Derek Lunsford is a two-time Mr. Olympia. 🏆 He won the Open title in 2023 and again in 2025 — and he is the first man ever to win an Olympia in two divisions, 212 and Open.
His 2025 season was the best of his career: the Arnold Classic, the Pittsburgh Pro and the Olympia, all in one year. That is the Triple Crown. He battled illness during his individual posing at the 2025 Olympia — and still won.
At the 2026 Mr. Olympia he finished third, behind Nick Walker and Samson Dauda. Fans always ask the same question: what does he eat? This article lays out his diet plan and workout routine exactly as he has shared them himself.
Nothing here is guessed. Every meal, portion and supplement comes from a named source, listed as we go. Where Lunsford has not shared a detail, we say so.
Derek Lunsford Diet Plan
Photo: Fitness Volt
The main plan here is his 2026 full day of eating, shared on his own YouTube channel nine weeks out from the 2026 Mr. Olympia. Fitness Volt, BarBend and Generation Iron all reported the same five meals.
By then he was working with a new coach, Chris Aceto, who took over early in 2025 after Hany Rambod retired from coaching elite athletes. Aceto’s approach is more aggressive with food — pulling it away to get Lunsford shredded.
Lunsford put the switch in his own words: “I’m trying to do a reverse Jay Cutler ’09, going from Hany Rambod to Chris Aceto.” He also trained with Chris Cormier in the offseason.
His day starts with 45 minutes of fasted cardio before breakfast. He had cut fat and carbs back and pushed the cardio up. Red meat is limited to once a day, and avocado came out of his first meal a few weeks earlier.
As he put it himself: “If you have five different meals daily, it never gets boring.”
Derek Lunsford Meal Plan
Five meals, in the same order, from his July 2026 video. No calorie total was published for this day in any source we checked — so none is printed here.
Meal 1
The first meal follows his morning fasted cardio, with his morning health supplements and coffee.
- Eggs — 4
- Toast — 2 pieces
- Blueberries — 1 cup
- Oats — 1 cup
Meal 2 (Pre-Workout)
The pre-workout meal: rice and chicken, eaten before the day’s main session.
- White rice — 400 g
- Chicken breast — 7 oz
Meal 3 (Post-Workout)
A shake after training — his daily treat, in his own words.
- Isophorm Whey Protein Isolate (Dragon Pharma, Blueberry Ice Cream) — 3 scoops, about 75 g protein
“Like a little treat every day after training.”
Meal 4
His one red-meat meal of the day.
- Angus steak — 9 oz
- White rice — 200 g
Meal 5
The last meal of the day — simple, and by his own admission not very exciting.
- Shrimp — 10 oz
- Broccoli — 1 cup
“Not a very exciting meal… something is better than nothing.”
A Second Day: 2024 Olympia Shredding Diet
Lunsford has shared a second full day too — his shredding diet from August 2, 2024, ahead of his first title defence. It comes from his own YouTube video, as reported on this site. The day totals 3,346 calories: 409 g protein, 270 g carbs and 70 g fat.
- Meal 1: 250 g egg whites, 3 oz chicken, 80 g oats, 1 scoop EvoGreens (Chocolate), Splenda — 728.1 cal, 80.35 g protein, 58.61 g carbs, 19.14 g fat
- Meal 2: 7 oz sirloin, 180 g white rice — 612.68 cal, 45.08 g protein, 50.22 g carbs, 25.72 g fat (“my favorite meal of the day”)
- Pre-workout: 2 scoops Evogen Xtreme (Pump and Energy)
- Meal 3: 7 oz cod, 180 g white rice, NoSauce Pineapple Mango — 377.79 cal, 40.11 g protein, 50.22 g carbs, 1.83 g fat (“sits well on my stomach”, “doesn’t make me feel bloated”)
- Meal 4: 7 oz chicken, 180 g white rice — 528.16 cal, 65.08 g protein, 50.22 g carbs, 7.44 g fat
- Meal 5: the exact same thing as meal four — 528.16 cal, 65.08 g protein, 50.22 g carbs, 7.44 g fat
- Meal 6: 7 oz chicken, 1 cup broccoli — 341.12 cal, 62.86 g protein, 6.04 g carbs, 7.28 g fat (“solid base diet”, “good place to start if you guys are looking to shred up”)
One honest note: the day total printed with this plan (3,346 calories) does not add up exactly from the per-meal figures above (3,116 calories). Both are printed as reported.
Off-Season: 2022 Full Day of Eating
A third documented day comes from his June 2022 offseason video. Six meals, built around the same foods, totalling 300 g of protein and 425 g of carbs. Each meal targets about 50 g of protein and 60–80 g of carbs.
- Meal 1: 200 g egg whites, 3 oz Icon Meals steak, mushrooms, potatoes (quantity not stated) — 50 g protein, 60 g carbs
- Meal 2: 8 oz Icon Meals shredded chicken, 8 oz white rice, buffalo wing sauce and light ranch — 50 g protein, 75 g carbs
- Meal 3 (pre-workout shake): cream of rice (quantity not stated), almond milk, 1 scoop Evogen chocolate protein — 50 g protein, 75 g carbs
- Meal 4: 8 oz ground chicken, taco seasoning, 8 oz rice — 50 g protein, 60 g carbs
- Meal 5: steak and white rice (quantities not stated) — 50 g protein, 80 g carbs
- Meal 6: almond milk, 2 scoops Evogen whey — 50 g protein, 75 g carbs
The video was filmed on a rest day, and he ate five meals for sure plus a late sixth. He also had cheat meals about twice a week in the offseason.
Derek Lunsford Supplements
His supplement routine starts with hydration. First thing in the morning, and around training, he drinks water with lemons and Celtic salt — Celtic salt, not iodized salt. He also names Jocko Hydrate (300 mg sodium) or stick packs (500 mg) as an alternative.
Potassium chloride and magnesium sit alongside it. As he put it: “super important electrolytes… have some extra vitamins and minerals”.
His whey protein isolate doubles as food — three scoops of Isophorm after training in 2026, about 75 g of protein. Before training in 2024 he took two scoops of Evogen Xtreme, and his 2024 first meal included a scoop of EvoGreens.
Year-round he takes immune support formulas, fish oil, anti-aging multivitamins, vitamin D and liver support. His reasoning is simple: “Make sure you’re functioning optimally inside…”.
His older 2022 prep named a few more — a morning drink of Lipocide and Carnitine, intra-workout Glycogen and Aminochem, post-workout Isoject, and Evolog and Evovite in the offseason.
Derek Lunsford Workout Routine
Photo: Generation Iron
Lunsford trains five days a week, and six days a week in prep. As he put it: “I don’t really prefer rest days whenever I’m preparing for the Olympia.”
His split runs on an eight-day rotation, in his own words from his 2024 Olympia prep.
| Day | Focus |
|---|---|
| Day 1 | Quad-focused legs |
| Day 2 | Chest |
| Day 3 | Arms |
| Day 4 | Rest |
| Day 5 | Shoulders |
| Day 6 | Hamstring-focused legs |
| Day 7 | Rest |
| Day 8 | Back or chest |
At peak prep he ends up eating up to nine meals a day. Six and four weeks out, he does fasted cardio with a meal straight after.
Leg Day (July 2026)
Ten weeks out from the 2026 Olympia, his leg workout was: abductor and adductor machine, lying hamstring curl, leg extension machine, belt squat, and linear hack squat machine. No sets or reps were stated in the source.
He warms up his hips, not just his knees: “Don’t forget about your hips… probably more important than even your knees.” The belt squat is his favourite squat variation — “probably the best variation of any squat… doesn’t put all that tension on my spine, on my neck, lower back… It’s all at the hips.”
He finishes with heavy hack squats, “squeezing extremely hard” from top to bottom. His verdict on his own training: “ain’t nobody train like me at all”.
Leg Day, Four Weeks Out (September 2026)
Closer to the show, the leg day changed shape: lying hamstring curls, seated hamstring curls, Romanian deadlifts, plate-loaded hip thrust machine, and glute kickback machine.
Arms
His arm work, from the same 2026 video, is: single-arm machine preacher curl, cable triceps pushdown, single-arm dumbbell side curl, alternating dumbbell curl, EZ-bar curl, high cable curl, and single-arm cable lateral triceps extension. The same session also includes calves — machine seated calf raise and machine standing calf raise.
Frequently Asked Questions
Can I follow Derek Lunsford’s diet plan?
This is a professional bodybuilder’s contest-prep diet, built for an athlete weeks out from a show — not a plan for everyone. Do not copy it as your own diet.
If you want to change how you eat, talk to a doctor or a registered dietitian first, especially if you have any medical condition. This article reports what Lunsford eats; it is not medical advice.
How many calories does Derek Lunsford eat a day?
No calorie total was published for his 2026 day of eating, so none is printed here. His 2024 shredding diet totalled 3,346 calories, and his 2022 offseason day came to 300 g of protein and 425 g of carbs.
How many meals does Derek Lunsford eat a day?
Five meals on his 2026 day, six on his 2024 shredding day — and up to nine meals a day at peak prep, in his own words.
What does Derek Lunsford eat before a workout?
In 2026, white rice (400 g) with chicken breast (7 oz). Before training in 2024 he took two scoops of Evogen Xtreme pre-workout.
Who is Derek Lunsford’s coach?
Chris Aceto, since early in 2025. Before that he worked with Hany Rambod, who retired from coaching elite athletes after 2024.
How many days a week does Derek Lunsford train?
Five days a week, and six days a week in contest prep, with every muscle group trained at least once. Legs get two days in his eight-day rotation — one quad-focused, one hamstring-focused.
Related: Derek Lunsford biography
Related: 2025 Mr. Olympia results
Related: 2026 Mr. Olympia results
This article reports what Derek Lunsford has shared publicly about his diet and training. It is not a recommendation — what works for a two-time Olympia champion in contest prep is not a plan for everyone.