Derek Lunsford was a young man whose physique screamed potential from the start. After turning pro at the 2017 NPC USA Championships, the man on this month’s cover wasted no time and scored his first pro win just a week later in the 212 division of the Tampa Pro. Some wrote it off as beginner’s luck and assured us all he would get a reality check a few weeks later at the Mr. Olympia. Instead, the 24-year-old vaulted into the coveted top five at the 212 Olympia behind legends of the division such as Flex Lewis, Ahmad Ashkanani, Jose Raymond and former Olympia champion David Henry. In the two years that followed, Derek would place runner-up, firmly establishing himself as one of the best 212 bodybuilders alive. After a peaking error caused him to slip down to fourth place in 2020, Lunsford enlisted the services of the man who had been responsible for 20 Olympia wins including seven from Phil Heath alone, Hany Rambod. The partnership paid off, and in October of 2021 Derek Lunsford became the 212 Olympia champion

On the cover is Derek Lunsford