Bodybuilder Derek Lunsford seems to be in a better position, adding 10 pounds heading into the 2023 Olympia.
The 2022 Olympia runner-up Derek Lunsford continues to train and add muscle mass in hopes of winning the 2023 Olympia on Nov 2-5, 2023 in Orlando, FL. Lunsford now has had a full year of training and bulking in Men’s Open. Lunsford shared a detailed an entire off-season posing video and claims that he is 10 pounds heavier at this point than he was last year.
Lunsford received a special invitation to compete in Men’s Open during the biggest show of the year in 2022. After winning the 212 Olympia title in 2021, Lunsford put on incredible size and would be unable to return to make weight. He was able to show this off during the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro as a guest poser and stood out immediately. The plan quickly became to try to compete in Men’s Open after putting on incredible size.
In the early summer months last year, there were questions whether Lunsford would be able to compete at the Olympia because he did not have this special invitation. Also, he would be unable to compete in Men’s 212 because of the weight restrictions. He would not be able to cut down in time if he wanted to defend his title from the 2021 Olympia.
The 2022 Olympia was his first show in Open Bodybuilding and he impressed on the biggest stage. Now, he is considered one of the favorites once again to take home the title. Lunsford’s posing video came after a full back workout under the guidance of Hany Rambod, who has worked with countless Olympia champs in the past.
Derek Lunsford Shares Posing Video
Derek Lunsford took to Instagram last week to provide another update of his physique. This time, it was a video showing off some insane poses and overall size.
“Classic Open Bodybuilding STAY COMMITTED
From about a week ago…Posing after my back workout (see YouTube channel for full workout).
10lbs heavier than last year at this time. Under the guidance of @hanyrambod we’ve been working all year to bring a better version from 2022 to the 2023 @mrolympiallc”
View this post on Instagram
Derek Lunsford was recently quoted during an interview discussing the top of the scorecard for the upcoming Olympia competition. He believes that his battle with Hadi Choopan will highlight the show once again. Lunsford was bested by Choopan back in December. He also believes that Nick Walker and Samson Dauda will battle for third place. Of course, this was the show during the 2023 Arnold Classic where Dauda gained an edge.
“HADI IS THE CHAMP AND IT WAS CLOSE. AND IF YOU LOOK AT THE SCORECARDS, IT WAS MYSELF AND HADI AND THEN THERE WAS A PRETTY BIG GAP BETWEEN FIRST, SECOND, AND THEN THIRD, FOURTH, AND FIFTH. SO REALLY ON PAPER, IT’S JUST HADI.”
Lunsford admitted that it is still too early to make assumptions but continues to bet on himself moving forward. Right now, Lunsford is in the midst of building a better physique than he showcased last year on stage in the biggest division.
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