Recently, the 2023 Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford and Classic Physique star Mike Sommerfeld trained together. Although Lunsford lost his title at the 2024 Olympia to Samson Dauda, he still secured a spot in the top three, finishing behind runner-up Hadi Choopan.
Sommerfeld delivered an impressive performance, scoring second place in Classic Physique, right behind six-time champion Chris Bumstead, who recently competed in the Men’s Open division at the 2024 Prague Pro.
Lunsford and Sommerfeld’s 2024 Olympia performances secured their invites to the 2025 edition, and they are already training in their off-seasons. In early November, Sommerfeld shared the back workout and arm training he performed with Lunsford at Lunsford’s new gym.
[Related: 2024 Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda’s Winning Strategy Is Trusting His Instincts]
An Olympian’s Gym Tour
Before training, Lunsford took Sommerfeld on a tour of his gym, which was still under construction. The facility features a lounge, recovery center, water fountain, retail shop, offices, and a dedicated posing area. Lunsford showcased the gym equipment they would use, which impressed Sommerfeld.
“I want it to be semi-private, so there is an atmosphere of people training,” Lunsford described. “Who wants to just train by themselves? I like people around me training, but I also don’t want it to be like a public gym where everybody comes, who doesn’t respect the gym or is just there to take up space.”
The 2023 Mr. Olympia says he’s toning down his back training to focus on arms. “[The judges] told me I don’t need any back,” Lunsford shared. “Arm for me today. We got a really good preacher curl. It is adjustable, so I like to hammer that and then do a few other things for biceps, do a couple of triceps, and finish off with calves.” Conversely, Sommerfeld attacked back for the day.
Mike Sommerfeld’s Back Workout
- Cable Lat Pullover
- Machine Seated Row
- Machine Lat Pulldown
- Chest Supported T-Bar Row
- Machine Reverse Flye
- Rear Delt Flye
Cable Lat Pullover & Machine Seated Row
Sommerfeld began with a cable lat pullover, ensuring he maintained proper form by keeping his back straight and arms fully extended. He appreciated the machine’s design, expressing, “The equipment is brand new. It feels so smooth.”
Sommerfeld performed the seated row unilaterally, focusing on each of his lats to cultivate a stronger mind-muscle connection. (1) He paused briefly at the top and slightly twisted to the side he was pulling each rep.
Machine Lat Pulldown & Chest Supported T-Bar Row
Sommerfeld performed lat pulldowns with a neutral grip while seated. He reduced his tempo on the eccentric, allowing the target muscle to experience prolonged time under tension. (2) “This machine just hits perfect. The angle is perfect,” Sommerfeld acknowledged.
Sommerfeld performed several reps of the chest-supported T-bar row. The bench helped him maintain proper form, allowing him to perform each rep through a full range of motion.
Machine Reverse Flye & Rear Delt Side Cable Pull
Sommerfeld performed a reverse flye to target his posterior delts. He added volume by loading rear delt pulls on the cable machine.
Sommerfeld finished at the tail end of Lunsford’s arm workout, concluding with machine tricep dips, overhead machine tricep extensions, and alternating dumbbell curls. Following their sessions, Sommerfeld recovered by taking CBD and other supplements, noting that the CBD helps to reduce his stress levels significantly.
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References
- Calatayud, J., Vinstrup, J., Jakobsen, M. D., Sundstrup, E., Brandt, M., Jay, K., Colado, J. C., & Andersen, L. L. (2016). Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. European journal of applied physiology, 116(3), 527–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7
- Burd, N. A., Andrews, R. J., West, D. W., Little, J. P., Cochran, A. J., Hector, A. J., Cashaback, J. G., Gibala, M. J., Potvin, J. R., Baker, S. K., & Phillips, S. M. (2012). Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. The Journal of physiology, 590(2), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
Featured image: @mikethebadass on Instagram
