Can Derek Lunsford pull a page from Jay Cutler’s playbook and regain the Mr. Olympia title? On December 25, 2024, Terrick El Guindy and Chris Cormier convened to discuss if the former two-division Mr. Olympia can claim a second Sandow trophy before calling it a career.
Derek Lunsford‘s rise in the Men’s Open has been swift and destructive. In his Open Olympia debut in 2022, he secured second place behind Hadi Choopan. One year later, Lunsford captured the 2023 Mr. Olympia title thanks to his overpowering back poses.
Touching gold is one thing but retaining Mr. Olympia glory is a different monster. Despite entering the 2024 Olympia as the frontrunner, he failed to capitalize on his momentum, surrendering the prestigious title to Samson Dauda, who easily brought his best to the stage. Lunsford’s legs looked imbalanced and downsized, leading to a third-place finish.
Instead of taking time to process the loss, Lunsford has jumped into his first Arnold Classic competition, set to take over Columbus, Ohio from February 27 to March 2. He’ll have a chance to rematch Dauda, and should he prevail, Lunsford would have the momentum he needs to potentially win back the Olympia title.
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Terrick El Guindy & Chris Cormier Say Derek Lunsford Still ‘Within Striking Distance’ to Win Back Mr. Olympia Title
Judge Terrick El Guindy believes Lunsford will one day regain the Mr. Olympia title.
“He showed some updates on social media and he looked incredible. I’m a believer that Derek Lunsford will eventually win the Mr. Olympia again,” said Terrick El Guindy.
Chris Cormier, who recently started training Lunsford for the 2025 Arnold Classic, said he’s not going anywhere and still has a chance to win back the Sandow trophy.
“Don’t feel sorry for this man because he ain’t going nowhere. Third place is not that bad. Third place is actually really good. You were third in the world.
It’s not like you’re third in the line trying to get food stamps or something, you’re still third in the world. You are still right there where you need to be. You’re still within striking distance to get your title back,” explains Cormier.
Cormier underlined that leg improvements were the biggest obstacle standing in the way of success for Lunsford.
“He’s been in this position before. He hasn’t been down that much. This guy has had an amazing career, an amazing life,” he adds. “This guy is still where he needs to be in order to go back to where he was and that’s number one in the world. The legs, I would think need to come up Terrick.”
“I’m not talking about Instagram legs, social media legs, I’m talking about when the rubber meets the road, when you are going on stage, do those legs match the upper body?
In addition to his legs, Cormier believes his posing must improve to be considered for Olympia gold in the future.
“Your posing needs to be impeccable. Your training leading up to the show, everything needs to be spot-on for you to reach the next level and the next level is retaining that title back again that you have already attained.
The legs I think have to be posed differently. They need to be trained differently. You need to enter that level of no return intensity.”
With the 2025 Arnold Classic approaching, bodybuilding veterans are revealing their predictions. Recently, former 1983 Mr. Olympia Samir Bannout gave his top three picks for the major event. He sees Lunsford giving reigning Olympia winner Samson Dauda ‘a big run for his money.’
After dropping his Olympia title to Dauda, Lunsford appears more determined than ever to exact his revenge on the Arnold Classic stage. Don’t miss his opportunity at redemption in March!
RELATED: Derek Lunsford Coming to Win 2025 Arnold Classic: “I Have More To Prove”
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