Rock Solid Arms

Train to build 24-inch arms like strongman and IFBB Pro League athlete Morgan Aste.

- Jow Wuebben

Most bodybuilders’ nicknames are a bit of an exaggeration, purposely intended to conjure up images of sheer size and/or portray an individual as inhuman or even immortal. There was “the Oak” (Arnold Schwarzenegger) and “the Myth” (Sergio Oliva) in the 1960s and ’70s, and now we have “the Big Bad Wolf” (Dennis Wolf) and “the Gift” (Phil Heath) in the current crop. Impressive physical specimens, all of them, with monikers that progress their legends even further.

One current competitor, however, has a nickname that, while substantial, seems to fall short of his stature. They call Frenchman Morgan Aste “the Big Rock,” but most stones don’t weigh 350 pounds like Aste does in the off-season. (He competes at just under 300 pounds.)