Rich Gaspari is offering critical advice to the next generation of bodybuilders. On May 5, 2026, he took to Instagram and broke down the carb-up strategy that helped him get ripped for bodybuilding contests.
If Gaspari were competing in today’s era, he’d probably be the most conditioned athlete in the Men’s Open class. In the 1980s and 90s, he proved himself against all-time greats like former eight-time Mr. Olympia champion Lee Haney. Gaspari’s conditioning wasn’t just apparent in the front double biceps pose; his striated glutes set a new standard onstage.
The sport has evolved, but according to the bodybuilding veteran, athletes are compromising their progress and now rush the carb-up process:
“I see a lot of guys preparing [for shows], and always the last week, their carb week, or their prep week, they end up carbing up for just three days. I never believed in carbing up for just three days. I don’t think it’s enough time. I’ve always said you need to be ready two weeks out from a show.”
Rich Gaspari’s Peak Week Strategy to Get Stage-Ready
Speaking on Instagram, Gaspari emphasized that carbs should actually be depleted until the final five days before the event.
“This is where you push your body to the limit, depleting all the glycogen from the muscle, doing your hour, hour and a half of cardio, to really deplete everything out of you so that when you start slowly building back up, two weeks out, you start lessening the training.
You may cut the cardio a little bit, but what’s important, that week of the show, 10 days out from the show, first five days, I always recommend carb depletion.”
Once competitors are five days away from a contest, he recommended carbing up and re-checking progress.
“Then, five days from the show, you slowly start carbing up, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, if the show is on Saturday, carbing up to Thursday.
Thursday is a gauge on whether you’re going to increase carbohydrates because you still look flat or you’re going to stay the same. Or you could end up doing less carbs; always try to get ready on Thursday to see where you’re at.”
He believes following this process can help athletes present their fullest, most conditioned physiques.
“On Friday, either more or less, so that day on Saturday, you’re full. I see guys the day of the show looking on death’s door. They should feel amazing because now their bodies are full of glycogen. They should be tight, as soon as they pick up a weight, they should explode,” explains Rich Gaspari.
Gaspari embraces his role as an authority figure in bodybuilding. He shares useful advice to aspiring Pros and fitness enthusiasts. “The Dragon Slayer” recently warned against lifting heavy with sloppy form, cautioning that it won’t result in muscle gain. Instead, he emphasized controlled repetitions with weight you can handle.
At 62, Gaspari still trains consistently and with intent. He believes monitoring carbs carefully in the last 10 days before a contest is crucial to present a stage-ready physique.
“That’s my advice. It’s worked for me and got me to be the most ripped bodybuilder.”
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