fast as he did in his 20s. Despite shoulder issues, as most men training that long will have, Gaspari maintains a high level of strength. “I can still do any type of press with 110s, curl 70s or 80s and do lateral raises with 75s or 80s,” he says. “The reps are higher now than in the old days, out of respect to my joints.”
Considering that he easily keeps up in workouts out of town with athletes like Flex Lewis and Hide Yamagishi, Rich is an inspiration to all the older guys who think they have to let the young bucks have all the fun in the gym. It also adds another level of respect to all the athletes on Team Gaspari to know that their boss isn’t just behind a desk all day making deals and counting his money— he’s down in the trenches pulling and pushing plenty of iron just like them.
The biggest factor Rich initiated to see those deep separations and clear striations that were his hallmark was down to his diet. He made sure he got in seven meals a day, every two hours on the nose, with the following macronutrient ratio: 40 percent protein, 45 percent carbohydrates and 15 percent fat.
“The foods I would eat were grilled chicken, lean red meat and white fish, along with egg whites and MyoFusion shakes,” he explains. “My carbohydrates came from brown rice, sweet potatoes, oatmeal and rice cakes along with some fruits like bananas, apples, strawberries, blueberries, melon and a small amount of apple juice in my protein shakes every day. Most diet gurus will tell you that you can’t diet on fruits and especially fruit juice, and I wanted to prove that myth wrong. I believe that as long as you are taking in proteins and even fats together with fast, simple carbs like juice, your body doesn’t have insulin fluctuations that can cause you to gain and hold fat and water.”
Rich even ate his veggies. “I really don’t like them, but I felt the fiber from broccoli, asparagus and mixed green salads was important. I also ate unsalted natural almonds as well as natural peanut butter and essential fish oils in capsule form for good overall fats. When looking at my food choices, overall this is a healthy diet and I was able to drop down to close to 2 percent body fat on it.
Then and Now
Rich keeps in top class lean shape and it feels just as good as it did three decades ago. “When I was a young professional bodybuilder whose main job was to train and eat to have the best physique in the world,” he says. “I now have huge responsibilities with my family and my company that I didn’t have before. There are no excuses for not keeping in shape. It may be just a bit harder and takes more planning and better time management.”
A side issue to him keeping in shape is it shows many of those people out there with families and responsibilities that if you make the time for yourself, you can get in shape. “Of course you don’t have to take it to an extreme, but I guarantee you can get in better shape than you are now,” he says. “Is it easy? Not a chance! It takes dedication, drive, persistence and a positive outlook on what you are doing.”
On behalf of my 47-year-old self and all the other guys out there working and taking care of families, I want to thank Rich Gaspari for showing us all you can do anything you want as long as you ditch the excuses and just do whatever it takes to train and eat to the very best of your abilities. And Rich— you will always be The Dragonslayer!
Rich Gaspari on the Secret to Success— Drive!
“We all get knocked down in life, over and over again. The difference is that some people stay down and moan about how unfair it all is and how the odds are stacked against them. The others get up, brush themselves off and keep moving forward. If it means they have to train harder, diet more strictly, do more cardio, be more focused— so be it. They will do whatever it takes to reach their goals, and they are resolved that they will never, ever give up. The bottom line is this. Without the drive to relentlessly push toward your goals in the face of critics and obstacles, of which there will always be many, success will never be yours. If you have that drive, nothing— and I do mean nothing or no one— will be able to stop you from making your dreams come true in life. You will never have to search for motivation to have a great workout, do your job better or work harder to build your company or your business. Drive is like a furnace, constantly fueling you with everything you need, mentally, physically and spiritually. Drive isn’t just an ingredient to success— it’s everything!"
Rich on How the Internet has Changed Bodybuilding
“When I started out we depended on the magazines for almost all our information. And back then, at least to me, the pro bodybuilders were almost like gods among men. We definitely didn’t know a whole lot about their day-to-day lives. I think any type of celebrity in sports or entertainment had a lot more mystique before the Internet came along. But the best part about the Internet is that there is such an incredible amount of information out there for anyone to have access to instantly. It’s not all good, reliable information— there’s a lot of misinformation and bad advice out there too. Those who know how to filter out the bad or useless information have a huge advantage. A person could give themselves a pretty comprehensive education in training, nutrition and supplementation right in his or her own home now.”
