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One of the main lessons of bodybuilding is that when the going gets tough you keep going and pushing forward to finish what you start no matter what!

, late 2019 and 2020 has been riddled with trials and tribulations. It goes without saying that the ultra low point in 2020 was when he lost best friend and training partner Luke Sandow.

One thing he did to counter the effects of these uncontrollable circumstances was to focus on getting healthy and competing again.

One of the things that Ben relied on to get through the loss of Luke and getting his body right to finish his prep and compete at the NPC Texas State was his stellar support system. The like minded and disciplined individuals in his circle like Hunter Labrada, Bryan Troianello, Brett Wilkin Martin Fitzwater admittedly was huge in contributing to Ben pushing forward to his finish line. Donnice Christian, Ben's wife also plays a pivotal role in contributing to keeping Ben accountable. "I could not have done this without her support."

Check out the full video and how Ben explains the ups and downs and relying on discipline and the mental strength that is built from following through with goals.

Bodybuilding Lesson: Finish What You Start - Ben Chow

More in Destination

It's Armbrust Pro Gym meets Destination here in Texas!

Hunter Labrada, Brett Wilkin and brand spankin new pro Martin Fitzwater link up at Destination for an epic push session and wrap up with some valuable messages or takeaways from the session.

1. Don't be an A hole. Nothin good comes from it and you miss out on building cool friendships and relationships.

2. What works for someone won't for someone else. So what works for you. This will take some trial and error.

3. Have a plan and a strategy! Anything worth doing is worth over doing. This takes foresight and planning.

4. Bodybuilding is a marathon not a sprint. Don't gas yourself out. Slow and steady wins the race!

We have a ton of epic content with the Crew from Armbrust pro gym linking up at Destination! Stay tuned!

Pro Bodybuilders Speak - 4 Takeaway Messages

The only constant in life is change and the constant for growth is to remain hungry.

Johnnie Jackson links up with Brian Cage for biceps and triceps training after a posing and training seminar at Destination.

Brian Cage is a 265lb pro wrestler who is a "dying breed" when it comes to packing on the muscle and still retaining the agility and athleticism to do crazy shit in the ring. Brian was on town for a wrestling event and Johnnie said lets catch an arm workout and here we go.

With pro bodybuilding and pro wrestling being super competitive and anything worth achieving, in general, having a multitude of people grabbing up opportunities left and right, Brian explains;

Armed For Growth - Johnnie Jackson and Pro Wrestler Brian Cage Train Arms

No wasted effort. That pretty much sums up the aim of this chest session with 

Jeremy Potvin and Guy Cisternino are both preparing for the 2020 Mr. Olympia. Jeremy is making a competitive return to the men's physique stage and Guy Cisternino is returning to the 212 Olympia stage after winning the Niagara Pro late last year. Both made the trip to Destination for an epic week of training, dinners, product feedback and GASP and Better Bodies planning for the upcoming IRON WORLD TOUR - Vegas.

Mr. Olympia Chest Training with Guy Cisternino and Jeremy Potvin

Workout 4 in Josh Bryant's and Jonathan Irizarry's 12 week bench press series is in the books and surprisingly they went for a new goal.

Jonathan was progressing really fast and Josh decided to load up the bench with 500lbs after the programmed weight of 455lbs for 2 paused reps went up faster than a (insert Josh quote).

Jonathan smoked 500, 515 and 530 in an effort for Josh Bryant to recognize the limiting factor when it comes to how Jonathan benches.

After this workout Josh has decided that the triceps will be more of the limiting factor for Jonathan and plans to adjust the training accordingly.

"We want to push it as far as possible in this 12 week series," says Josh. Stay tuned and download the program at the end of the series.

Big Bench Program - Episode 5 Fourth Workout

More in Iron World Tour

Last year we set out on an epic journey to China in our Iron World Tour with Branch Warren, Johnnie Jackson, Josh Bryant, GASP CEO Michael Johansson and digital media creator Nick Del Toro. The first stop was in Beijing and meeting China's strongest man Yue Yang aka The Beast.

In this motivational video The Beast gives some thoughts around what is strength as he prepares for a strength exhibition of pulling a one ton helicopter with just the use of his 2 arms.

The Iron World Tour is 24/7. Stay tuned as we rev up and prepare for a massive Iron World Tour to Vegas. We will show the internal team as we have never before and at the same time bring up to the day coverage of our athlete team preparing for this years Mr. Olympia.

What Is Strength - "The Beast" Yue Yang

More in Other

We meet 22 year old IFBB Pro Zhang Chengrui from China. Check out what he says!

I started training in the gym in 2015. I watched "Generation Iron" and among the athletes featured, Branch Warren's hardcore training style deeply inspired me and I started watching motivational videos of him training before my workouts. I tried to imitate his training style and I also noticed that Branch's training clothing matched his training very well. Later I learned that his clothing was GASP.

Ever since I purchased my first GASP Tee, I've been deeply involved with the brand, and especially the NO COMPROMISE attitude the brand carries.

After three years of systematic training, I started my bodybuilding career in 2018. I won the largest runner-up in a competition in Liaoning Province for the first time and many runner-ups in subsequent competitions.

In 2019 I participated in the Olympia China Amateur for the first time and placed fourth in my division.

This year, August 2020, I competed again at Olympia China Amateur, and placed first in the bodybuilding 102kg division and won my IFBB pro card.

My No Compromise journey just kicked off. Stay tuned.

IFBB Pro Zhang Chengrui from China

When you train legs like these guys, a proper top set to FAILURE can be dangerous. The constant quest for the "novel stimulus" has Hunter Labrada, Brett Wilkin, Bryan Troianello and Martin Fitzwater pushing some crazy poundage and ALWAYS trying to beat the log book.

Hunter Labrada talking about the leg development and work capacity of this leg day crew.

Needless to say it is leg day during the meat head summer camp part 2. Bryan Troianello drove up especially to partake in leg day with Martin and Brett and Hunter. Joined by Ben Chow who is about 2 weeks out in this video from competing they really push their compound movements to the max with all of them nearly passing out, losing their balance or nearly getting injured.

At this point Hunter Labrada is 8-9 weeks out from his Olympia debut and looking to improve on his already world class leg development. Check out the workout set for set and let us know if we need to link up with this crew (Colorado X Texas) again before the Mr. Olympia.

Getting Buried - Ultimate Leg Day 

More in Motivation

When you want to succeed as bad as you want to breathe you will quickly find out that it takes grit and being relentless.

It doesn't come over night. It takes trial and error and learning and adapting and improving and consistently leveling up. When your goal is worthy, just showing up doesn't cut it. A proper goal should require an insane work ethic BUT to reach an insane level you have to have passion and meaning behind WHY you are pursuing what you are pursuing.

Relentless and Grit Defined

What does it take to turn pro? Loving the process will be a huge advantage to facilitate and expedite becoming a true professional in any trade you choose.

. Both turned professional in the IFBB this year. Christina won the overall in bikini at the IFBB North American and Olivia won the overall in figure at the NPC Jr. USA.

Both Olivia and Christina work extremely demanding jobs in healthcare with shifts ranging from 12-14 hours and most of the time never getting breaks and ALWAYS on call with an immense amount of responsibility and human lives in their care. They share with us the demands of their professions and the discipline it takes to still continue to set goals and then steps they execute to make sure they ALWAYS make progress towards them.

Check out the full video and follow Christina and Olivia. Stay tuned for more from these gals.

Discipline Prioritization & Competition - Olivia Gravengaard and Christina Heath

For my next GASP West Coast Update I am very proud to present one of the most talented new IFBB pro’s on the circuit, Big “Moe” Burgess. I met Moe back in 2016 backstage at an NPC competition and instantly knew I had spotted a future star in the sport. The type of physique he displays is of very rare shape, quality and proportion – appearing as if an artist literally carved it out of stone. Fast forward to 2020, and now he not only a pro, but also on my personal team of amazing athletes. I sat down with Moe to learn more about where he came from and where he plans on going. Enjoy!

Eric: Big Moe! I am so happy to be doing this interview with you exclusively for GASP! Why don’t we start with you telling me a little about yourself – How old are you? What do you do for work?

Moe: I’m 38 years old and I work as a production manager at Northrop Grumman.

Eric: What got you started in bodybuilding? When did you begin training? When was your first show?

Moe: Well I’ve always loved the sport since I was a kid, but working out at Gold’s Gym in Hawthorne and seeing the top bodybuilders working out, posing and doing photo shoots really got me intrigued. On top of that, people would approach me almost daily to tell me I should start competing. The manager of the gym at the time was Chris “Pyscho” Lewis and he also encouraged me to get onstage. However, I still felt I needed more time, so I kept training hard for two more years before asking for Chris’s help in preparing me for my first show. We set our sights on the 2011 Muscle Beach Competition, held on July 4th. I ended up winning both the novice and open heavyweight class, and that got me completely hooked.

Eric: When you began your journey in the sport, were there any bodybuilders you looked up to?

Moe: I’ve always had a great admiration for the physiques of such men as Phil Heath, Dexter Jackson, Jay Cutler, Flex Wheeler, Chris Cormier, and of course – Arnold! Each of them had a very distinct and unique look that set them apart from the rest.

Eric: So you and I first met backstage at the (now defunct) NPC Ferrigno Legacy in 2016.

When I saw you and watched you pump up I felt compelled to tell you how outstanding your physique was and that you would be a future pro. And guess what? I was right! However, on that day, you ended up getting a very controversial second place. How do you handle defeat. Does it drive you to work harder?

Moe: Eric I can remember that day like it was yesterday. It was a great show and I believe everything happens for a reason. Taking 2nd place when it seemed a sure bet that I was the deserved winner kept me grounded, and made me hungrier to strive harder and reach deeper. That controversial loss served a higher purpose.

Eric: You actually earned pro status at the NPC Master’s USA last December. How did it feel when they called your name and you knew you had officially joined the IFBB ranks?

Moe: It felt surreal to me for the first week and it was such an amazing feeling getting messages from two former Mr. Olympia’s – Dexter Jackson and Shawn Rhoden - offering me congratulations.

Eric: You have an incredible physique with a crazy X-frame, full muscle bellies and a tiny waist.

I have compared you to such legends as Flex Wheeler, Shawn Rhoden and Brian Buchanan. Obviously, your frame is the result of genetics, but it is your training that has allowed you to exploit your gifts. How do you approach your workouts to help create your classic lines?

Moe: The key for me is that I approach every muscle group with equal intensity and focus. I strive to build everything in proportion. Not only do I want size and density, but also superior shape.

Eric: Anyone who has watched you pose onstage can clearly see you work very hard on this aspect ofcompetitive bodybuilding. Are you self-taught or do you work with a coach on

Moe: Actually Chris Cormier has been the most instrumental in my posing and overall stage presence. He taught me how to make each pose my own and how to make it look effortless. Meeting him while training at Gold’s Gym, Venice was definitely a huge blessing.

Eric: You just recently made your pro debut at the IFBB California State Championships. I had

the privilege of helping you peak in the final two weeks. Although you did not get the placing you had hoped for, you certainly served notice that you are someone to watch out for. Additionally, you got amazing feedback from the head judge. How was the experience for you overall?

Moe: The experience was great and simply the next step in my learning curve. Regardless of placing I take something positive away from every competition. I felt good about my look and know I made significant improvements since the last time I stepped onstage. As long as I

keep beating my former self, I know I am doing my job.

Eric: You and I will be working together off-season to help make the improvements needed to make an even bigger impact in 2021. I must tell you how honored I am to be your coach,

especially because of how we met. Please tell everyone what you plan to bring to your next show that will make the judges drop their jaws.

Moe: The judges want to see me gain more muscle mass, but without gaining size on my waist. This will be the main directive for the off-season. Once its time to step onstage again I plan on keeping the added size - but also will appear harder, fuller and even dryer.

Eric: Thank you so much Moe for taking the time to do this interview with me. Before we go is

Moe: I would like to thank you of course, as well as GASP for allowing us to do this interview. I also must thank Dave Bourlet and Jay Cutler, both of whom show me ongoing support. Thanks as well to the IFBB pro league, Icon Muscle, and most of all, my wife and kids for being so understanding and allowing me to pursue my dreams.

West Coast Update With Eric Broser - Big Moe Burgess 

The Mr. Olympia prep has started and we are kicking off with "Meathead Summercamp" as Hunter Labrada describes it.

Bryan Troianello, Hunter Labrada, Liv Roth, Ben Chow, Luke Carrol and Justin Makki AND Olivia Gravengaard all hit up Destination together and train. In this rotation we have Ben, Bryan, Hunter and Liv doing the push workout.

We are still in the eating phase and not particularly cutting so strength is going up as well as body weight for Hunter. Ben is about 3 weeks out from his contest the NPC Texas state Championships on October 3rd so he's in full shred mode.

_"The one thing we all have in common is that we are serious about this. That is our common ground and how we all bond so easily."

Check this full training feature out. The full video is the first time we get Bryan and hunter again since the epic Tampa week. Stay tuned because its non stop from here to December.