The Mr. Olympia championship in 2023 saw a new icon bag the title and hearts of the audience. Derek Lunsford had fans rooting for his win before he witnessed his life’s biggest moment. His jaw-dropping size, combined with unbelievable conditioning, helped him scale to the top.
In a recent video, Lunsford takes bodybuilding enthusiasts on a journey through his go-to shoulder workout. With 3–4 sets per workout, the icon pumps it up while explaining the purpose and benefit of each exercise for the shoulder and arm.
He starts with four sets of dumbbell side laterals and performs 12–15 reps. Lunsford mentions how the trick to performing effective side laterals is to push the shoulders down and away. This exercise seemed to provide him with more resistance and, therefore, more growth.
“A lot of times, whenever I’m doing dumbbell side laterals, I will bend my elbows… But this just hits a little bit differently, when you really extend your arms down and push away rather than keeping the elbows bent.”
He moves to the Smith machine next for four sets of shoulder presses. Slow movements and complete range were the keys to achieving an efficient pump. The next exercise was front raises, which Lunsford performed seated due to the need for decreased momentum. This exercise consequently offers more resistance since the arms don’t use momentum as leverage to lift the dumbbells.
“If you notice, I’m bringing my feet closer together, so whether you’re standing or seated, by bringing your feet closer together, you’re going to use your abdominal muscles more.”
Lunsford then ends his workout with four sets of rear delt flyes and Smith machine press each. All this gave the bodybuilding icon an incredible pump to continue plowing through his prep for the next championship.
Last year’s Mr. Olympia saw many champions go head-to-head with such zeal that the winner was a tough choice to make. Popular coach Hany Rambod was responsible for this. With an A-list roster consisting of elites like Chris Bumstead, Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, and some more senior members, the star trainer has gathered more accolades under his belt than his clients. Lunsford’s win last year was another feather in his cap.
Hany Rambod’s arsenal includes all-time winners like Derek Lunsford
With more than 20 years of experience, Rambod has seen champions like Phil Heath, Jay Cutler, and Chris Bumstead train under him to win titles. Known for his vast knowledge combined with physiology expertise, the popular coach is a celebrity in himself.
When he took Lunsford under his wing in 2021, the latter was still competing in the 212-Olympia before switching to the Men’s Open. The icon’s transformation has been a sight to see, and his recent win is a testament to their incredible teamwork.
