Riding high following his 2023 Mr. Olympia victory, Derek Lunsford can finally drop his shoulders and relax for the off-season. Taking to a recent YouTube video with Greg Doucette, Lunsford discussed his supplement stack, his greatest rival, and Larry Wheels gaining 55 pounds after the 2023 Amateur Olympia.
The month of November saw an entirely new Men’s Open landscape emerge when the dust settled atop the 2023 Mr. Olympia stage. In the end, Derek Lunsford claimed victory, but to etch his name into the Sandow trophy, he was forced to unseat his teammate and friend, Hadi Choopan.
As a result of his big victory, Lunsford, a former 212 Olympia (2021), became the sport’s first-ever two-division Mr. Olympia champion. Since turning in the legacy-defining win, Lunsford hasn’t stepped off the gas.
He recently guest-posed at the NPC Eastern USA Championships but has also taken part in interviews to promote the sport. In his latest venture, he joined popular fitness influencer and coach Greg Doucette for a candid discussion.
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Derek Lunsford Shares Caffeine Routine, Supplement Stack, ‘I Dont Do Coffee’
Lunsford listed a few of the go-to supplements he uses, emphasizing that he doesn’t drink coffee but relies on other stimulants, such as fat burners.
“It’s going to bring fullness to the muscles, so on the way here, I drink my pre-workout. I might have a little bit of stims, I don’t like a ton of stims, but I like a lot of blood flow. Evogen Nutrition has the EDP 3D I like to do two scoops of that on the way to the gym right before I train I’ll do the AQ one cap and then intra-workout I do my amino acids which is the amino P.”
“I don’t do coffee. Definitely not during prep, I don’t do coffee. I do stimulants. Like I take Lipocide, which is the fat burner from Evogen, I’ll wake up take a Lipocide pill and then I’ll do my cardio and then just a few hours later I’ll have a couple of meals over the course of a couple of hours after meal two or three, I’ll go to the gym and train. So the fat burner is still kicked in.”
Before a workout, Lunsford mentioned that he doesn’t take any pre-workout stims, instead, he relies on whatever energy he can derive from his fat burner in the morning.
“I’m still getting some energy from that, so I just don’t take a pre-workout fat burner, and I don’t take any pre-workout stims, and I just let the stims from the fat burner in the morning carry over into my training.”
“I get stronger [as preps go on],” added Lunsford.
As for his biggest threat in the 2024 Mr. Olympia, Lunsford assumes it will once again be Hadi Choopan given how close they’ve been at past shows.
“I think, I think as of right now, Hadi is still the most challenging guy. I don’t know if that’s because it’s been my mindset this entire year as he was the previous reigning champion. We have a full year to see what happens. I know the other guys are making strong improvements but I just feel like me and Hadi have been so close the last two years, I feel like it’s still probably me and him.”
“I don’t want to count those guys out. Because Samson Dauda is amazing and he is definitely making improvements. He’s as hungry as it gets. Nick Walker, if he would have been there that weekend, the fans would have been excited to see – he’s been making improvements. It really could be any of those guys that challenge for it,” Derek Lunsford shared.
Lunsford on Larry Wheels 55-LB Contest Rebound: “That’s Not Good”
Shocked by Larry Wheels‘ rapid weight gain, Lunsford discussed some of the health ramifications that stem from overeating and drinking after a show.
“That’s not good [Larry Wheels’ weight gain].”
“Well, I’ll answer that first, yeah in the beginning when I first started competing, I didn’t realize what a rebound was like. For better or for worse, I had a bad relationship with food and I’ve been dieting for a long time. I couldn’t wait to get my hands on some pizza and cookies.”
In addition, Lunsford mentioned that blood pressure and kidney issues could arise following such a rapid and significant weight gain.
“All that kind of compounds day after day, like 53 pounds… that is really not good. The problem here is it’s not about okay, you’ve done all this work and now your physique is ruined.
You haven’t lost all that hard work, it’s actually about your health. Your blood pressure is going to go through the roof and your kidneys are going to be affected.
Those are the two main things among many other things that could really be a problem right? I’d be quite concerned, 53 pounds, he needs to,” explains Derek Lunsford.
Having gained 55 pounds in just two days, Larry Wheels took to a recent interview to assess his newfound size as well as what’s next in bodybuilding. Most importantly, Wheels underlined the need to balance his larger upper body with his lower body.
As for Derek Lunsford, his focus remains solely on next year’s 2024 Mr. Olympia competition, which is set to celebrate its 60th anniversary in Las Vegas, Nevada from October 10-13.
RELATED: Derek Lunsford Shares Full Day Of Eating in Off-Season After 2023 Mr. Olympia Win
Watch the full video from Greg Doucette’s YouTube channel below:
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