With his sights set on the 2026 Mr. Olympia, Derek Lunsford has started working on his arms, which many say are his weakest link. The 2025 champion also shared the specifications of his training regimen recently.

Lunsford had a glorious 2025 season, where he also bagged the coveted Arnold Classic and Pittsburgh Pro trophies, besides claiming the Mr. Olympia title. He shared a video on his YouTube channel on July 2 that displayed how he was training his arms to defend his title in the upcoming edition of the contest.

'The New Era' began his regimen with a triceps warm-up exercise before gradually moving to working on other muscles. He said, "All right, good little warm-up here. So, arms today. Starting with triceps and then doing biceps."

So, here's a look at the specifications of Lunsford's arm training routine to repeat his Mr. Olympia feat this year:

Warm-ups

• Triceps Pushdown
• Cable Curl

Core session

• Triceps Pushdowns (Single and Two-Arm) 
• Overhead Triceps Extension 
• Preacher Curls
• Concentration Curls (Standing)

Lunsford is expected to face tough competition from the 2026 Arnold Classic winner, Andrew Jacked, in the course of his Mr. Olympia title defense. The 2025 and 2024 second-place holder, Hadi Choopan, also can't be neglected given his consistently remarkable performances in the event.

But while the level of competition is certainly a reason behind 'The New Era's' intense arm workout, there's another major factor behind his dedication towards his arms.

A noted bodybuilding veteran criticized Derek Lunsford's arms

Lunsford may have managed to win the 2025 Mr. Olympia, but still quite a few followers of the sport highlighted the drawbacks in his physique after his victory.

One of them was the noted Australian bodybuilding veteran, Lee Priest. Following Lunsford's victory in the 2025 Mr. Olympia, the retired bodybuilder compared 'The New Era's' arms to his own when he used to bulk up to 285 lbs during the off-season.

An Instagram update from The Muscle Truth revealed Priest's exact words. He said, "Derek's arms look like mine back when I was 285 lbs. All 24 inches of fat and water."

However, given Lunsford's intense arm workout routine for the upcoming edition of Mr. Olympia, Priest might watch a different version of his arms on the stage this year.

But do you think 'The New Era' arms will eventually manage to defend his Mr. Olympia title?

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Written by

Souvik Roy

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil