Hany Rambod expects an explosive 2024 Mr. Olympia contest. In a recent YouTube video, Rambod discusses Derek Lunsford’s aim to bring his ‘all-time best’ to the 2024 Mr. Olympia stage. In addition, he opened up on his approach to peaking top-tier competitors for bodybuilding shows.
The landscape for the 2024 Mr. Olympia contest continues to reshape as athletes aim to earn their qualifications for the biggest show of the year. Derek Lunsford, who is coached by Hany Rambod, remains the most hunted man in the Men’s Open class after clinching the 2023 Mr. Olympia last year against his teammate Hadi Choopan.
Hany Rambod Talks Derek Lunsford’s Best vs Hadi Choopan’s Best at 2024 Mr. Olympia and How To Peak Athletes Properly
After Hadi Choopan presented arguably his best package to date at the 2024 Arnold Classic Ohio and UK contests, Derek Lunsford intends to make a statement when they rematch according to coach Rambod.
“Going back to Derek… Derek is somebody who now is more motivated than ever because after winning the Olympia then now Hadi coming in at his all time best, now Derek wants to come in at his all time best,” said Hany Rambod.
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He said Lunsford’s and Choopan’s competitive spirits remind him of Jay Cutler’s and Ronnie Coleman’s rivalry.
“It reminds me of Ronnie and Jay, you know what I mean? It’s just them pushing each other or Phil and Kai or Phil and Jay when they were going back and forth. Mostly, I would say a Phil and Kai and Ronnie and Jay because those guys were really battling it out. They just push each other to make each other better because of that hunger.”
Hany Rambod explains how he prepares athletes for their peak before taking the stage at competitions.
“You have this wide range that they can step on stage and in terms of timing, you’ve got to be able to turn around and say I’m not going to have an optimal peak of 15 or 10 minutes, you have a two-hour window, if you’re lucky, one hour.”
“What’s happening is all I’m trying to do is make sure that everybody is set up, their color is right, oil is right, food is right, everything is going into it so that whatever I’m trying to do in terms of peaking allows my two guys to be there at the end. To try to be in the battle and then do whatever they can do to really be able to be there at the end.”
Rambod reveals that it can be stressful juggling multiple variables before the athletes take the stage including food and presentation.
“It’s stress [what I feel peaking athletes for shows]. It’s stress but not like a nervous stress but just the stress of how many things do I have to think about at that given moment.
I’m going through the whole checklist in my head, when is the last time they ate, when is the last time they drank, when is the last time that they had their color looked at to make sure everything is good because again, all of these things matter,” shares Rambod.
Having trained talents such as Ronnie Coleman, Phil Heath, and Jay Cutler, Rambod has a firm understanding of how to coach athletes at the highest level, even when they are tasked with competing against each other. With Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan representing our era’s ‘major rivalry,’ time will tell who comes out on top.
With that in mind, fans expect an unforgettable showdown on the 2024 Mr. Olympia stage, set to take over the Resort’s World October 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
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To watch the full video, click below:
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