Bodybuilder Derek Lunsford took time out of his busy schedule out of the 2022 Olympia prep and answered some of his fans’ questions. Lunsford is an IFBB Pro bodybuilder that called the 212 division his home so far. He dethroned the former champion Shaun Clarida at the 2021 Olympia to become the divisional champion. Lunsford was going to defend his title at the 2022 Olympia. However, his coach Hany Rambod, and Olympia president Dan Solomon expressed concerns over his ability to make weight for that division. Additionally, the 30-year-old impressed the onlookers with his size when he guest posed alongside Men’s Open competitors Nick Walker, Hunter Labrada, and Brandon Curry at the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro. Lunsford’s size looked comparable to the Open division competitors, to say the least, and this gave rise to speculations about his prospects in the division.
In August 2022, the Olympia management accepted Lunsford’s request for a special invitation to compete in the Open division at the 2022 Olympia. While the decision was criticized by a few fellow bodybuilders, Lunsford is set to make the Men’s Open debut at the grandest stage of bodybuilding. His physique updates suggest that Lunsford has sufficient size to go up against the mass monsters in the Men’s Open division. Recently, the 212 Olympia champion answered fans’ questions about bodybuilding and the lifestyle associated with it. He posted the video of this session on his personal YouTube channel.
Derek Lunsford shares how his bodybuilding journey started
A fan asked Lunsford which weight class he competed in as a wrestler. Having won the 212 division crown at the 2021 Olympia, Derek Lunsford is one of the most successful active bodybuilders. However, his athletic journey started in school and collegiate wrestling and not in bodybuilding. Shedding light on how the transition happened, Lunsford explained:
“When I first started wrestling in high-school as a freshman, I wrestled at 112lbs. So being a 212 Mr. Olympia, I first started my wrestling journey at 112lbs, literally a 100lbs lighter. By the time I graduated high-school, I was 130lbs.”
Lunsford added that he would compete at 133 lbs in college but wanted to compete at 141 lbs. Split between the options to cut weight for the lower weight class or bulk for the upper weight class.
“That’s when I said wrestling is not going to be my future and I am going to find my path elsewhere,” Lunsford added.
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The reigning Olympia 212 champion discovered his passion for bodybuilding after leaving wrestling. He enjoyed training and spent time in the gym every single day. However, his love only aimed to get stronger and bigger. But Lunsford soon discovered competitive bodybuilding through his gym friends.
“So I was like, “Wait… you can actually compete with your physique?” I actually needed something that was competitive at the time coz I missed the competitive spirit from wrestling.”
After watching a few motivational bodybuilding videos online, Lunsford made up his mind to become a competitive bodybuilder. He participated in his first show a year later and the rest is history.
Lunsford shares the key to getting a shredded physique
Who else can give you the key to having a shredded physique other than an accomplished bodybuilder like Derek Lunsford. There are many people out there who claim to have found a perfect training, diet, or other method to get a dream physique. However, the reigning Olympia 212 champion obviously knows there is no easy way or a magic pill to make it happen. He cut no corners when a fan asked him just that. Lunsford’s advice was blatantly simple and might disappoint many. But fortunately / unfortunately, it is the right one. He said:
“Diet, cardio, training – on it, everyday! Consistency, consistency, consistency! Tracking everything. Every grain of rice, every ounce of protein. Everything that you’re eating and putting in your body… The water, sodium, supplements… Everything matters.”
“The amount of cardio you do, the type of cardio you do. Training, intensity… All of it goes hand in hand. There’s not one thing that is going to get you shredded. It is the combination of diet, training, supplementation, cardio and resting so you can recover and come back the next day and hit it hard. Live the bodybuilding life man,” Lunsford stated.
Derek Lunsford’s advice to 20-year-olds – “Get accustomed to the bodybuilding lifestyle”
Derek Lunsford left wrestling when he was 19 and participated in the first show two years later. He has experienced the ups and downs that a young 20-something goes through at that age, Lunsford gave a profound answer when a fan asked what advice he would give to a 20-year-old aspiring to be a bodybuilder.
“I think the best advice I can give you is learn everything you can first and foremost. Get experience with eating and training like a bodybuilder, living a bodybuilding lifestyle. So if you’re 20 years old, even if you started at 15 or 16 years old, that’s only a few years into it to understand what it’s like to eat, sleep and just live bodybuilding.”
Lunsford opined that it is of utmost importance to incorporate bodybuilding into your routine life to get accustomed to it. He added:
“Not every day is enjoyable. Let’s remember this. As much as I love bodybuilding, there are days when I don’t want to go to the gym, believe it or not!”
“So just getting more accustomed to that routine and lifestyle is the best possible advice I can give you and research, research, research! Don’t take any one person’s advice.”
The Men’s Open division at the 2022 Olympia is going to be the most competitive in years. Veterans Chris Cormier and Samir Bannout feel that Derek Lunsford has the potential to shake up the division. Bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto also predicted that Lunsford will ‘absolutely destroy’ the competition at the 2022 Olympia and potentially finish in the top five. However, Olympia weekend is one week away and it should not be shocking to see Lunsford shake up the division and carve a niche for himself among the top contenders.
You can watch the full Q&A video here, courtesy of Derek Lunsford’s personal YouTube channel:
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