Tagged with 'Derek Lunsford'

Anyone who has been to the Arnold Classic in Columbus, Ohio knows that this is one of the biggest and best bodybuilding, powerlifting, and fitness event of the year. It never fails to bring the most exciting attractions each and every year.

When constructing a proper diet, you need to consider more than just caloric intake and protein, carbs, and fat. Nutrition also includes vitamins and minerals. Derek Lunsford explains his approach to nutrition in his newest article, “Understanding Macronutrients and Micronutrients.”

It's no secret that eating well is part of bodybuilding and fitness in general. You have to be smart about what you put in your mouth because it will affect your look and your performance in the gym. Unfortunately, not everyone has the nutritional knowledge that leads to optimal results. Derek Lunsford gives us an overview about eating healthy in his article “What is healthy?”

Bodybuilding is a step by step process to prepare for a competition. One month, one week and one day at a time. What you do the week prior will all have a profound effect on the changes made and how effective those changes are. Read further into how to move from Point A to Point B properly in prepping for a show in Derek Lunsford's newest article "Bodybuilding-The Process"

Ever since I began my bodybuilding journey, I've trained mainly to pump my muscles full of blood and expand them as much as possible. This has been my number one guiding principle when trying to build more muscle tissue. Although I increase the resistance (weight) when I feel it's necessary, I don't believe more weight is the end all be all. I am not denying that heavy weight builds strength—and a stronger muscle is typically going to be a bigger muscle—but my training has mainly focused on the pump. After discussing training methods with other bodybuilders and power lifters, I noticed that their training methods were almost exactly the opposite. Power lifters train against the pump.

Having a big back is crucial in bodybuilding. At least 2 of the mandatory poses require a big, thick back. I’ve always had the impression that if you have a big back, it’s likely that the rest of your body will be big—or at least grow as your back grows—and that you train like an Animal. If you haven’t checked out my article “The 5 Pillars of Training,” I suggest you go now and check it out. The 5 pillars will help guide you through my approach to back training. In this video, I show you how to use the 5 pillars approach to take you through a back and bicep training session.

When I work out immediately after a show, my overall focus and goal is to pump up the muscle as much as possible. Keeping the muscle full will allow it to continue to grow as I’m rebounding from a show. It’s also important to train smart. Your mind says “lift heavy,” but your body says “not ready.”

As a young and avid weightlifter, I looked up to IFBB professional bodybuilders for advice in training and diet. I would search for videos online of Jay Cutler, Evan Centopani, and others for motivation and to use as a guide for what exercises I would train for the muscle group I was working that particular day. At first, I would do exactly what was shown in the video—the same exercises, number of reps and sets, and amount of time under tension. Over the years, though, I’ve developed my own way of training based on 5 principles, or “pillars,” that can be applied to every body part. Keep in mind that on some days, you will have more energy/strength than other days, but the approach should still be the same.