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When our Chief Sales Officer Mikael Söderlund and Key Account Manager Linnea Enstedt are out on the roads there's usually some serious action. This time St. Petersburg was the destination. The mission was to meet with the GASP business partner Fitnessdesign.ru and to tap in with the GASP community in Russia.

Although Linnea and Mikael were busy in business meetings, they made it a priority as always to meet with the GASP community. Among the people they met was Sergey Kulaev. Sergey is a pro bodybuilder currently preparing for a competition in the US in the hunt for a spot at The Mr. Olympia this fall. He took some time out of a busy schedule to work out and leave some feedback feedback around the brand.

“Our business partner Fitnessdesign already cover 83% of Russia, where GASP is available in 86 cities. This is of course a great impact but with an increased integration into the community the possibilities are endless, this was our main focus for the trip.”

§“Meeting the community on a mutual ground like the gym is a great way to get a genuine feel of the brand awareness and general impact in the area. I've been working with the brands since 2005 and getting feedback from our community IRL is so rewarding. We are our community and it all started in the gym."

Hello St. Petersburg!

More in Real and Raw

**We are in Tampa, FL home of top 212 Olympia contender Derek Lunsford. Winning the champion title used to be the "end all be all" and chief aim for Derek. Today his focus, attention to detail, and drive is to carry himself as a champion even before possibly earning the title. Simply due to the fact that you have to act like a champion to truly become one.

"I'm always striving to exceed my personal "best" to positively impact my surroundings. This together with my ambitions of actually being on a platform to impact as many people as possible, makes the goal of obtaining the 212 Olympia title a bigger mission than just the title in itself. Knowing that I put more pressure on myself for a bigger “WHY” makes me work much harder to be a champion in all aspects. It makes my pursuit of being a 212 Olympia champion even more of a relentless quest and fulfilling goal."

Derek’s training philosophy is very similar to how he approaches life in general - with a diverse appetite and an open mind.

You'll grow the most by learning from various philosophies and successful people. You can take the best pieces and add it to your “experience” bank that accumulates over time. At the same time you need to know what tools to use at the right time and there is always a time and place for everything. In the end, what matters is the total knowledge and there is no single way or road that is better or more complete than another. This is the same regardless if you're talking about training, or life in general.

Act Like A Champion

More in Iron World Tour

**We set down in New York and meet up with the entire crew at the 9.11 Memorial and pay our respects. Although the scene was filled with hundreds of spectators Derek Lunsford noted that the energy was calm and serene.

After seeing a few more sights in the area we decide it’s time to make the trek to Long Island and the East Coast Mecca - Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym. Being such a densely populated city in takes us well over an hour and a half to arrive.

At Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym we catch up with the crew including Guy Cisternino, Derek Lunsford, Vlad Petric, Shaun Clarida, and Chris Pantano. Steve Weinberger and Bev Francis are also present so Michael Johansson gets some insight from both of them to their mission and vision of creating the East Coast Mecca.

“One thing that transfers outside of this gym are the lessons of hard work and respect. You've got to respect people, your environment, and always put in the work.” - Steve Weinberger

On the training side of things, the camaraderie and energy between the guys was nothing short of awesome and competitive. Derek, Vlad and Chris trained chest. Guy, Sean, and Moe trained legs.

The East Coast Mecca

**_“Meeting successful people all day today and discovering their driving forces and motivation was a big reinforcement to our own "why".” -_Michael Johansson

We set out to New Jersey to meet up with Vlad Petric, Derek Lunsford and Michael Johansson at Brownstone Pancake Factory in Inglewood New Jersey. It is a very popular (especially among the fitness community), friendly and needless to say packed local eatery with a very passionate creator who is taking his second generation family legacy to the next level. “You can’t cut corners” and “Learn to enjoy the process” were two major components of our discussions with Bobby the owner of Brownstone Pancake Factory.

Bobby being a fitness fanatic himself talked in length about the importance of having a tight team of coworkers that also shares the vision to be a vital part of delivering high quality “over the top” products, and never cut corners on that mission.

As you walk into the kitchen the headline “Magicians at work” illustrates Bobby’s attention to details and he relates that to how he sees his more extreme friends who are pursuing their bodybuilding careers on a world class level.

It was consensus among our group that the food was amazing the service was likewise amazing.

Fueled up and ready to go we hit up the one and only Apollon Gym in Edison, New Jersey. Rob Samborsky The owner of Apollon have mastered the hardcore atmosphere and emphasize the importance of keeping his gym old school. He swears that staying true to the concept of working hard with everyone in his team being on-board on the mission to never cut corners, is his road to success.

To cap off the end of the day we headed out to none other than Guy Cisternino parents house. Here we were welcomed with very open and hospitable arms and had an abundant of delicious Italian style re-feed food.

The day was nothing short of completely epic and Vlad concludes the day very good with his own words that sums up the journey and meeting amazing people: 

“There are specific elements to reaching a certain level of success in any chosen craft and you can’t compromise on anything that steers you from that main objective.”

You can’t cut corners

We woke up with the Big Apple on the backdrop. After taking a moment to soak up the views we headed for breakfast and a catch up with Better Bodies founder Brian Moss. It's always a pleasure to catch up with a person who had visions 40 years ago that are still highly relevant in today's society. To listen and learn from today’s discussions with Brian is a definitive guide to a successful understanding of the future.

Respect in the iron sport comes from equality in the lifestyle we live and that echoes well with the spirit within GASP and ideas around a new segment of products could just have been born from this discussion...

One more gym visit was on the agenda as we took the trip to Iron Culture Gym. This gym have just opened its doors and the owners Arthur, Charlie, and Sergio went all in to create their dream gym, Iron Culture.

This gym is quickly becoming a destination for those who want an old school type of gym with loud music. The owners also prefer it clean and nice and an important part of their concept is that hardcore don’t need to mean dirty… Hardcore can be clean and efficient.

Leaving The Big Apple

More in Events

The 2019 GASP Super Show Expo & NPC Branch Warren Classic July 6th is an event you don’t want to miss! This super show has grown to be one of the largest NPC events in the U.S. and it is now being arranged for the 13th time.

As you may know,  Branch Warren is known for his work ethic in the bodybuilding world, and he has also transferred this same mentality into building a world class event located at the beautiful NRG Center in Houston, TX.

This year is no exception, Branch and his team expect a large NPC turnout with over 400 athletes in their respective divisions, along with a very large jujitsu completion, a strongman competition, a rep challenge, arm wrestling, the USA Powerlifting Championships, and vendors.

 for more information. And watch the video from last years show for some more insight and inspiration.

GASP Super Show & Expo / NPC Branch Warren Classic

The NPC Johnnie O. Jackson Classic started out as just a dream and then a wish, and 5 years later a reality for the Pro Bodybuilder.

The show was established in 2014, and at that time it was not a National qualifying show. Johnnie was told he would have to earn the right to have a National qualifying show. He looked for a venue and found the Will Rodgers Auditorium to be the best place to establish the show. GASP soon after jumped on board to support him, and we still continue to support the show.

Already at year 2, the NPC Johnnie O. Jackson Classic was accepted as a National qualifying show. Johnnie also added other events like Powerlifting, strongman etc. to the event to make it into an interesting expo.

As he is turning the corner on the 5th year of the JOJ Classic, Johnnie says he is excited about the direction the show is headed.

“I’m looking forward to the upcoming year, and what I have in store for all the returning and new athletes.”

Mark your calendar for August 24th, 2019 if you want to take part in the 5th Johnnie O. Jackson Classic. Click 

NPC Johnnie O. Jackson Classic

Yang Liu was born in 1986 in the city of Ningbo of Zhejiang Province (East) in China.

For more than a decade he has been into weight training and a big fan of GASP. This led him to ...destination Dallas where he met with our CEO, Michael Johansson. Later on, Michael also went to China to visit Yang Liu in his home country.

Yang Liu is now working as a part of the team, helping us stay connected with the dedicated GASP community in China. Join us as we get to know him a little better.

**Where does your passion for bodybuilding come from in the first place?

**My passion for bodybuilding and weight training began with my father. When I was around 10 years old, I noticed that my father was doing exercises with dumbbells at home, like biceps curls and lateral shoulders raises, and he was doing a lot of push-ups. He told me since day one that a real man has to have a strong physique to overcome obstacles in every aspect of life. So that’s where my passion rooted.

**How many years have you been training and how do you train?

**I have been training for 15 years. I have never had any coach, I learned everything I know about weight training from magazines like 

 by Arnold himself. Like most guys out there, I began with pure bodybuilding training, like 4-5 exercises for each body part, 3-4 sets and 8-15 reps each exercise. After years of training like that, especially addicted to those pictures and articles of Branch Warren and Johnnie Jackson in 

, I fell in love with heavy training, I found my niche.

**So are you now a competitive athlete and professional?

**No, not really. After graduating from college, I became a diplomat. I speak French and English. I have worked in both Europe and Africa. I am now a journalist. Work is work, but weight training for me, that’s my calling. The relentless way of training, that’s what I am supposed to do my whole life, and that’s where I found myself in GASP.

"You don’t have to be a professional athlete to be relentless, you earn your right to keep killing it day in day out by hard work. I work hard and play hard, with no compromise."

**Oh man, GASP is a way of life. GASP means every dream could come true, if you work your ass off and like you really mean it. So many people talk about their dreams, but only a few realize what they are really talking about. 10 years after falling in love with the GASP way of life, I am now a part of the team.

From Ningbo to Dallas – Yang Liu

Jason Hebert was born in Biloxi, MS and grew up doing martial arts, playing soccer, and running. Now he is a 212 IFBB Pro preparing for his pro debut in parallel with Air Force deployment.

**What sparked your interest in bodybuilding and weightlifting?

**I had played around with weight training since I was barely a teenager with some dumbbells at home into my senior year in high school (2007), but I really had no idea what I was doing. I started learning a lot more when I was active duty Marine Corps watching and asking the bigger guys questions about it.

I just wanted to be big because I was always the small skinny guy. I didn’t take interest in competing until a couple of years after my active duty enlistment. I had built a decent physique and had numerous people asking me if I competed and if I haven’t that I should.

I won the overall in my very first show in 2014 and was hooked ever since. I absolutely loved training, and since I seemed to be decent at competing, I wanted to see how far I could go ultimately earning my professional status at the North American Championships in 2018.

**What is your philosophy behind strength training and building muscle?

**I believe nothing compares to hard heavy training taking each set to absolute failure. Get yourself into the gym, hit the muscle hard and heavy, and get out of there.

I do incorporate higher volume occasionally and believe it has its place, but as far as optimally building as much muscle as possible, you just can’t do that with lighter weights in my opinion.

I see so many people spending hours in the gym every single day thinking “If I do more I’ll grow more” and that’s just not the case. You grow outside the gym through rest and your nutrition, allowing the body to repair the damaged muscle tissue you just broke down. If you’re not giving your body enough rest, you won’t grow to your full potential.

**What are your goals and what is next for you?

**2019 is definitely going to be used as a year for progression. Originally the plan was to compete in the 212 Tampa Pro this year for my debut, but I’ll be deploying with the Air Force during that time.

I’m definitely looking into the Tampa Pro 2020, but AJ (Cement Factory) and I will see where things are at that time before any final decisions are made.

**Did being in the Marine Corps affect how you approach training?

**I was already disciplined before growing up under my parents guidance, but being an active duty Marine took it to a whole different level. I definitely contribute my work ethic and discipline to both my upbringing and the Marines and i transferred that to not only bodybuilding, but everything in life.

I always have and always will strive to be the best at anything I do and will not stop until I achieve whatever goals I set out to accomplish.

**The American Bully, where did that nickname come from?

**Back in 2016, before I won the Mr. Mississippi title, I had acquired a local supplement store sponsor that suggested I come up with a “nickname” so they could embroider it on a track suit to support the brand.

Usually those things are given to you by someone else so I didn’t really look into it. One day while training, my workout partner at the time mentioned that I remind them of a pit bull or American Bully with how intense I am when I train, never quit mentality, and even looked similar to one with my stocky structure. It just kind of stuck from there on.

Jason Hebert – The American Bully

“It doesn’t matter what religion you belong to, or what believe system you have. The purpose is to be a good human and to make a positive difference to the lives of the people around you.”

 set out on a solid and intense 15 day tour across 5 cities in India. The tour has been coordinated by 

 a very avid and active health and fitness enthusiast, philanthropist, educator and entrepreneur in India. Jag along with Branch Warren, Indian bodybuilding icon 

 set out for the huge mission of spreading education of health, fitness, nutrition, and supplementation across 5 cities of India including: Delhi, Hyderabad, Chennai, Raipur and Bengaluru.

The attention and recognition that world class bodybuilders like Branch and Sangram get in India is magnified several times compared to the United States. Add to that the appreciation for the educational seminars and you get a give back energy of epic proportions.

“The Indian people have given me a very warm welcome to their country.  I have been to Delhi, Jalandhar, Mumbai so far with several more cities left to visit. The best part of what I do is getting to travel the world and experiencing different cultures.” -

One of the stops in India was at the Unique Home for Girls Orphanage in

Jalandhar where young orphan girls ranging in age from 4 days to 19 years live (Source SikhiWiki). They are being cared for by Bibi Prakash Kaur, who was herself left on the streets as a baby 60 years ago.

Jag mentions that this place stays with the girls until they are able to get jobs and support themselves. Some of the girls have been able to make it to Cambridge and Oxford in the UK and another is a police chief today.

Branch Warren – Giving Back in India

"The best efforts come form when you are well rested and mentally primed to GO!"

Josh Bryant here with Johnnie Jackson one week out from the Europa Games where Johnnie will attempt a world record in his age 48 and weight category 242lb.

Here they explain the physiological and mental importance of the deload phase of training.

Johnnie Jackson – Deload Before The Meet

More in Ambassadors

Austin Haye, a dedicated GASP ambassador with a passion for those heavy lifts competed and won the Texas Strongest Man show this past weekend. His brother Sumner Haye was also one of the competitors and Austins 2 year old son Jack was one of the biggest fans there.

We asked Austin some questions about the show, and in particular how he felt about having his family there to support.

**Did having your son at the event influence your energy?

**Absolutely. Jack has been my biggest fan and loudest cheerleader since I first brought him to watch me compete earlier this year at the Ronnie Coleman Strongman Classic. Ever since, he’s been saying “Daddy ‘wift’ weights!” and asking me if I’m going to the gym to train with “Unkie” (his name for my younger brother and training partner, Sumner).

Seeing how excited he gets to watch me workout in the gym or compete makes me want to put forth that much more effort. There’s nothing to really compare it to until you have kids and they get really involved/start participating in your hobbies.

**Did being a dad influence your training leading up to the event?

**Yes – In both positive and negative ways, but mostly positive. The time I devote to training is minimal because I don’t want to miss out on too much time at home with him. I can manage off of 3 days of training per week which comes out to about 6-7hrs/week of training time.

This has actually been a really big benefit for me because it has forced me to allow my body to recover more than in the past when I was training 5-6 days a week (12-14hrs total). With more recovery I get injured a whole lot less and I don’t plateau as easily during training cycles.

The only negative influence I experience, and any parent can relate, is the lack of sleep that comes with just being a dad to a 2 year old. I wouldn’t change it for the world though.

**We got to the competition floor and as soon as we set our bags down, he was tugging on me to take him out on the floor so he could see what the other strongmen were doing and play with the implements.

Having to focus on him and not getting warmed up right away took the edge off at the beginning of the competition. There’s always a certain amount of nervousness that hits you as soon as you step foot on that floor and see everyone starting to warm up and get into their own competitive zone.

I’m usually right there with everyone else in terms of nerves being on fire, but with Jack there I have to focus on him and making sure he’s learning and having a good time while I get ready.

Having him there waiting for me on the sidelines in-between events really took the edge off things throughout the whole day because I would have to turn off the intensity and just be “daddy” again while I waited for the next event.

How was the atmosphere at Texas Strongest Man?

 Electric to say the least. The competition took place inside of the Europa Games Fit Expo, so we had spectators on all sides watching, filming, and cheering for us. Scott Brockelman and Jacob Fincher (North American Strongman Co-State Chairs – Texas) did a great job getting strongman into this event. Other than the Bang Energy booth, we were probably the biggest draw for spectators.

 The first event was the log clean a press for reps. The weight for my division was 270lbs. A lot of athletes in my division struggled with this event due to the size of the log that was used and the uneven surface we were standing on. I managed only 2 reps which put me in a 3-way tie for 1st.

The next event was the axle deadlift for reps. The weight for my division was 565lbs and I managed 10 reps in under 60 seconds. I only needed 8 to win the event, so I stopped at 10 reps with time to spare. I believe this was a rep PR for me at this weight. I don’t get to train axle that often, so it was good to see my heavy conventional deadlifting transfer over like that.

3rd event was the farmers walk. The weight for my division was 275lbs per hand and we had to carry it 50ft. The quickest time won the event. A lot of athletes struggled with the grip on the handles because they had been wrapped with tape and the tape was beginning to peel off. One of the guys in my division lost a fair amount of skin on his hand just trying to carry it. I managed 4th in this event.

Moving events have been a weakness for me since I started strongman, but lately I’ve been devoting more time to training them so that I’m not losing so many points.

The 4th event was the Mouser Block/sled drag medley. The block weighed 320lbs and you had to carry it 50ft and then pull a loaded sled back 50ft for the fastest time. The thing that competitors struggled the most with on this event was traction: The convention center floor was slick concrete, so pulling a sled backwards proved to be very difficult. Luckily, I’ve encountered this before at other comps and learned that if you dampen the soles of your shoes with water then you’ll be able to grip the ground better. This little trick paid off and I took 2nd in the event.

The last event was the sandbag carry for max distance. The sandbag weighed 250lbs. This event was brutal, especially being at the end of the day when your body is already fatigued, but I was ready. Sumner and I had been training this event with a keg, which is considerably harder to walk with for a long period of time than a sandbag. I believe training with the keg over the sandbag guaranteed me success on this event. I needed 225ft to win and I took it to 250ft and called it at that.

**Your brother got the number 2 spot, how did you feel about that?

**Sumner came in 2nd in the heavy weight division (231lbs and above). I was 1st in the middle weight division (231lbs and under). I was very proud of Sumner for his placing. Believe it or not, he was the lightest heavyweight competing weighing in at 260lbs. He was trading 1st and 2nd with the guy that ended up winning all day long – it was great to see him hang with some of the strongest guys in Texas.

**What did Mary (your wife) think of you all being together there?

**She loved it. It’s hard at times trying to juggle Jack or keep him from running on the floor during the competition, but overall I know she enjoys getting to make these memories as a family.

She deserves her own medal for being out there all day long when she’s 7 months pregnant, taking care of Jack, and making sure I’m eating, drinking, and stretching in-between events. She’s my secret weapon.

Were there any other highlights to the event?