FRENCH BODYBUILDER MORGAN ASTE WANTS THE U.S. BODYBUILDING SCENE TO KNOW ONE THING: LOOK OUT
The super-heavyweight won the 2014 IFBB French Championships and placed ninth at the 2014 Arnold Amateur Europe. In 2015, Aste looks to make an impact on the American bodybuilding scene. “My first U.S. contest will certainly be in the NPC during the summer,” says Aste. “My goals in bodybuilding are to get my pro card, participate in the Mr. Olympia, and have a long career.”
So, who is this 352-pound mass monster?
A native of Lyon, France, Aste participated in several sports before he even started lifting weights, including soccer, handball, judo, boxing, and Muay Thai.
“I noticed I had better physical abilities than the other boys, and I was constantly asked if I was lifting weights, so I started lifting when I was 16 years old,” says Aste. “My strength gains were spectacular, and when I was 20 years old I competed in my first bodybuilding contest to see how I was doing compared with the other guys.”
At age 20, Aste weighed 195 pounds and started working out with trainer René Même, the creator of the MACS 7 training method. Même has been Aste’s personal trainer ever since.
“MACS 7 is based on the interaction between various modes of muscular contractions and different training techniques,” Aste says. “It allows for short muscle-building sessions without overloading the skeletal system.”
After competing in a few more bodybuilding competitions in his 20s, Aste made the switch to strongman to make a statement that bodybuilders could hold their own in strength sports.
“I convinced myself that a lot of people were considering bodybuilding a sport for getting big muscles, but without strength,” Aste says. “I wanted to compete with the strongmen to prove that bodybuilders were powerful and able to lift very heavy weight.”
Bodybuilders dabbling in powerlifting and vice-versa is a feat achieved by some athletes—for example, Matt Kroczaleski, Johnnie Jackson, and Stan Efferding have competed in both arenas—but Aste is a prototype: He can switch gears between bodybuilding and strongman.
Click “Next Page” for Morgan Aste’s strongman and chest training routines >>
Aste, arguably still the strongest guy in France, holds the French record for one rep of the log press (170 kg/374.786 lbs), lifted a 170-kg (374.786 lbs) Atlas stone for one rep, and pulled a 13-ton truck for more than 20 meters (21.87 yards). And still, he says bodybuilding is harder than strongman.
“The main lesson I learned from making the change from bodybuilding to strongman is that bodybuilding is much more rigorous and difficult because it involves more discipline in nutrition and training,” Aste says. “When you’re onstage, judgments can be difficult to accept, so you have to be more tolerant, while in strongman you either lift the weight or you don’t lift it.”
Aste understands that he still has work to do in his journey tobring a symmetrical package to the stage. He says he wants to expand his deltoids, upper pectorals, and biceps, in addition to working on the definition and sweep in his thighs. The Frenchman revealed his biggest inspirations throughout his bodybuilding career.
Eric Favre, Aste’s sponsor, is the founder of Eric Favre Laboratoire, a sports nutrition company based in France, and has worked with three Mr. Olympiac ompetitors: Lionel Beyeke, Luc Molines (212), and Nathalie Mur (Bikini). Favre nicknamed Aste “the Big Rock.”
“Eric used to tell me, ‘You’re strong as a rock,’ but since ‘the Rock’ is already adopted by Dwayne Johnson, he told me, laughing, ‘you’ll be the Big Rock.’ Two hours later, my nickname and logo were online.”
Aste’s message to the U.S. is one that he’s been championing his entire life.
“Before being a big and strong guy, I’m a man full of love, humility, and respect,” Aste says. “It’s magic to see the capacity at which our bodies can develop.”
We have a feeling that after Aste’s U.S. debut, there will be less “Who’s that guy? He’s huge!” and more “That’s Morgan Aste. He’s French and he’s huge!” – FLEX
