Derek Lunsford is keeping himself busy in the gym this off-season. The former 212 division champ will return to competition at the 2023 Olympia and he is putting in work to bring home the sandows trophy. However, he is also trying out new things and keeping life interesting. Recently, Lunsford went through a quad-dominant leg day workout in the gym and also challenged himself in a unique way to test his body’s limits.
After winning the 212 Olympia title at 2021 Olympia, Derek Lunsford was perceived as the next dominant force in the 212 division that has seen a long-reigning champion like Flex Lewis reign supreme for an unusually long period of time. However, Lunsford’s physique outgrew the weight class as was evident at the guest posing of the 2022 Pittsburg Pro.
The Olympia management accepted his request for a special invitation to compete in the Men’s Open division at the 2022 Olympia and he officially made a switch to the Men’s Open division. While most people knew that Lunsford had the potential to shake up the division, no one could gauge the impact he would make.
Lunsford ended up dominating the stage alongside Hadi Choopan and Nick Walker from prejudging to the finals and snatched a runner-up finish behind Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan. He is now working hard to tighten the loose ends and bring home the Mr. Olympia trophy home. He has been active in the gym and has looked insanely muscular and stage ready in recent appearances.
In a recent video posted on Lunsford’s YouTube channel, he went through a leg workout in the gym and participated in a hotdog eating challenge against a pro. So let’s take a deep dive into Lunsford’s adventure and see if he won the challenge.
Derek Lunsford tackles a quad-dominant leg day in the gym
Lying Leg Curls
Derek Lunsford started the training session with lying leg curls. Even on a quad-dominant leg day, the former 212 Olympia champion prefers to get all the muscles like quads, hamstrings, and abductors warmed up nice and clean.
“Even though it’s a quad-dominant day, I still want to get a bit of blood in the hamstrings first. I really like to be able to warm up the hamstrings and the quads and sometimes the abductors too before I go into any bigger movements. I just think it’s good because you get all loosened up and feeling good in your body before you push the crazy weight and stuff like that,” Lunsford said.
Additionally, leg curls are a great exercise to warm up the knee joints which are crucial in performing most of the lower body movements. Lunsford performed a few sets of this isolation exercise and took to the next isolation movement.
Leg Extensions
Although they can be harsh on the knees if not done with proper technique and weight, nobody can deny that leg extensions are an excellent way to target the quadriceps. Lunsford got a few sets of this quad isolation exercise under his belt and took to the first heavy compound exercise of the day.
Belt Squats
This simple squat variation greatly reduces the stress on the back muscles. When a person performs regular barbell squats, the back muscles have to work really hard to maintain the upper body posture under the weight of the barbell and plates. However, switching the barbell squats with belt squats maximizes leg muscle engagement and significantly reduces the stress on the lower back.
Although belt squats are not a replacement exercise for barbell squats (unless a person cannot perform barbell squats due to medical reasons), they can be an excellent addition to the lower body training routine. Similar to other squat variations, belt squats target all the major muscles – quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes as well as calves.
Lunsford and team pushed through a few heavy sets of this exercise and took to the finisher of the day next.
Pendulum Squats
Lunsford and company packed up after performing this compound movement next. When it comes to developing functional strength, free weights might be the best option you have. However, machines can be every bit beneficial and then some for bodybuilders and yield amazing results in the long run.
Pendulum squats are another creative way of performing squats in a way that you can continue to work until your legs allow you to without necessarily worrying about your lower back, core, or glutes giving up. While it targets all the major muscle groups in the lower body, quads are the primary focus of pendulum squats. Lunsford and his training partners cranked out a few sets of pendulum squats. They called it a day in the gym following this exercise.
Overall, the workout consisted of:
Derek tries out a friendly hotdog eating contest
Lunsford’s friend and training partner for this workout, Bartley Weaver, is a competitive eater. He will participate in Nathan’s hotdog eating contest in a couple of weeks’ time. Derek, along with others, gave a shot at eating as many hotdogs as possible after finishing the leg training session.
All four men set out to fill their stomachs with hotdogs. After trying their level best, Derek Lunsford was able to down 11 hotdogs. On the other hand, Adam and Trevor were close behind with a count of 10 hotdogs each.
However, Bartley left the three men far behind and finished a whopping 42 hotdogs! Even the combined total of the other three men could not come close to Bartley Weaver’s total.
“I ate 11 hotdogs in 10 minutes and I’m stuffed. I don’t want to eat this last one. I’ll be honest. I wanted to finish 12, I really did but I was like, dude, this isn’t happening! Holy Crap!” Lunsford exclaimed after the time was up.
In total, Bartley gulped down 42 hotdogs and buns. The macronutrient intake of this crazy amount of food was:
- Energy – 12,600 KCal
- Carbohydrates – 1008 grams
- Fats – 735 grams
- Protein – 420 grams
Lunsford, who gulped down 11 hotdogs and buns, ended up consuming:
- Energy – 3299.94 KCal
- Carbohydrates – 263.99 grams
- Fats – 192.49 grams
- Protein – 109.99 grams
Bartley ended up gaining a whopping 13.5 lbs weight over those ten minutes and weighed 263.5 lbs. That’s some increase in 10 minutes!
Derek Lunsford is one of the favorites heading into the 2023 Olympia competition that will take place in November. He is working hard but if he beats Hadi Choopan and rising contenders like Samson Dauda and Nick Walker to it, he can sit alongside the handful of competitors that have achieved the feat of winning Mr. Olympia title.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Derek Lunsford’s personal YouTube channel: