1989 Arnold Classic champion Rich Gaspari is one of the past champions honored at the 2023 edition of the Arnold Classic. With the competition behind us, Gaspari joined Dennis James, Milos Sarcev, and Chris Cormier to share his thoughts on the competition and its champion, Samson Dauda, ​​on a recent episode of The Menace Podcast.

“Samson has dense, hard muscles that you haven’t seen in a long time in competitors since Ronnie Coleman and when Phil Heath was at his best,” Gaspari said. “It was good to see that, and so when I saw it, I said ‘man, put it down, Samson’s better.'”

Gaspari also told the group that he spoke with runner-up Nick Walker at the Meet the Pros event in Columbus, Ohio. Walker tells him he dropped ten pounds to look more ripped for the competition. Gaspari feels the move may have backfired on the 2021 Arnold Classic winner.

“He lost ten pounds for that show. He may have lost intramuscular fat, but he had no muscle density when he stood next to Samson.”

Gaspari also wanted to show respect to fifth place, two-time Olympia 212 champion Shaun Clarida. Despite the size, the fellow New Jersey native saw the quality Clarida brought to the stage.

“Maybe he is too small, although he is not small. He was very big for a short guy. He has the hardest body on stage. When you fight a lot of bigger guys, it’s hard to win. “

The focus then shifted to Dauda’s chances at the 2023 Olympia in Orlando, FL this November. While Gaspari has seen the greatness he has, he feels there are still some improvements to be made.

“I think he needs to improve some poses. Needs to improve the front lat spread. He can also improve his back.”

Gaspari and the rest of the panel also talked about the rest of the field and other topics from the Arnold weekend. New episodes of TMP wind every Sunday over the Muscle & Fitness channel on YouTube.