Derek Lunsford won’t let anything stop him from retaining Mr. Olympia gold this October. In a recent YouTube video, Lunsford showed off his intense arm day workout that focused on growing the biceps and triceps 12 weeks from his title defense.
Lunsford’s bodybuilding trajectory exploded in 2022 after guest posing at Jim Manion’s Pittsburgh Pro show. He stood alongside mass monsters like Hunter Labrada, Nick Walker, and Brandon Curry without appearing undersized. In the end, Olympia brass offered Lunsford a special invite for the Open class, which he fully embraced.
When it was time to perform against the big boys, the former 212 Olympia shined en route to second place. He only fell behind his teammate Hadi Choopan. One year later, Lunsford reached the pinnacle of his career by capturing the Sandow trophy — cementing himself as the sport’s first and only two-division Olympia champion.
Derek Lunsford Crushes Biceps and Triceps With Killer Arm Day Workout 12 Weeks from 2024 Mr. Olympia
Check out Lunsford’s exercise selections below:
Level Up Your Fitness: Join our 💪 strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!
- Cable Biceps Curl
- Reversed Incline Bench Close Grip Barbell Curls
- Standing Dumbbell Concentration Curl
- Skullcrushers (Lying Incline Bench Close Grip Triceps Extensions)
- Smith Machine Bench Press
- Cable Tricep Pushdown
- High Cable Curl
Cable Biceps Curl
Lunsford laid out his expectations for his arm day 12 weeks from the 2024 Mr. Olympia.
“I like to go a little bit more reps on arm day, bis and tris, so 15 reps is good,” said Lunsford. “Today, let’s do at least three biceps, three triceps, if we’re feeling good, we’ll do a fourth exercise. No, let’s do two biceps, two triceps, then either two more biceps or like one.”
Reversed Incline Bench Close Grip Barbell Curls
He credited this movement as one of his favorite bicep exercises and had a training partner help him with assisted reps toward the end of his sets.
“Feels great. This is one of my favorite bicep exercises,” says Lunsford. “So that one before this was almost a good working set, so I’m thinking we do two more sets here but I want some assisted reps on this one.”
Standing Dumbbell Concentration Curl
Standing over the weight rack, Lunsford pounds out reps of dumbbell concentration curls to top off his bicep pump.
“It’s a great day to get better.”
Skullcrushers (Lying Incline Bench Close Grip Triceps Extensions)
In between sets of 100-pound skullcrushers, Lunsford straps on wrist wraps to help him stabilize the weight and protect his joints.
“Wrists start cramping and everything and there’s a lot of tension here in the elbow.”
Smith Machine Bench Press
Lunsford performed sets of Smith machine bench presses next, focusing on slow and controlled repetitions.
Cable Tricep Pushdown
Although Lunsford appreciates the science behind training, he stresses that if it feels like it’s working, it probably is. He advised his audience not to overthink exercises as it can hinder mind-muscle connection.
“I think there’s something to be said about biomechanics, science behind training, but honestly bro, as basic as simple as it gets, if you feel like it’s working, it’s probably working.
So, if you feel it in the triceps wherever you want to feel it just go with it. Don’t overthink it because there’s been times where I overthought my training to where I wasn’t even able to find the mind-muscle connection I was trying to hit because I was overthinking it.”
High Cable Curl
Given the intensity of his last chest, back, and leg workouts, Lusnford took it easy on his central nervous system with this arm workout.
“We’ve smashed the last three days, we did chest, back, legs in a row, today, we could have taken it as a rest day, but today was one of those days where it’s like okay, I didn’t want to come in here and kill my CNS but I did want to get good stimulation in my arms.
Talking a little bit in between the set or whatever is okay, as long as we keep moving,” said Lunsford. “Not like a kill-it don’t talk kind of day, because we’ve had three days like that in a row. I normally train six days a week.”
Derek Lunsford will face a who’s who of bodybuilding talent when he returns to the 2024 Mr. Olympia. Hadi Choopan enters this event with huge momentum thanks to a pair of wins at the Arnold Classic Ohio and UK shows. Meanwhile, Samson Dauda will be in attendance eager to do damage after taking third place last year.
In addition, Nick ‘The Mutant’ Walker is out for blood after pulling out of the 2023 Olympia due to a hamstring and calf tear. Considering the potential lineup, Lunsford will no doubt have his hands full when the curtains rise in Las Vegas, Nevada in 12 weeks’ time.
Watch the full video from Derek Lunsford’s YouTube channel below:
Relive every moment from the 2025 Mr. Olympia, including prejudging, highlights, expert analysis, and full results. Explore our Olympia hub: FitnessVolt.com/olympia. For minute-by-minute coverage, follow our Live Blog.
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
