{"id":19296,"date":"2026-05-05T17:26:42","date_gmt":"2026-05-05T17:26:42","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=19296"},"modified":"2026-05-05T17:26:42","modified_gmt":"2026-05-05T17:26:42","slug":"bodybuilding-veteran-rich-gaspari-shares-key-advice-on-how-to-get-contest-ready-during-peak-week-fitness-volt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=19296","title":{"rendered":"Bodybuilding Veteran Rich Gaspari Shares Key Advice on How to Get Contest-Ready During Peak Week \u2013 Fitness Volt"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Rich Gaspari<\/a> 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.\u00a0<\/strong><\/p>\n

If Gaspari were competing in today\u2019s era, he\u2019d probably be the most conditioned athlete<\/a> in the Men\u2019s Open class. In the 1980s and 90s, he proved himself against all-time greats like former eight-time Mr. Olympia champion Lee Haney<\/a>. Gaspari\u2019s conditioning wasn\u2019t just apparent in the front double biceps pose; his striated glutes set a new standard onstage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

The sport has evolved, but according to the bodybuilding<\/a> veteran,\u00a0athletes are compromising their progress and now rush the carb-up process:\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cI 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\u2019t think it\u2019s enough time. I\u2019ve always said you need to be ready two weeks out from a show.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Rich Gaspari\u2019s Peak Week Strategy to Get Stage-Ready<\/h2>\n

Speaking on Instagram, Gaspari emphasized that carbs should actually be depleted until the final five days before the event.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThis 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.<\/p>\n

You may cut the cardio a little bit, but what\u2019s important, that week of the show, 10 days out from the show, first five days, I always recommend carb depletion.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Once competitors are five days away from a contest, he recommended carbing up<\/a> and re-checking progress.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThen, five days from the show, you slowly start carbing up, Monday, Tuesday, Wednesday, if the show is on Saturday, carbing up to Thursday.<\/p>\n

Thursday is a gauge on whether you\u2019re going to increase carbohydrates because you still look flat or you\u2019re going to stay the same. Or you could end up doing less carbs; always try to get ready on Thursday to see where you\u2019re at.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He believes following this process can help athletes present their fullest, most conditioned physiques.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cOn Friday, either more or less, so that day on Saturday, you\u2019re full. I see guys the day of the show looking on death\u2019s 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,\u201d explains<\/a> Rich Gaspari.\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Gaspari embraces his role as an authority figure in bodybuilding. He shares useful advice to aspiring Pros and fitness enthusiasts. \u201cThe Dragon Slayer\u201d recently warned against lifting heavy with sloppy form<\/a>, cautioning that it won\u2019t result in muscle gain. Instead, he emphasized controlled repetitions with weight you can handle.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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.\u00a0<\/p>\n

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\u201cThat\u2019s my advice. It\u2019s worked for me and got me to be the most ripped bodybuilder.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

RELATED:\u00a0<\/strong>62-Year-Old Rich Gaspari Fires Off 50-Rep Smith Squat Set To Finish His Leg Day<\/a><\/p>\n\n