• Skip to primary navigation
  • Skip to main content
  • Skip to primary sidebar
The BarBend Logo in white.

BarBend

The Online Home for Strength Sports

  • News
    • CrossFit
    • Strongman
    • Bodybuilding
    • Top Athletes
    • Powerlifting
    • Weightlifting
    • HYROX
    • Competition Results
    • Latest Research
  • Reviews
    • Recovery
      • Best Cold Plunges
      • Best Saunas
      • Best Mini Massage Guns
      • Individual Recovery Reviews
    • Supplements
      • Best Protein
        • Best Vegan Protein Powders
        • Best Whey Isolate Protein Powders
        • Best Mass Gainers
        • Best Protein Bars
      • Best Pre-Workouts
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Women
        • Best Pre-Workouts for Men
        • Best Non-Stim Pre-Workouts
        • Strongest Pre-Workouts
      • Best Creatine
      • Best Electrolyte Supplements
      • Best Greens Powder
      • Best Meal Replacements
      • Best Nitric Oxide Supplements
      • Best Fat Burners
        • Best Fat Burners for Men
        • Best Fat Burners for Women
        • Best Non-Stim Fat Burners
      • More Supplements
        • Best Supplements for Muscle Growth
        • Best Supplements for CrossFit
        • Best Supplements for Weight Loss
        • Best Supplements for Bodybuilding
        • Best Supplements for Men
        • Best Supplement Stacks
      • Individual Supplements Reviews
    • Equipment
      • Cardio
        • Best Treadmills
        • Best Rowing Machines
        • Best Exercise Bikes
        • Best Ellipticals
        • Best Recumbent Bikes
      • Strength
        • Best Adjustable Dumbbells
        • Best Dumbbells
        • Best Kettlebells
        • Best Barbells
        • Best Squat Racks
        • Best Free Weights
        • Best Weight Benches
        • Best Resistance Bands
        • Best Slam Balls
        • Best Weighted Vests
        • Best Leg Extension Machines
        • Best Cable Machines
        • Best Power Racks
        • Best Pull Up Bars
      • Best Home Gyms
        • Best Smart Home Gyms
        • Best Gym Equipment Under $100
        • Best Home Gym Essentials
        • Best Home Gym Flooring
      • Individual Equipment Reviews
    • Fitness Accessories
      • Apparel
        • Best Weightlifting Shoes
        • Best Cross Training Shoes
        • Best Gym Bags
        • Best Gym Shorts
      • Training
        • Best Weightlifting Belts
        • Best Knee Sleeves
        • Best Lifting Straps
        • Best Grip Strengtheners
        • Best Wrist Wraps
        • Best Lifting Gloves
      • Individual Fitness Product Reviews
    • Certifications
      • Best Sports Nutrition Certifications
      • Best Personal Trainer Certifications
      • Best Nutrition Certifications
      • Individual Certifications Reviews
    • Programs
      • Best Online Workout Programs
      • Best Workout Streaming Services
      • Best Home Workout Programs
      • Individual Program Reviews
  • Nutrition
    • Diets
      • Carb Cycling
      • Vertical Diet
      • Reverse Dieting
      • Carnivore Diet
      • Ketogenic Diet
      • Intermittent Fasting
      • IIFYM Diet
    • Fat Loss
      • Macros for Fat Loss
      • Calorie Deficits
      • Natural Fat Burners
      • Cut 2 Pounds Weekly
    • Muscle Gain
      • How to Dirty Bulk
      • Go From Cutting to Bulking
      • Eat These Carbs
      • How to Eat for Muscle
    • Supplement Guides
      • Pre-Workout
      • Whey Protein
      • Mass Gainers
      • Greens Powders
      • Creatine
      • BCAAs
    • Nutrition Tips
      • Daily Protein Needs
      • Pre- and Post-Workout Nutrition
      • Foods With Creatine
      • Bulking Tips
  • Training
    • Workouts
      • Back Workouts
      • At-Home Workouts
      • Chest & Back Workouts
      • Full-Body Workout
      • HIIT Workouts
    • Exercise Guides
      • Deadlift
      • Bench Press
      • Back Squat
      • Overhead Press
      • Bent-Over Row
      • Lat Pulldown
      • Crunches
      • Farmer’s Carry
    • Best Exercises
      • Shoulder Exercises
      • Back Exercises
      • Chest Exercises
      • Glute Exercises
      • Ab Exercises
      • Hamstring Exercises
      • Quad Exercises
      • Calf Exercises
      • Biceps Exercises
      • Triceps Exercises
    • Programs
      • Push-Up Program
      • Pull-Up Program
      • German Volume Training
      • 5/3/1 Program
      • Powerbuilding Program
      • The Cube Method
      • 5×5 Program
      • Bodybuilding Programs
      • Build Your Own Program
    • Fat Loss
      • How to Burn Fat
      • Spot Fat Reduction
      • How to Train on a Cut
      • Body Conditioning
      • Workouts
        • Kettlebell Circuits
        • Dumbbell Complexes
        • Farmer’s Carry Workouts
    • Muscle Gain
      • Muscle Hypertrophy Explained
      • How to Build Muscle
      • How to Maintain Muscle
      • What Researchers Say About Muscle Gain
        • Workouts
          • 20-Minute Workouts
          • Kettlebell Circuits
          • CrossFit Workouts for Muscle
          • Bodybuilding Workouts
  • Calculators
    • Protein Intake Calculator
    • Macros Calculator
    • BMR Calculator
    • Squat Calculator
    • Calorie Calculator
  • Community Forum
Home » Bodybuilding News » Grow Your Arms Under 1 Hour With Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford’s 7 Go-To Exercises 

Grow Your Arms Under 1 Hour With Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford’s 7 Go-To Exercises 

Written by Matt Magnante
Last updated on November 6th, 2024

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:

https://youtu.be/H5WL4Kd7rJk?si=eYvi1g6Ap1k9MTSp

[Related: A Guide to the Best Pre-Workouts]

1. Incline Chest Supported Barbell Curl

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.

2. Dumbbell One-Arm Preacher Curl 

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.

3. Machine One-Arm Preacher Curl

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. 

4. Standing Dumbbell Alternating Hammer Curl

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.

5. Cable V-Bar Triceps Pushdown

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.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by TLF | Take Life Further (@tlfapparel)

Pushdowns are more shoulder and elbow-friendly than the next two variations, making them a good first exercise when training triceps.

6. Plate-Loaded Triceps Dip

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.

7. Cable Overhead Extensions W/ Strap Handles

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.

More Bodybuilding Content

  • The Barbell-Only Glute Workout Bodybuilder Erin Stern Calls “The Ultimate Sculptor”
  • Bikini Olympia Champion Jennifer Dorie’s 5-Exercise Shoulder-Toning Workout You Can Do In Any Gym
  • “Pills, Potions, & Powders”: How Dr. Mike Israetel Manages Steroid Side Effects With Bodybuilding Supplements

References

  1. Petajan J. H. (1991). AAEM minimonograph #3: motor unit recruitment. Muscle & nerve, 14(6), 489–502. https://doi.org/10.1002/mus.880140602
  2. Zabaleta-Korta, A., Fernández-Peña, E., Torres-Unda, J., Garbisu-Hualde, A., & Santos-Concejero, J. (2021). The role of exercise selection in regional Muscle Hypertrophy: A randomized controlled trial. Journal of sports sciences, 39(20), 2298–2304. https://doi.org/10.1080/02640414.2021.1929736
  3. Zabaleta-Korta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J, Francés M, Zubillaga A, Santos-Concejero J. Regional Hypertrophy: The Effect of Exercises at Long and Short Muscle Lengths in Recreationally Trained Women. J Hum Kinet. 2023 Jul 15;87:259-270. doi: 10.5114/jhk/163561. PMID: 37559762; PMCID: PMC10407320.
  4. Maeo, S., Wu, Y., Huang, M., Sakurai, H., Kusagawa, Y., Sugiyama, T., Kanehisa, H., & Isaka, T. (2023). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. European journal of sport science, 23(7), 1240–1250. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279

Featured image: @dereklunsford_ on Instagram

About Matt Magnante

Matthew Magnante is a seasoned writer and content editor who has authored hundreds of articles in various categories including bodybuilding, strength sports, CrossFit, general health and fitness, and MMA. His childhood fascination with the 80s and 90s bodybuilding legends fueled his passion for living and breathing weight training, nutrition, and everything in between. Matt was involved in martial arts for most of his youth and is a huge UFC fan. Having beaten the worst of anxiety and chronic stress using natural techniques, he’s also learning just as much about the mind and loves to help others improve their well-being and overall health.

View All Articles

Primary Sidebar

Latest Reviews

EveryPlate Review

EveryPlate Review (2025): A Tasty, Budget-Friendly Meal Kit, Tested By Our Experts

ARMRA Colostrum Review

ARMRA Colostrum Review (2025): A Certified Nutrition Coach’s Critique of this Trending Supplement

Sun Home Luminar Review

Sun Home Luminar Review (2025): Our Experts Sweat It Out With This High-Quality Outdoor Sauna

Cover image for CookUnity review of a filled reusable box of 6 CookUnity meals

CookUnity Review (2025): An Expert-Tested and Flexible Prepared Meal Service

Transparent Labs Prebiotic Greens Review

Transparent Labs Prebiotic Greens Review (2025): Our Experts Examine This Nutrient-Filled Profile

BarBend

BarBend is an independent website. The views expressed on this site may come from individual contributors and do not necessarily reflect the view of BarBend or any other organization. BarBend is the Official Media Partner of USA Weightlifting.

  • About Us
  • Advertise With Us
  • Contact Us
  • Facebook
  • Instagram
  • Twitter
  • YouTube
  • Pinterest

Sections

  • CrossFit
  • Strongman
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Weightlifting
  • Reviews
  • Nutrition
  • Training

More

  • BarBend Newsletter
  • BarBend Podcast
  • The Ripped Report
  • 1RM Calculator
  • BMR Calculator
  • Macros Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Squat Calculator

Policies

  • Accessibility
  • Advice Disclaimer
  • Cookies Policy
  • Disclaimers
  • Disclosures
  • Editorial Policy
  • Privacy Policy
  • Terms of Use

Copyright © 2025 · BarBend Inc · Sitemap