Bodybuilding veteran Rich Gaspari hasn’t turned his back on the gym since retiring from the sport. Recently, he broke down how to add muscle and simultaneously burn fat with proper dieting and training adherence.
Gaspari was a proven talent in the Men’s Open. He pioneered striated glutes in competition and won the inaugural Arnold Classic event in 1989. Since stepping away from the stage, he’s been a source of wisdom for individuals in the fitness and bodybuilding community.
It’s long been debated whether it’s possible to burn fat and add muscle at the same time. Though, according to Gaspari, it’s an achievable goal. Below, he detailed his plan to make it happen, shedding light on specific nutrition and training efforts that produce results.
Rich Gaspari Lays Out Approach to Build Muscle & Burn Fat Simultaneously
In a recent Instagram post, Gaspari explained that a high-protein diet and proper training can lead to fat loss and muscle gain.
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“Can you gain lean muscle mass while simultaneously losing fat? And the answer is yes, how do you do it? Basically, it’s a combination of proper dieting and proper training.
What does that mean with proper dieting? That’s 70% of the challenge. You want to make sure you’re following a diet high in protein, a gram and a half of protein per pound of lean muscle mass.”
He said to avoid all refined carbohydrates for optimal results. Instead, get in complex carbs from rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, and whole grains.
“I don’t believe in taking lower protein. I think that a higher protein that you can take in that’s going to help build more muscle. Carbohydrates that you’re intaking, you should stay away from all refined carbohydrates, any white sugar, white bread, any of those types of carbohydrates stay away from.
Get complex carbohydrates from rice, sweet potatoes, quinoa, even whole grain breads, as long as they’re not refined carbohydrates because you want to look at the label.”
He also underlined that steering clear of fats is a mistake for those looking to add muscle and lose fat.
“Beans, those types of carbohydrates, fibrous carbohydrates, broccoli, salads, really healthy. A big fallacy is do not eat fats. You do need fats in your diet. I believe in taking in fats from eggs.
I’ve seen a huge difference from taking in whole eggs instead of just egg whites. I eat 5-6 eggs per day and I’m very lean doing it. My protein, I eat a lot of buffalo meat. I use butter to cook that. I use olive oil, stay away from all types of seed oils,” he shared.
His most effective balance of macronutrients is 45% protein, 35% complex carbs, and 15-25% healthy fats.
“My best percentage is 45% protein, 35% complex carbs, and 15-25% of healthy fats. Start on a caloric intake, you want to stay a little low on carbohydrates at first,” he explains.
As for the training side of things, he said to avoid overtraining. He sticks with 9-11 sets per body part each week.
“Too many people overtrain doing too many sets and reps. You want to train to failure with the least amount of sets,” he adds. “On the negative, go really slow, five to six seconds.”
“I do anywhere between 9-11 sets per body part each week.”
Gaspari’s guide to a leaner physique is grounded in legitimate results. At 61 years old, he recently shocked fans with a shredded quad physique update, proving that with proper dieting and exercise, remaining in shape is possible even as we age.
Gaspari’s main takeaways are to avoid refined carbohydrates, eat a substantial amount of protein, and don’t avoid healthy fats. He believes this, in combination with intense training, can help you lose fat and gain muscle at the same time.
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