Bodybuilding veteran Rich Gaspari hasn’t slowed down at 62 years old. On July 28, 2025, he broke down his pullover, lat pulldown superset to boost back width gains.
Gaspari was a trailblazer throughout his bodybuilding tenure. He was known for boasting extreme conditioning and pioneered striated glutes in competition. For over a decade, Gaspari proved himself against genetically gifted greats, including eight-time champion Lee Haney, Lee Labrada, and Samir Bannout.
Having won gold at the inaugural Arnold Classic in 1989, Gaspari knew how to approach training for hypertrophy. Though he’s set down his posing trunks, the New Jersey native still has some sneaky hacks for building quality muscle safely and quickly.
Rich Gaspari Shares Time Under Tension Superset to Maximize Back Width
In the Instagram reel, Gaspari explained how to perform the superset: first, execute slow eccentric reps on the pullover machine. On the final set, perform a static hold on the last rep to intensify the movement. Then, move to lat pulldowns. Typically, lifters only need one or two sets to failure for lasting results, shared Gaspari.
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“Make sure you do eccentric reps to engage more muscle fiber and do a static at the end of the last rep of the last set. Usually, you will only have to do 1-2 sets, making sure you go to failure.”
While Gaspari notes that pullovers can help grow the chest, he labeled it a “true back exercise.” During reps, focus on stretching and squeezing the lats.
“Now, a lot of guys look for pullovers to work their rib cage, but this is a true back exercise. When you’re doing this movement, you’re coming up, you’re really stretching the lats and as you come down, you’re really squeezing the lats in this movement.”
“Again, we’re doing everything eccentric, so we’re going to go really slow so you get that full stretch. You’re actually breaking down fibers so you grow and really slamming it down strong.”
He shared that 8-10 reps is the magic number here:
“This is high-intensity training. You’re going to end up doing one or two sets of this. Not four sets like other guys go. 8-10 reps is the magic number,” he shared. As you can see, he’s forcing it down fast and coming up really slow.”
Thanks to time under tension, Gaspari revealed that you can make lighter weights feel heavier. He also believes this type of training, inspired by Mike Mentzer, Arthur Jones, and Dorian Yates, can help prevent injuries in the future.
“Definitely more time under tension doing it this way. You’re making the weight much heavier using lighter weights. For us older guys, it’s really good. It will prevent injuries.
This is the Mike Mentzer approach, this is developed by Arthur Jones, the guy that developed Nautilus equipment, and of course, Mentzer made it famous, and Dorian Yates. It’s been great for my training and helping me see gains.”
“Lat pulldown, control on the way up. Then, pull it down,” explains Gaspari. “It’s opening up the lats.”
Gaspari remains committed to helping his fans achieve the physiques they’ve long sought after. Though it’s often stated that building muscle and burning fat at the same time is near impossible, Gaspari has a strategy for getting the job done. He emphasizes that results come mostly from the kitchen and recommends a macro balance of 5% protein, 35% complex carbs, and 15-25% of healthy fats.
Gaspari still trains with intensity at 62, and it shows, judging by his consistent physique updates. He’s enjoyed gains from this superset and believes it’s a proven back width-builder.
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