As the 2025 Mr. Olympia winner, Derek Lunsford has become a leader of the bodybuilding industry, and this was illustrated when the champ took relative newcomer Josema “Beast” Munoz through a back workout that covered both muscle and mind.
Munoz, a Classic division competitor from Spain, entered his first Olympia in 2024, placing sixth, and upped his place to fourth in 2025, so the chance to workout and gain some wisdom from the current Mr. Olympia was not a chance to be wasted.
“For almost a decade of your life, you’ve been training,” Lunsford told Munoz. “You know how to train. You know how to come in here and how to workout. You know, if your body feels good, go for it. You know, if something is not feeling good, switch it up.” So, with both men feeling great, the back workout began.
How Derek Lunsford Structures His High-Volume Back Workouts
The session got started at Champs Elysium Gym in St. Petersburg, FL, where Lunsford explained that he likes to work with around five sets in the early going, reducing this to two or three sets as fatigue sets in during the workout.
The first movement was the cable lat pulldown. This exercise blasts the majority of the back muscles, including the rhomboids, traps, deltoids, teres major, and of course; the latissimus dorsi. With the back now suitably warmed up, they turned to the plate loaded high row. This is a unilateral machine that targets the upper back and lats. Lunsford was keen to point out that elbow positioning is important on this move, making sure to bring the arms right down to the side so that the elbows become level with the thighs. “Make sure you stretch,” enthused the champ.
The third exercise was the standing row machine. If your gym doesn’t have one, this can be replicated at the cable station. Either way, this is a solid exercise for building the back, while engaging the core and improving stabilization. “Chin up, chest up,” coached Lunsford, who is all about finding the mind-muscle connection.
To round out the workout, Lunsford explained that the purpose of the mid cable row was to get a squeeze at the top of the pull, and open-up the muscle fibers as he provided his back with one last pump.
Derek Lunsford Opens Up About Anxiety, Success, and Staying Focused
During the workout, Lunsford opened up and shared that balancing his ambitions with the pressures of chasing success is a process that, if left unchecked, often fills him with anxiety. “You’re in the best position,” Lunsford told the 25-year-old prospect earlier in the day. “So, just enjoy it and ride it till the wheels fall off, man.”
With bonds now forged in iron, Munoz also opened up, telling Lunsford that he will not be competing at the 2026 Olympia event, since he and his partner are expecting a baby. But the “Beast” shared that he is strongly considering a move to the Open division in 2027. If that happens, these two gym buddies could one day share the stage as friendly rivals.
To watch the entire vlog via Derek Lunsford’s YouTube channel, see below:
