Time is ticking away and sweat is pouring as Derek Lunsford readies his physique for the 2024 Mr. Olympia competition. In a recent endeavor shared on September 2, 2024, Lunsford, guided by his coach Hany Rambod, annihilated an FST-7 shoulder workout during prep.
Derek Lunsford grew into the Open category in front of our eyes. His quest for the sport’s ultimate title began in 2022 at the Pittsburgh Pro where he guest posed in place of an absent Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay. Although he was the reigning 212 Olympia (at the time), Lunsford held his own and didn’t appear undersized next to a crop of top-tier Open contenders.
This led to Lunsford receiving a special invite for the 2022 Mr. Olympia. He accepted the honor and made good on the opportunity. He secured second place behind his teammate Hadi Choopan. One year was all it took for Lunsford, who came back with a vengeance at the 2023 Mr. Olympia show, cementing himself as the sport’s first two-division Mr. Olympia winner. Sitting atop the bodybuilding food chain, Lunsford intends to make this title defense look easy in the weeks to come.
Derek Lunsford’s FST-7 Shoulder Workout
Find his exercise selections below:
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- Lateral Raise
- Smith Machine Press
- Machine Shoulder Press
- Front Raise
- Machine Lateral Raise
- Rear Delt Fly
- Bent-Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
Lateral Raise
To begin the workout, Lunsford warms up with dumbbell lateral raises. Hany Rambod instructs him to keep his palms facing outward during each repetition. He also urged Lunsford to slow down his eccentrics for better time under tension.
Smith Machine Press
During Smith machine presses, Rambod told Lunsford to keep his feet flat so he could drive the weight more efficiently.
“Imagine if I had some carbs in me,” shared Lunsford.
Rambod offered insight into how they were approaching shoulder day.
“What we’re doing now is we’re using a neutral grip Panatta shoulder press. The nice thing about this shoulder press is not only are you going to be able to change the height up and down, but you can actually move it forward and back.
So what we’re doing is we had to move it back a little bit so it gives him a little bit more room so he’s not so far forward so he’s able to get a nice stretch and move it all the way up,” he shared.
Machine Shoulder Press
Rambod says the Panatta shoulder press machine design makes a big difference in how the shoulders are recruited. He urged Lunsford to push the weight higher for a maximum stretch. As he reached the end of his sets, Rambod had him slow down the eccentric range of motion.
“Normally, it’s just up and down, so it makes a big difference because that way, if you think of it like you are, you need more room, you don’t want to be like this [hunched back] you want it to be up here [more in front of your face].”
Front Raise
Lunsford proceeded to front raises but took a sip of his intra-workout first. Rambod reminded him to keep his chest up during this exercise.
Machine Lateral Raises
Rambod motivated Lunsford through machine lateral raises, underlining that he needs to have big delts on stage.
“Peak and slow,” says Rambod.
Rear Delt Flys
When Lunsford began tiring, Rambod pushed him to complete partial reps on the rear delt fly machine.
Bent-Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly
Rambod reminded Lunsford to take it slower on the way down through bent-over dumbbell rear delt flyes.
“Again, not a many for many words right now,” says Rambod.
“That’s a good thing. This eight weeks is going to be, it’s going to be fun.”
What Lies Ahead
Derek Lunsford will have to bring major improvements to the stage if he hopes to fend off contenders such as Hadi Choopan, Samson Dauda, and Nick Walker at the Olympia. Following his victory last year, criticisms were leveled regarding Lunsford’s lack of ab detail and smaller arms, which many believe affected the power of his side tricep, most muscular, and abs and thigh pose, all of which happen to be strengths of Choopan’s.
In addition, Lunsford has surging Men’s Open star Andrew Jacked to contend with. Jacked achieved a three-peat victory at the recent 2024 Texas Pro at a whopping 299 pounds. His size and height make him a surefire threat on the Olympia stage.
Lunsford is approaching preparations like never before, ensuring his physique looks improved for Mr. Olympia’s 60th anniversary. Don’t miss his attempt to defend his title next month when bodybuilding takes over the world for a special weekend.
Watch the full video from the Evogen Nutrition YouTube channel below:
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