IFBB Pro bodybuilder and Olympia 212 champion Derek Lunsford recently cranked out 100 reps of barbell squats during a leg day workout. Lunsford is one of the most elite competitors in the IFBB Pro 212 division. He scored his first Olympia 212 title in 2021 after consistent podium finishes in years prior. The 28-year-old will attempt to make it two in a row at 2022 Olympia which will take place from December 16th to 18th in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Derek Lunsford’s off-season training is going on in full force and he recently shared an intense leg day workout on his YouTube channel. The focus of this workout was to do five sets of barbell squats with 20 reps in each set using 315lbs weight. After pre-exhausting the quads and hamstrings with leg extensions and leg curls, Derek Lunsford attempted the feat. Read on to know how he accomplished the task he set out to complete.
Derek Lunsford’s leg day workout
Seated leg extensions on the machine
Derek Lunsford started the leg workout with this movement. For the first set, he loaded five weight plates and finished the first set. Following this, Lunsford stated that he is adhering to his diet as well as cardio and training. As a result of this, the 28-year-old said that he is in the right place mentally and physically.
While speaking about what he expects from the first movement of the workout -the single-leg extensions – Derek Lunsford said:
“I’m gonna get the mind right, the focus, a little blood flow… Get the heart rate up a little bit. So you come in here and these first few sets set the tone for the rest of the workout, you know.”
After getting a few sets in with heavier loads, Lunsford moved on to the next workout.
Lying leg curls
Derek Lunsford next performed the lying leg curls. He performed the set with 15 to 20 reps. Lunsford stated that a couple of good sets at the beginning of the workout should get everyone sufficiently warmed up for the rest of the session. Lunsford performed the second set with 15 reps. He wrapped up the leg curls with another set of 8 reps with heavier weights. After pre-exhausting his legs with these two movements, Lunsford shifted his focus to the primary goal of the day.
Before starting with the barbell squats, Derek Lunsford stated that workouts don’t intimidate him. However, he added that he has not performed squats in a long time. Therefore, it was a different story on this particular day. Last week he performed a set of 12 reps with 405lbs weight and admitted that the last four reps required him to go an extra mile to complete. Moving up from that, the focus of this particular leg session was to perform 5 sets of 315lbs barbell squats with 20 reps in each set.
“As much as it sucks in the moment, these are the days I live for. This is why I do what I do and I love it,” Derek Lunsford said.
Barbell squats
Lunsford finished the first two sets with relative ease while wearing a lifting belt. However, the 28-year-old finished the third set and the resolve to push the limits was immediately visible as he went back to recover from the feat of strength.
“A lot of people think they train hard, they lift heavy. Until you’re around one of these guys, specifically the best in the world, you’ll never realize what it really takes,” Derek Lunsford’s training partner Jacob Parker Fleck said.
Lunsford cranked out the fourth set with one extra rep and reiterated the phrase ‘I can, I will, I must and it’s gonna happen’ to accomplish the task as he prepared himself for the next set.
“There’s like a good sense of confidence knowing that what you do surpasses 99 percent of the people in the world. But if that’s what you’re relying on man, I think that’s a loser mentality.
I think if you look at yourself and say what is my best and can I beat it, you keep that as your focus, that’s a champion mentality man!” Derek Lunsford said before going for the fifth and final set.
While it took every ounce of energy and resolve to finish the fifth set, Lunsford managed to accomplish the task he set out to achieve and moved on to the next exercise.
Leg press and standing single-leg curls
Derek Lunsford performed two sets each with slow movements of leg press and standing single-leg curls to finish the workout.
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Overall, the workout consisted of:
- Leg extensions
- Laying leg curls – three sets
- Barbell Squats – five sets with 20 reps each
- Leg press – two sets
- Standing single-leg curls – two sets
Courtesy of Derek Lunsford’s YouTube channel, you can watch the full workout video here:
Hey Rajneesh,
This is Jacob, the guy training with Derek in the video.
Just wanted to reach out & say I really enjoy the article, and you did a great job. However, I am not Derek’s Coach, that’s the legendary Hany Rambod.
Derek and I are great friends and we train together frequently, when we do bwe provide each other great moral support, uplifting attitudes, & allow each other to push one another in the workouts. Derek’s a great dude, just wanted to set the record straight so no one gets the wrong idea.
Hany is Derek’s coach, not me. Haha.
Thank you for writing such a great article, & enjoy your week ahead!
Hi Jacob. Thanks for pointing this out. We have made the necessary corrections. Glad that you liked the article. Have a great week ahead. All the best.