by Christian Duque
So with the Arnold Classic just a matter of days away, I feel the need to talk about Derek Lunsford and the strategy that he is employing with a new coach, heading into one of the most important contests of his career. There’s a lot to unpack just in that first sentence so let’s go step by step.
Working with a new coach for an athlete on this level is really uncharted waters. You never want to work with someone other than the person that got you to your best. In this case, Hany was able to bring Derek to his absolute best; he had worked with other coaches in the past but none of them could do what this particular coach did. And it’s not a victory that belongs to the coach and it’s not a victory that belongs to the athlete. It’s a victory that belongs to the partnership.
The fact that two men were able to get on the same wavelength and communicate respectfully and effectively is very impressive. It’s being in sync and it’s not double guessing or tweaking things on one end without telling the person on the other. We are talking about an absolute laser-sharp connection between two individuals. But what happens when that individual and the athlete can no longer work together? Especially when it’s something outside of the athletes control. In this case the athlete’s coach retired from coaching top athletes. There was nothing the competitor could do but look for another coach. When you don’t even have a choice in the matter that is even more problematic. So finding a new coach at this stage of the game after working with the guy that led him to the biggest title in the sport, is a daunting task. And that’s to say the least.
The next point is a really big point and that is that the Arnold Classic could be the biggest show of Derek’s career. The bottom line is he is coming back after losing his Olympia title and wants redemption. The problem is he can’t go to the second largest show and expect to compete against people he placed above at the Olympia because at this particular contest, the guy who beat him just a few months ago will be there – that’s wild.. And then we have to talk about the title of this article which is what it’s really about. Is the strategy of coming in bigger from a previous outing that was not successful due to condition the answer? Let’s dive in.
So according to Nick’s Strength And Power and many of the bodybuilding outlets, it seems that Derek is planning on coming into the Arnold Classic somewhere in the neighborhood of 5lbs heavier than at the Mr Olympia. The idea is to pack on as much muscle onto his frame as possible and bring as much of it into the mix as feasible. The problem though is that we have seen athletes play the size game even though the judges told them their issue was condition.
For some reason, bodybuilders have a tendency to always go back to common ground. In the sport of bodybuilding, more is often better. More if is everything. Ironically, most bodybuilders have selective hearing when it comes to more when it deals with condition because condition in the last 10 years has only gotten worse and worse. But I digress, Who cares what I have to say? The reality of the matter is Derek should have come in with more condition into the Arnold and not worried about size because size was never in question.
As a former 212 Olympia Champion I think that any size that he put on THAT was enough to win him the Olympia in the open AND THAT should be enough. I don’t think that he needs to keep adding more and more size and throwing off with what little aesthetics he has. I have never liked his aesthetics and I have never thought that he had an artistic physique, but for what it is it is very good. And he has also been able to master the ability of effectively posing on stage. He’s a warrior. He’s a Mr. Olympia. None of that is in doubt, but why come in heavier when you had one you the biggest titles in sport, is beyond me.
And that’s just it, more is not always better. Gaining more size is not always going to give you better results. at the Olympia. His issue was being a little flat and not being conditioned enough. How he and his new coach took that to mean “come in bigger” is beyond me. Size is a pretty stupid way to fix being flat. You fix being flat with nutrition and supplementation. And you definitely don’t fix condition by coming in bigger. I mean that’s just stupid. Maybe what they’re trying to do is bring more size to battle Samson, but again, Samson did not beat Derek because of size. Samson beat Derek because Derek lacked condition and looked a little flat.
Again this is not rocket science, but bodybuilders love to go back to size. What I would really hope doesn’t happen is that the size factor hurts him. Because if he can’t come in conditioned at the weight he was at, what’s to say he’s going to come in better condition with five more pounds of added size? It doesn’t make any sense.
What I would really hope doesn’t happen is that Derek goes into the Arnold Classic and takes something less than second. That would be disastrous for him emotionally and I think it would completely ruin the client-coach relationship that they have just embarked on. That is a perfect way to end a working relationship. Again at that point the coach and the client will play a finger pointing contest. Who came up with the idea of gaining five more pounds? The coach points to the client. The client points at the coach. Bunch of podcasts hit. Bunch of stupid YouTube videos go out. A few articles here and there. Coach and client make up. Bodybuilding media moves on to the next story. LOL
Well anyways folks, I hope you enjoyed reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. What do you think is going to play out at the Arnold Classic? Do you think a bigger Derek will be able to come in more conditioned? Did any of that earlier make sense to you? Because it certainly didn’t make sense for me. Derek is a really nice guy, I have watched him come up, I used to interview him when he was barely a pro and I think that he may very well win another Olympia at some point. But the Olympia aside, I think this year’s Arnold Classic, the 2025 Arnold Classic, will be an extremely important contest in Derek’s career. For better or for worse, it’s going to have a very significant place and it’s going to have a very significant Influence on what he does in the future.
I really hope you enjoyed reading this article as much as I enjoyed writing it. I love my role, here, at Iron Magazine and the opportunity that Robert DiMaggio has given me. I also am honored to write alongside the great Matt Weik, who is a true bodybuilding journalist known for his work and respected for his character. As always guys, be sure to leave your feedback in the comments and share this article on all your social media feeds.
