{"id":15091,"date":"2026-02-27T19:46:54","date_gmt":"2026-02-27T19:46:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=15091"},"modified":"2026-02-27T19:46:54","modified_gmt":"2026-02-27T19:46:54","slug":"the-competition-is-so-much-harder","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=15091","title":{"rendered":"‘The Competition Is So Much Harder’"},"content":{"rendered":"


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Bodybuilder Derek Lunsford<\/a><\/strong><\/strong> has long defended today\u2019s era against those who believe that have discredited competition. Many have spoken out, especially competitors who competed years ago, that this era is not at the level of the past. <\/p>\n

The 2x Olympia champion admits that more pro cards might be handed out but that does not mean that it is easier to win.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are some people out there that say \u2018it\u2019s so easy to get your pro card right now. There are so many pro cards being handed out every year.\u2019 You know what, even though there are more pro cards being handed out, the competition is so much harder.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

[RELATED: <\/em><\/strong>Would Derek Lunsford<\/em><\/strong> Beat Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates In Their Prime?<\/em><\/strong><\/a>]<\/em><\/strong><\/p>\n

Lunsford is coming off an extremely successful 2025 season. He entered the season with big plans and has reached them thus far. He won the first-ever Men\u2019s Open\u00a0Pittsburgh Pro<\/a>\u00a0title, which came after his victory in Columbus during the\u00a02025 Arnold Classic<\/a>. Lunsford would go onto win the Olympia title for the second time in the Men\u2019s Open division, joining Jay Cutler<\/a> as the only bodybuilders in history to lose a title and win it back.<\/p>\n

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Derek Lunsford Talks Current Competition In Bodybuilding<\/h3>\n

Derek Lunsford knows a thing or two about winning in bodybuilding, finding success in multiple divisions. Despite the notion that winning was harder back in the day, Lunsford believes that this is the most challenging time.<\/p>\n

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\u201cThere are a lot of people that want to be an IFBB pro and be an Olympian and be Mr. Olympia. So, I don\u2019t care what people say, right now is the best and most challenging time to be the top bodybuilder in the world, or even an IFBB pro.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

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Lunsford made the jump into Men\u2019s Open after winning the 212 Olympia title in 2021. He was able to put on enough size to make the jump into the biggest division, eventually becoming the first bodybuilder to win the Olympia title in multiple divisions. It was not an easy road for Lunsford last year. On top of the overall competition in the division, he had to deal with injuries.<\/p>\n

Lunsford shared that he suffered a torn pec right before the Olympia. The injury, which occurred on Sept. 10, took place while Lunsford was performing dumbbell presses with a 70kg weight. On this particular day, he thought about going up in weight but wanted to focus on controlling the weight through the entire movement. Lunsford knew right away that he suffered this injury and it eventually began to bruise. This did not happen right away and he was able to \u201ckind of flex it\u201d right after. As time went on, it began bruising and it put his performance in Las Vegas in jeopardy.<\/p>\n

For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on\u00a0Facebook<\/a>,\u00a0Twitter<\/a>, and\u00a0Instagram<\/a>.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n