212 Olympian Derek Lunsford is one of the best potentials in the realm of open bodybuilding at the moment. As the most-awaited competition of this year has recently started, fans from all over the globe are excited to witness the freakiest showdown. Lunsford, who came in second last year at his open-class debut, is all set to take the title home this year.

Lunsford’s journey to the Olympia 2022 stage was nothing short of awe-inspiring. Being an athlete in the 212 division, he was given a special invite to compete in the open class division, according to Mr. Olympia LLC’s Instagram post. Derek did not let this opportunity go to waste, as he came in second to Hadi Choopan in his first Olympia appearance. As the professional bodybuilder is preparing to win the title this year, he gives his honest take on last year’s performance and how he has trained since then.

Derek Lunsford opens up about the changes he has made in his training 

Often hailed for his monstrous frame and unparalleled dedication to the sport, Lunsford is a highly respected athlete in the bodybuilding sphere. Training under the leadership of Hany Rambod, who is also coaching Hadi Choopan, the duo has been training together for 3 years now and better understanding each other. After coming to the second position, Lunsford admits that he used the critics and worked on his weak points. He believes that the competition last year was tight, and it could have gone either way.

During the recent press conference for Mr. Olympia 2023, Lunsford stated, “By a coin toss, it could have gone either way. But you know, he had the victory last year. I took the feedback and the critiques on what I needed to do to my physique and I just went back to the drawing board and I went back to the gym and I train hard all year.”

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He further continued by giving his two cents on the sport and opening up about what he thinks is crucial to standing out on a bodybuilding stage.

The importance of having that fire inside according to Lunsford

Excelling in the sport of bodybuilding is not easy by any means. Competitive bodybuilding is certainly not for the faint-hearted. To grow and improve every year, an athlete needs to have discipline, consistency, and perseverance. Talking along the same lines, Lunsford said, “At the end of the day, you have to have passion and love for this. You gotta want to be in the gym. You gotta love this.”

“Regardless of who I’m standing next to I’m only focused on me and the opportunity that I have to compete on this stage is a window of time in my life, and I want to make the absolute most of it,” admitted Lunsford.

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What are your views on Derek Lunsford’s words? Let us know in the comments.