2023 Mr. Olympia champion Derek Lunsford proves one can build world-class arms in one-hour training sessions. Published on his YouTube channel on June 22, 2024, Lunsford’s arm training consists of four biceps and three triceps exercises. He used a combination of free weights and machines, simple techniques, and various angles.
Moreover, the two-division Olympia champ refrained from advanced training methods and revealed better ways to perform common exercises. Check it out below:
Lunsford opened with barbell curls while leaning forward onto a weight bench at roughly 75 degrees.
Stabilizing the body against an object, such as a weight bench, helps prevent momentum. The more pristine the form, the greater the potential for biceps motor unit recruitment or increased contractile activity within a muscle (1).
With the arms in front of the torso, emphasis is placed on the short or inner head of the biceps. Lunsford switched between a wide grip for better short-head activation and a narrow grip to hit the outer long head.
Reps were in the higher range: four sets were shown, including one warm-up.
Lunsford placed his arm on an angled preacher bench. He focused on curling slowly, connecting his mind to the exercise. Using a dumbbell, each rep was strategic to maintain muscle tension, never resting at the top.
The preacher curl is a popular bodybuilding exercise because it’s felt more in the lower biceps. Recent research shows that you can grow different parts of the biceps better with specific exercise selection (2). One 2023 study found that one can build more biceps size near the elbow with preacher curls (3).
The weights Lunsford used were 27.5 pounds (12.5 kilograms) and 33 pounds (15 kilograms). On the last set, Lunsford performed 12 reps.
Machine preacher curls are more forgiving than their free-weight counterparts. Lunsford displayed two all-out sets in the video.
The dumbbells resist gravity, whereas the cables resist the machine.
Machine curls maintain the same resistance level at every repetition point. It’s easier to cheat with dumbbells. With the former, there’s also less concern about being thrown off the tension curve while using a spotter for forced reps.
For the last biceps variation, Lunsford switched to a neutral grip curl to emphasize the brachialis and brachioradialis, which can add an aesthetic thickness to the arm when well developed. He performed alternating reps and multiple same-side reps.
Lunsford transitioned to cable triceps pushdowns. For three sets on the cable machine, he used a more ergonomic V-bar with a slight forward lean.
Pushdowns are more shoulder and elbow-friendly than the next two variations, making them a good first exercise when training triceps.
With the dip occurring behind the body (arm extension), Lunsford can fully contract the long triceps head — the meatiest part of the arm and the only triceps head attached to the shoulder.
This is one of my favorite triceps mass builders.
Lunsford flares his elbows wide, which may promote an equal distribution of triceps activation. Lunsford showed three working sets.
While dips maximize triceps long-head contraction, overhead extensions provide the best long-head stretch.
“It’s more for the stretch than the weight you’re using,” says Lunsford, noting the potential benefits of increased blood flow, faster recovery, and injury prevention. In a 2023 study, overhead extensions caused 40 percent more muscle size than cable triceps pushdowns (4).
Lunsford used double-sided straps, which may offer less rigidity and flexibility than a rope attachment. He scored approximately 15 in each of his three sets.
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