Derek Lunsford is mapping out his plan to win a second Mr. Olympia title this October. In a recent Cutler Cast Podcast published on July 29, 2024, Lunsford opened up on his rivalry with Hadi Choopan before discussing how he leveled up his chest and legs in preparation for the event. He also gave his thoughts on being compared to other Mr. Olympias of the past and discussed if the event should be relocated outside of the US.
Lunsford appeared on the radar of every Men’s Open competitor in 2022 when he guest posed alongside Nick Walker, Brandon Curry, and Hunter Labrada at the Pittsburgh Pro. From there, Olympia brass offered him a special invite and he took full advantage of the opportunity, having laid claim to silver in his debut on the blockbuster stage.
A year later, Lusnford captured the Sandow trophy to become the sport’s first two-division Mr. Olympia winner. In the process, he defeated his teammate Hadi Choopan, although some veterans were unsure if the Iranian champion was robbed. With the rematch slated to take place in 11 weeks, Lunsford discussed the showdown and what he’s done to separate himself from the rest of the Men’s Open class.
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Just like Flex Lewis inspired him to improve in the 212 category, Lunsford revealed that his competitive rivalry with Hadi Choopan has forced him to get better.
“I have a lot of appreciation for Hadi because just like Flex Lewis in the 212, Flex really made me level up. He really made me go to work every single day and do my best. That’s what Hadi is doing for me now. Among the other guys too, don’t get me wrong, Samson, Nick, and all the other guys. But right now, I see Hadi as the guy. I know he’s in the gym and he’s getting after it every single day.”
Specifically, Lunsford shared that his legs and chest have improved. His strength is also at an all-time high.
“I’m stronger in my legs,” said Lunsford. “When it comes to my chest workouts pressing movements and my leg workouts… by far this is the strongest I’ve ever been. So I can see in my physique where I do the updates, I send them to Hany, I can tell that there’s more thickness in those areas but also more density too.”
While he’s unsure who will penetrate the upper echelon of the Open at this year’s Olympia, Lunsford believes his biggest foe on stage will be Hadi Choopan.
“There’s a lot of great guys who still need to qualify for the Olympia this year. There’s always up-and-comers that are challenging for those top spots,” said Lunsford. “I do feel like Hadi and I have a great rivalry right now. I think it’s going to be really exciting for both of us to level up this year. It’s really exciting to see what’s going to happen with the Nick, Samson rivalry.”
Considering the success he’s enjoyed as an Open competitor, Lunsford mentioned that he wasted some time in the 212 category, though doesn’t regret it because it helped him grow as a talent.
“On one hand, yes [I felt like I wasted time] because it would have been great to have excelled earlier on in my career, however, I take myself back to who I was, that kid that just turned Pro and went to the Olympia so fast. I needed that time to mature as a person.”
He believes the Mr. Olympia competition should stay in the United States despite some bodybuilding veterans calling for a new location.
“What we do is around the clock, your body can change hour by hour, it can change depending on the altitude, the humidity, everything, so being in a foreign country would make it a lot more challenging to be able to get the food that you need and all of that to be in your routine and comfortable.
If things were set up to where it was very easy to access food and the things that I need, training and all that, yeah, I think it would be kind of cool but I really feel like the Mr. Olympia itself needs to be in the US. I know there’s talks about maybe they want to every few years or down the road at some point to move it around,” Derek Lunsford shared.
Lastly, Lunsford discussed being compared to former Mr. Olympias and dealing with doubters as a bodybuilding champion.
Look, I would agree with you Ronnie Coleman being one of the best-built physiques ever, incredible. Obviously, I’m still building mine but I mean Ronnie is on its own level. That being said, I don’t think there needs to be much comparison. Why do we have to compare, why can’t we just support?”
“I think we need to stick together, support one another, and instead of constantly criticizing and saying this guy can be better here or this guy is lacking this or whatever negative comment, why don’t we just talk about how incredible every athlete is or every competitor is? I want everybody to think that we’re the new age Avengers.”
The rivalry between Lunsford and ‘The Persian Wolf’ will light up the Mr. Olympia stage in under three months. Hany Rambod, who coaches both men, believes Lunsford and Choopan will present their all-time best physiques on stage in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Lunsford is working tirelessly to ensure the Mr. Olympia title remains on his mantle when the smoke clears. Do you think he will retain gold when he competes against Hadi Choopan later this year?
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