Reigning Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford is leaving nothing to chance as the 2024 bodybuilding season heats up. In a recent YouTube video, Derek Lunsford teams up with coach Hany Rambod to crush a training session and also got in some posing practice.
Derek Lunsford has been on fire as an IFBB Pro. After earning his title as the 212 Olympia champion in 2021, Lunsford shocked the bodybuilding community the following year when he stole the show guest posing at the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro. Having stood out on stage next to mass monsters like Nick Walker and Brandon Curry, Derek Lunsford was offered a special invite to the Open class at the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
Lunsford’s debut as a Men’s Open competitor saw him earn an impressive second-place finish, falling just behind former Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan. With victory so close he could taste it, Derek Lunsford brought a monstrous back double bicep pose a year later that earned him the win at the 2023 Mr. Olympia.
Derek Lunsford Smashes FST-7 Training Session With Coach Hany Rambod
His win at last year’s Mr. Olympia made Derek Lunsford the first-ever two-division champion, making the stakes higher than ever as he prepares to grace the stage again in 2024. With the Men’s Open chock-full of formidable names such as Nick Walker, Samson Dauda, and his rival Hadi Choopan, Lunsford has his work cut out for him.
Thankfully, Lunsford is doing whatever it takes to ensure he brings his best to the stage this October. In a recent YouTube video, Derek Lunsford smashed an intense workout guided by coach Hany Rambod.
Derek Lunsford’s Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Bike Warm-Up | – | – |
| Machine Leg Extension | 7 | 12-15 |
| Lying Leg Curl Machine | 3 | 12-15 |
| Smith Machine Squat | 7 | 12-15 |
| Hack Squat Machine | 7 | 12-15 |
| Seated Chest Press Machine | 7 | 12-15 |
| Pec Fly Machine | 7 | 12-15 |
| Smith Machine Bench Press | 7 | 12-15 |
| Single Arm Side Tricep Cable Pushdown | 7 | 12-15 |
During Smith machine squats, coach Hany Rambod updated fans on Lunsford’s progress.
“Very controlled, feels good, he hasn’t been doing Smith machine squats for a long time, went to five plates, could have easily done some more but because he’s not used to doing these I didn’t want to push him too hard. But now that we have a good base going, I could easily see him taking this up to six plates maybe even a little heavier if he wanted to. But for today, five plates is solid” Rambod explained.
“We did extensions, hamstring curls, we worked our way up through a lot of sets on the way up to this five plates. Then, we’ll go ahead and do one more exercise just to be able to really grind it out.”
In between sets of machine hack squats, Rambod elaborated on his FST-7 training style.
“It’s going to build that endurance for him. When you’re doing FST-7 sets you actually do less cardio because you get into better shape.”
“That’s another byproduct of doing FST-7 it not only helps you with blood flow, rounder 3D muscle bellies, but it also helps you get a bit leaner because you’re doing a bit of cardio. You get that heart rate up and you got that output so high it can actually help lean you out.”
After the blood-pumping workout, Lunsford reviewed his training session with Hany Rambod.
“Started off a little slower than normal because I’m building into each set. But after the first couple of exercises we started picking it up. We didn’t do a lot of exercises today but we did a lot of sets. Outside of the hamstring curls, which we did a solid three sets, everything else was like seven sets.”
“There was a couple times we only did 8 reps but that was just building into the spots. Everything we did was basically 12-15 reps.”
Derek Lunsford isn’t the only Men’s Open competitor getting shredded this bodybuilding season. Nick Walker has been killing it in the gym as he prepares to compete at the 2024 New York Pro in a few short weeks. If Walker is victorious, he will secure his ticket to the Mr. Olympia competition, where he will go head-to-head with Lunsford, looking to steal the crown.
As the 2024 Mr. Olympia creeps closer and closer, fans can look forward to seeing their favorite athletes showcasing top-tier physiques. Derek Lunsford is among them as he continues to hone his body and posing skills before taking the stage this October 10-13 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
RELATED: Derek Lunsford Shares His 2024 Off-Season Bodybuilding Diet With a Full Day of Eating
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