Derek Lunsford wants his quads to be a strong point at the 2025 Mr. Olympia. On August 20, 2025, he pushed through a quad-focused leg workout and revealed his proportions have never been better heading into October.
Lunsford’s had a big year in the sport after dropping his Olympia title to Samson Dauda. He bounced back successfully at the 2025 Arnold Classic, winning the rematch against Dauda. He could have shut down his season, but wanted to test himself at the Pittsburgh Pro, since the show hosted the Men’s Open for the first time.
In the end, he battled Nick Walker in an extremely close encounter, and while they tied on the scorecards, Lunsford won the tie-breaker round to earn the crown. With just two months to go before he attempts to win back the Sandow, Lunsford focused on building his lower body.
Derek Lunsford’s Quad-Burning Workout 8 Weeks from 2025 Mr. Olympia
Find his exercise selections from the YouTube video below:
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- Leg Extension Machine
- Linear Hack Squat Machine
- Drop Squat Machine
- Seated Leg Curl
- Walking Barbell Lunges
- Leg Adduction Machine
Lunsford recapped the workout and acknowledged that his legs have improved since his last contest.
“That’s it. Eight weeks out till the Mr. Olympia 2025. Smashed quads today, man. Full leg day, as always, quad-focused. I said earlier, I came in feeling like my legs have made improvements, but before you start warming up, getting a pump, you always want to see yourself better. By the end of this workout, I feel like my legs are fat balloons.”
He encouraged lifters to try his workout, but for those who don’t have access to these machines, he said to improvise with other equipment.
“Swollen up, it was a great day. For those of you watching this video, if you got this far, you might have seen some exercises that your gym doesn’t have — if that’s the case, you can always improvise using other machines and equipment in your gym to get a great leg day if you want to follow this workout. But if your gym does have this equipment, let me tell you, if you do this workout, it’s going to be nasty when you’re done, trust me.”
He updated fans on his progress, revealing that coach Chris Aceto adjusted his diet heading into Olympia.
“Body just transforms like crazy. Chris just messaged me today, a new update for my diet plan, and everything is starting tomorrow. Man, it’s about to get crazy. I’m about to get peeled.”
According to Lunsford, this is the strongest and biggest he’s ever been.
“This is the strongest I’ve ever been, the biggest, and I don’t want to just put it out there and hype everyone up, and say this is the craziest proportions I’ve ever had, but normally, I’m always very hard on myself, but what I’ve been seeing in the updates lately… I’m seeing some improvements, man, and I’m liking it.”
“Eight weeks to make history again,” shared Lunsford.
Lunsford won’t just have Dauda to worry about at the Mr. Olympia. Nick Walker won gold at the 2025 New York Pro and earned his qualification. Since their battle in Pittsburgh, Lunsford and Walker have traded barbs online. Lunsford said Walker should have thanked him for the loss in Pittsburgh. In response, Walker shared that Lunsford was ‘scared shitless’ heading into Olympia.
Lunsford is adamant he’s never been stronger and that his proportions are at an all-time best. Fans look forward to seeing him back in action at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, scheduled for October 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Watch the full video from the Derek Lunsford YouTube channel below:
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