Why we should stop being so critical of Derek Lunsford – Muscle & Fitness

First of all, I’m once again annoyed by this incessant, plaintive whining from the peanut gallery that “bodybuilding is dead” because it’s not going in the direction a few people want. This is despite the fact that the industry is flourishing, thanks in part to the addition of Classic Physique, which was initiated primarily as a tribute to the ’90s bodybuilder, and to quiet the whining about it being dead. Yet they still complain…

Then I’ve been shouting from the rooftops for years and years, on every podcast that brings it up, that the reason the ’90s physique is gone is entirely at the feet of the gurus and whatever dial-up process they use these days. I talk to enough bodybuilders to confidently tell you that the dial-in process we use today is not the same protocol that gave us the ’90s lineup that everyone loves so much. The diuretics are different, the amount and duration are not the same, and they are combined with other ancillary drugs/potions/cocktails/plasma expanders… and whatever other backup chemicals SpaceX has listed on eBay.

Some may argue that the path they follow today is less treacherous, but as with anything done to the extreme, there will inevitably be a body count. How many body counts are acceptable? It’s hard to say, but what we can deduce from the fact that the physical sports are still intact is that we haven’t reached that number yet. So onwards and upwards… As the boundaries are pushed and the prize money reaches $1 million for the Mr. Olympia title, the image of the ’90s bodybuilder will be increasingly distant in the rearview mirror. I say this because of the clear trend. The judges show that they want the Open boys to be great.

The 90s era embraced skin as thin as tissue paper, which was an expression of deep separation, striations and highly detailed muscle fibers (like the guys in Classic). These days the Open boys look submerged. This is clearly by design, because it’s not a one-off: they all do it. They all look like this. None of them look like the guys from the ’90s, and none of them look like the guy in the photos they posted on their social media two weeks before the show.

The athletes, most obviously Lunsford, are swept up in the dynamics of the federation. And that’s what keeps the 1990s out of the 21st century. But then again, did I mention there’s Classic? A giant flashing neon light that reads: ’90s Bodybuilder.’ So I don’t know, someone’s got a screw loose. Well, we all do that, but for some people the screws come completely out.

The last thing that bothers me are the criticisms of Derek himself. Some of you really take this stuff seriously – seriously enough to make us wonder if you wear a crash helmet while awake. Look, for good reason, but you have to understand – in all honesty – that the human and the title are two different entities. Derek the athlete is not Mr. Olympia. The body he built is. The Sandow is an award given to an athlete for presenting a physique that nine judges unanimously agree resembles “Mr. Olympia’. It’s the same concept as winning a blue ribbon at the fair for the giant pumpkin you grew. The blue ribbon is for the pumpkin, not for you. Therefore, any judging of a bodybuilding show does not judge the athlete – the person; only his carcass.

So that makes it incredibly reprehensible that any of these hateful trolls would fault Derek for winning despite his obvious flaws. Do you blame Derek – the person – for the fact that his physique won despite his flaws? Was that his fault? Such a whopper deserves an explanation, but all there is is an assumption.

What do all my problems mentioned above have in common? Derek, the athlete, is viciously blamed because his body is the one the jury agreed resembles Mr. Olympia. Isn’t that technically the point? I have never met a competitor in a pursuit who entered a race looking for second place. Did Derek enter a physique into the Olympia that he thought would win? Of course he did. Was his physique flawed? It certainly did. But at one point the judges gave Derek the edge over Hadi.

Almost immediately, photos of Derek’s soft-looking bicep peaks began circulating on social media, compared to everyone from Robby Robinson all the way up, including regular gym rats with stacked peaks; Shawn Ray and Dorian Yates even jumped in. It seems like everyone, including someone’s mother, has better biceps than Mr. Olympia. So yes, it’s a valid point: Mr. Olympia has undersized biceps. Still, you would otherwise have to travel to another planet to find a better back. Did that make a difference compared to Hadi – by a point? Of course, but it could just as easily have gone the other way. One point is a beeper.

Is this all Derek, the athlete’s fault? Could any of this disrupt his extraordinary competitive season – winning the Olympia, the Arnold and the Pittsburgh Pro? Ignore him professionally? Disrespect him personally? Absolutely not. If there is a complaint that Derek is Mr. O, please contact the jury. It’s their fault.