
Lunsford Wants to Be Remembered with Legends Like Arnold Schwarzenegger and Jay Cutler If he doesn’t stay lean and dry, he can blow up and become too bloated and heavy, which can be a detriment to his health,” Rambod explained. He’s doing his cardio four days a week and were trying to keep his calories in check and make sure he doesn’t have any extra cheat meals. We started running fat burners in the off season to help him stay in shape. We tried to keep his protein mild to medium, focus on cardio and avoid the double-edged sword of cardio triggering more hunger. “After the Olympia, it seems like your mind and body were literally just hungry. They used fat burners instead of cardio that way Derek wouldn’t keep getting hungry following a workout. I tried to keep my weight under 240 pounds, and if we could max out at 240, we’d be good,” said Lunsford.ĭespite measures to keep his weight in check, Rambod said Lunsford’s body wanted to grow following his weight cut for 212 at Olympia in 2021. “After the Olympia, I kept training, eating clean, doing cardio, and feeling good, but I started to gain weight. So I just didn’t want to stop.”Įven though he continued to do cardio, Derek kept gaining weight in the off-season. For me, it was like we achieved something, and now I want to see how much better I can be. Olympia title last year, I took a break for a little bit, but I just wanted to keep getting better every single day. We started training together and everything started clicking, but certain things weren’t really optimized,” shared Rambod.ĭerek Lunsford said he felt his ‘body wanting to grow’ during his most recent off-season.Ī post shared by Derek Lunsford could just feel my body wanting to grow,” said Lunsford. I told him the same thing I told Derek, and he ended up doing Vancouver qualifying for the Open.ĭerek always wanted to be an open competitor, but he had to lose muscle getting ready for 212. “Hadi Choopin could have won the Olympia in 212, but instead qualified for the Open in Vancouver. The 212 standout switched to the Open but instead of waiting for an invite, he qualified at the 2019 Vancouver Pro. Hany Rambod and Derek Lunsford Open Up on Special Invite: ‘It Was Just a Matter of Timing’ĭuring the video, Hany shared that Derek is following a similar path Hadi Choopan took back in 2019. Clearing the air, Lunsford sat down with his coach to discuss their intentions for the upcoming season. Iain Valliere was among them, and he believes Derek still had plenty of opportunities to win an Olympia qualifier. Some have argued that special invitations are unfair because athletes should have to qualify for the prestigious show based on merit. In addition, bodybuilding veteran Kai Greene and the late Cedric McMillan have also received special invitations for Olympia. Interestingly, Ramy won that year at Olympia. Olympia Big Ramy received one after he was unable to qualify for the show based on points when he missed a contest due to a positive Covid test.


Special invitations are not uncommon in the sport of bodybuilding. Sure enough, on September 15, 2022, Lunsford officially received/accepted an invitation to compete in the Open class for this year’s Olympia contest.

He added that Derek was “nowhere near” 212 at this point. In July, Solomon hinted that the organization was evaluating a special invitation for Lunsford. Rambod said they were weighing it as an option after learning that Lunsford might not make the weight for his title defense in the 212 division.Ī post shared by Derek Lunsford worries were shared by Olympia President Dan Solomon, who also doubted Lunsford’s ability to safely make weight for 212. That same month, Lunsford’s coach Hany Rambod hinted that he and his pupil were considering the Men’s Open division.

He stood on stage alongside a number of elite-level Open competitors like Nick Walker, Hunter Labrada, and Brandon Curry - all of which placed in the top five at last year’s Mr. In May, 212 Olympia champion Derek Lunsford’s name skyrocketed in the sport following a guest posing appearance at the 2022 Pittsburgh Pro. If I can inspire other people, then I think I can win,” Lunsford says. “I have to do my best and present my best physique, and the placings are out of my control. In a recent video, Lunsford and his coach Hany Rambod reflected on getting the special invitation before discussing how they plan to approach their prep.
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212 Olympia champion Derek Lunsford, one of the most talked about athletes in the IFBB Pro League, will compete in the Open division at this year’s 2022 Mr.
