If you were asked to name the biggest, freakiest mass monster on the current IFBB roster we’re guessing you’d say 315-pound Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay. And you’d certainly have a case to make. But there’s a gargantuan 352-pound strongman from France who’s looking to challenge Ramy as the most massive guy to occupy real estate on an IFBB stage: Morgan “the Big Rock” Aste. Considered by many to be the strongest man in France, Aste remains the country’s record-holder for one rep of the log press (374.786 pounds). But the ability to press heavy logs, tug a 13-ton truck, or hoist a 170-pound Atlas stone doesn’t necessarily translate to victories on a bodybuilding stage. The game changes, becoming more about symmetry, shape, and presentation, with the deciding factor as to which competitor emerges victorious shifting to a panel of judges. Aste understood concentrating on bodybuilding full time would require him to make changes. His first order of business: an overhaul of his nutrition regimen. “As a strongman, my diet was less strict relative to the 24-hour caloric needs of bodybuilding,” Aste says.
He now aims to consume 6,000 calories a day. “My nutrition is regulated…by ingesting proteins, carbs, and lipids divided into six or seven meals,” he explains. “That includes consuming Eric Favre Iron 02 Booster dipeptides…to allow me to have an appropriate intake of amino acids without charging the digestive and energetic system.”
So far, the reconfigurations have paid off. In September 2015, Aste earned top honors at the 2015 NPC Fit Championships, moving the Lyon, France, native another step closer to earning a coveted IFBB pro card. The year before, he scored a win in the super-heavyweight division of the 2014 IFBB French Championships and took ninth at the 2014 Arnold Amateur Europe.
In the gym, Aste remains dedicated to refining his physique. We caught up with him on a leg day, where his goals were to develop his vastus lateralis and improve his muscular definition. He relies on the MACS7 training system devised by his longtime trainer, René Même. “MACS7 allows for short muscle-building sessions without overloading the skeletal system,” Aste says. “It’s based on the interaction between various modes of muscular contractions and different training techniques.”
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Aste follows a two on, two off workout schedule. Hamstrings and calves get paired with shoulders, with a separate day reserved for quadriceps and hamstrings. Whether he works MACS7 using heavy sets or intensive sets, his leg sessions last between 20 and 35 minutes max. Additionally, Aste spends four sessions of 15 minutes each week doing the MACS7 cardio method (high-intensity), which allows him to burn fat without sacrificing muscle mass.
LEG PRESS
4 sets x 6–20 reps
“I prefer to place my feet higher on the board for fewer constraints for my knees and a better distribution of weight between the quadriceps and hamstrings.”
“Whether I work heavy or high intensity will determine my set/rep scheme.”
“You may change the position of your feet on the board to have better control of the internal and external vastus.”
LEG EXTENSION
4–6 sets x 6–20 reps
“You may change the orientation of your feet during this exercise, to better work the internal and external vastus.”
“Do not lift your pelvis off your seat.”
“I often superset leg extensions with another exercise.”
LEG CURL
4–6 sets x 6–20 reps
“Avoid lifting your pelvis off of the bench.”
“Do not arch your back.”
“Squeeze your hamstrings at the top of the movement.”
PLATELOADED SQUAT
4–6 sets x 6–20 reps
“Position your feet farther forward to avoid putting tension on the knees.”
“Keep the back fixed against the pad.”
“Avoid bouncing in the bottom position.”
SEATED CALF RAISE
4–6 sets x 6–20 reps
“Correctly finish the extension on the tips of your toes, as high as possible.”
“Diversify the number of reps.”
“A negative to this exercise: The machine rarely adapts to someone my size.”
STANDING CALF RAISE
4–6 sets x 6–20 reps
“Be mindful of your back when using heavy weight.”
“Keep your knees locked out and lightly bent.”
“Concentrate on using a full range of motion for each rep.”
MACS7 HARDCORE LEG WORKOUT
Leg Press*: 4 sets, 6-20 reps
Plate-loaded Squat*: 4 sets, 6-20 reps
Leg Extension: 4–6 sets, 6–20 reps
Leg Curl: 4–6 sets, 6–20 reps
Hack Squat: 4–6 sets, 6–20 reps
Seated Calf: 4–6 sets, 6–20 reps
Standing Calf: 4–6 sets, 6–20 reps
*See MACS7 chart
ASTE’S TRAINING SPLIT
MONDAY: Chest, Back
TUESDAY: Biceps/Triceps
WEDNESDAY: Rest
THURSDAY: Shoulders, Hamstrings, Calves
FRIDAY: Quadriceps, Hamstrings
SATURDAY: Rest
SUNDAY: Repeat 2 on, 2 off cycle
Note: Aste performs cardio four times a week, for 15 minutes, using the MACS7 cardio.
