Derek Lunsford has plans to make a massive statement this October under the bright lights of the Mr. Olympia. In a recent YouTube video published on August 9, 2024, he walked fans through his brutal back workout, focusing on time under tension and intensity.
In his last outing on the Mr. Olympia stage, Lunsford made history. In addition to winning the coveted Mr. Olympia crown, he became the first bodybuilder to become a two-division champion, thanks to his big win back in 2021 in the Men’s 212 Bodybuilding category.
His rivalry with Hadi Choopan (2022 Mr. Olympia Champion) has dominated discussions online as many believe ‘The Persian Wolf’ to be his most worthy adversary. The clock is ticking and soon Lunsford will aim to put significant distance between himself and Choopan as well as the rest of the Men’s Open division.
Before testing his strength, Lunsford gave an update on his progress ahead of his second Mr. Olympia in the Open division.
“Double cardio sessions. Low fats now. Training has been good. Everything has been good it’s just yeah, things are changing pretty rapidly.
My mind and my body feel different but in a good way, like sometimes it’s like the change of the mind, the change of the body could be a negative… the change of the mind is well — I’m still motivated. I’m still excited. I’m still ready to get after it every single day but I might be a little bit more forgetful.”
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Derek Lunsford Shows How Time Under Tension Is Key to Winning 2024 Mr. Olympia With Brutal Back Workout
- Lat pulldown
- Cable Lat Pullovers
- Rack Barbell Row
- Seated Cable Row
- Seated Hammer Row Machine
In his first exercise, Lunsford smashed through lat pulldowns totaling a staggering 240 pounds. Before moving into his next movement, Lunsford practices some posing to further build his mind-muscle connection.
The Mr. Olympia champion hits cable lat pullovers to sculpt a thicker back, his most powerful weapon. Practicing posing rounds in between his workouts not only helps bring out the details in his physique but gets him accustomed to the endurance he’ll need on the Olympia stage, especially against Hadi Choopan, who is known for his posing conviction and sustained energy levels.
Straight to business, he proceeded with rack barbell rows and seated cable rows for his third and fourth segments of the workout.
“I’m not able to waste my time on that light stuff bro. We’re just going to go up. Eight reps easy. Now we go up,” shares Lunsford. “Not bad. If I would have came in and done this fresh it would have been a lot better but that’s good. If I’m being honest, I know we’re not even close to being done today, still got a couple more things to do but at this point if I’m truly honest and transparent I really didn’t think that I was going to be lifting like this today.”
“Yesterday, today, I’ve been pretty run down if I’m truly honest. It’s one of those things where it’s mind over matter. Yes. There’s definitely a physical component to it to where sometimes some days you are just truly gassed. But today, I didn’t put any expectations on myself like I would have in previous years. I was stressed on the way here and come here and perform today, it was just hey, you get to go to the gym, another chance another day another opportunity for you to get better, have fun, and do what you do,” he said.
He puts the finishing touches on his back with the seated hammer row machine before giving his parting thoughts and review of the training session.
“This was might I say, an intense back day. It wasn’t just the slow time under tension easy reps, never easy but we just got after it today boys. Obviously, got a really good sweat going. Great pump. Put some heavy weight in our hands, great day. Another good back day. Another good day in the books. As I mentioned earlier, double cardio session so I did my 40 minutes this morning. I’m going to do another session here and then go get a protein shake.”
Don’t miss Derek Lunsford’s attempt to successfully defend his title at the 2024 Mr. Olympia. Fitness Volt will have comprehensive live results coverage.
READ MORE: Bodybuilder Derek Lunsford Shows Off 3,346-Calorie Shredding Diet 11 Weeks from 2024 Mr. Olympia
Watch the full YouTube video from Derek Lunsford’s channel below:
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