Derek Lunsford’s Quad Day Cookie Pump 5 Weeks Out From the 2025 Arnold Classic
In a recent vlog, 2023 Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford fueled his quad workout with MegaFit Meals shrimp fried rice and was ordered by his new coach, Chris Aceto, to eat a cookie for extra pre-workout carbs. The body uses sugars to fuel muscle contractions during weight training. (1)
Lunsford recalled his past weakness for treats, though he’s since developed self-control. “It took me 10 years of competing to have a good relationship with food,” he shared.
During the session, Lunsford and 2024 New York Pro Classic Physique champ Matt Greggo were trained by Fabricio Pacholok. Both plan to compete at the 2025 Arnold Classic from late Feb. through early March.
The leg day started with inclined leg extensions, biasing the rectus femoris — a fourth of the quadriceps. (2) Lunsford emphasized squeezing short contractions past failure.
Lunsford’s Quad Routine
- Leg extensions
- Angled machine squat
- Leg Press w/ bands
- Leg adductions
“My body is moving in a really good direction,” Lunsford revealed, checking in daily with Aceto. Lunsford prepared for quad day with intensive stretching:
After a thorough warm-up, Lunsford loaded fourteen 45-pound plates on the angled squat and locked into his workout playlist. “Point me to keep going,” he told Pacholok, as he wouldn’t hear cues. According to literature, music can be a powerful performance tool. (3)(4)(5)
Hitting a Personal Best
“I didn’t mean to do that many reps,” Lunsford revealed after banging out 25 reps. “I just kept going; twenty-three [reps], I said I’m the ‘23 champ, then I said nuh uh, I’m the ‘25 champ.”
Besides offering similar hypertrophy benefits as lower reps and heavier loads, high reps build mental strength. “I’m confident because I’m resilient,” Lunsford said. The next set required knee sleeves and smelling salts to tackle eighteen 45-pound plates. Lunsford locked out 15 reps. “Those last two sets; I ain’t never done that before,” he divulged.
Novel Leg Gains
They attached bands at both sides of the machine for leg presses — a new technique for Lunsford. This added more tension as the legs extended, where the rep is usually easier, creating even resistance for a greater quad challenge.
Pocholok reminded the crew not to think about performing 15 reps but five reps, three times, as a psychological tactic. Every set ended with mini reps at length. The same intensity is applied to machine adductions for the inner thigh muscles.
Lunsford loaded up with a protein shake and two bananas post-workout.
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References
- Mul JD, Stanford KI, Hirshman MF, Goodyear LJ. Exercise and Regulation of Carbohydrate Metabolism. Prog Mol Biol Transl Sci. 2015;135:17-37. doi: 10.1016/bs.pmbts.2015.07.020. Epub 2015 Aug 20. PMID: 26477909; PMCID: PMC4727532.
- Mitsuya, H., Nakazato, K., Hakkaku, T., & Okada, T. (2023). Hip flexion angle affects longitudinal muscle activity of the rectus femoris in leg extension exercise. European journal of applied physiology, 123(6), 1299–1309. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-023-05156-w
- Ballmann CG. The Influence of Music Preference on Exercise Responses and Performance: A Review. J Funct Morphol Kinesiol. 2021 Apr 8;6(2):33. doi: 10.3390/jfmk6020033. PMID: 33917781; PMCID: PMC8167645.
- Thakare AE, Mehrotra R, Singh A. Effect of music tempo on exercise performance and heart rate among young adults. Int J Physiol Pathophysiol Pharmacol. 2017 Apr 15;9(2):35-39. PMID: 28533890; PMCID: PMC5435671.
- Terry, P. C., Karageorghis, C. I., Curran, M. L., Martin, O. V., & Parsons-Smith, R. L. (2020). Effects of music in exercise and sport: A meta-analytic review. Psychological bulletin, 146(2), 91–117. https://doi.org/10.1037/bul0000216
Featured image: @dereklunsford_ on Instagram
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