Tag: Nick Walker
Nick Walker Shares Proven Strategies for Building Huge Quad Muscles Ahead of 2023 Olympia
Two weeks into his 2023 Olympia competition prep, Nick Walker is looking in phenomenal shape. While becoming Mr. Olympia is the primary focus of his life at the moment, Walker took time out to educate his followers about some minute details of leg training.
Nick Walker is an American bodybuilder that competes in the IFBB Pro League’s Men’s Open division. After earning the IFBB Pro card in 2020, Walker quickly rose through the ranks and became a top contender. He is the winner of the 2021 New York Pro and the 2021 Arnold Classic. Both the wins came within a year of The Mutant turning pro and imparted to him an aura of invincibility. The NY Pro win earned the 28-year-old a direct qualification to the 2021 Olympia. He did well at his Olympia debut but had to be satisfied with fifth place when faced with the top crop of the division.
The performance gave Nick Walker a realistic idea about his standing in the bigger picture and he decided to take time off to improve his physique. The off-season efforts showed their effect when Walker dominated the stage at the 2022 Olympia and achieved a third-place finish. He made a quick turnaround and competed at the 2023 Arnold Classic next, finishing second. He will now attempt to win the Mr. Olympia trophy by getting past Derek Lunsford and reigning champ Hadi Choopan.
Nick Walker is officially two weeks into his 2023 Olympia prep. He recently trained legs at the Dragon’s Lair gym to get a step closer to the Olympia version of his physique. So let’s check out how the Mutant trained his legs in the gym and what message he wanted to convey through this session.
Nick Walker goes through a quad-focused leg workout in the gym
The purpose of the training session was to educate the viewers about the reasons behind having smaller legs. Walker did not overload the weight but maintained a good intensity in the exercises. His message through this workout was simple:
“Just because you stack the entire machine and can do it, doesn’t mean you’re strong and going to grow. Drop the ego!” Walker wrote in the video description.
Lying Leg Curls
Walker started the training session with this hamstring isolation exercise although it was a quad-focused leg day. Leg curls are effective in warming up the knee joints without putting too much stress on them. Since knees are involved in most lower body movements, warming them up is essential for avoiding injuries. As a result, Walker did a few sets of this exercise to get things started.
Leg Press
This served as the first heavy compound exercise of the day. Leg press works all the muscles in the lower body like quads, hamstrings and glutes. Walker started out with a warm-up set using three plates on each side. He applied a progressive overload principle to the working sets and moved on to the next exercise after doing the top set with eight plates on each side.
Hack Squats
While this machine exercise has similar benefits as the traditional barbell squat, it varies in a crucial aspect. Barbell squats are a free-weight movement that engages different supporting muscles. However, they can be a little harsh on the lower back. Hack squats remove this drawback and still retain the benefits that you get from a barbell squat. Walker annihilated a few sets of this exercise before taking up a compound bodyweight movement.
Walking Lunges
This movement served as the finisher of Nick Walker’s leg workout. After pushing through some solid sets with controlled movement, Walker finished the workout but sprinkled a little bit of adductor muscle work before leaving the gym.
Machine Hip Adduction
Hip adductors are a group of muscles on the inner side of the thigh. They are responsible for adduction (bringing together) the legs. The Mutant performed a few sets of this exercise on the machine and called it a day in the gym.
Overall, the workout included:
‘Mutant’ gives crucial tips for building huge quads
Walker gave a valuable lesson about leg training during the workout. While concepts like ‘training to failure’, or ‘progressive overload’ come to our mind, Walker’s suggestion is quite different:
“My number one tip that I think will help grow quads, which I think has drastically helped grow mine, is controlling the weight, contracting the muscle as hard as you can, doing some sort of full range of motion. But with that, it’s okay to do partial reps at the end.”
For instance, Walker did two sets with 315 lbs weight on the hack squats. After finishing the second set, he removed two plates from the weight stack and did the lighter set to failure. He employed a partial range of motion and squatted down to a level where his legs were bent at a 90-degree angle, not going all the way down.
“Another one and I think that will help contract the muscle, which in turn will give the muscle a bit of a bigger pump, which in my belief, a bigger pump means bigger muscle. Because now with that bigger pump you’re now gonna go home, feed the nutrients into that direct area where all that blood is and it’s going to grow…” Walker claimed.
The 2021 Arnold Classic winner observed that people usually overload the machines and perform the exercise with poor form and technique. While this can stimulate the muscles to a degree, Walker feels it is never going to produce the results that we hope for.
“You might have a big a**! But your quads didn’t get nothing out of it!” Walker joked.
“So lower the weight, contract the muscle as hard as you can and top trying to ego-lift,” he concluded.
‘You don’t need to use weights on walking lunges’ – Nick Walker explains why
Walker stated that he can contract his muscles really hard doing bodyweight exercises. As a result, his legs were far more pumped after doing lunges than they were after hack squats.
“So again, it’s not about the weight. It’s about control. That’s what grows. If I started with lunges, I might use weights for sure. But towards the end, there is no need for it. Your legs are already fried…”
“In my mind, I could use weight but I don’t really see a need for it, you know. If you’re contracting and training as hard as you are on the other exercises, really shouldn’t feel the need for weight on walking lunges,” Walker stated.
Even if you want to progressively overload, Walker warned that it is not going to help to carry heavy dumbbells on lunges toward the end of the workout.
“You’re not going to feel it and you put yourself at a high risk of injury. It is pointless,” Walker concluded.
Walker listed his learnings about growth and stated that if you know how to control the weight, you will not need high volume. Secondly, training the leg muscles more frequently is extremely beneficial as long as you have a proper way to recover.
Walker gives prep update
Nick Walker gave some important updates about his prep and stated that his weight hasn’t changed too much since starting the 2023 Olympia prep. He is hovering in the 290 to 294 lbs ( kg) territory. The Mutant was hoping to be in the 280 to 285 lbs range. However, he has experienced some noticeable changes in his body composition.
“But overall, things have been going really smooth, really well. Matt’s (Coach Matt Jansen) really happy with how we’re progressing with the training. He’s very happy…” Nick Walker said.
Nick Walker will have a third crack at the Olympia title in November 2023. If he continues to train with the same approach and intensity, he can very well become the next Mr. Olympia.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Nick Walker’s personal YouTube channel:
Published: 7 July, 2023 | 2:08 PM EDT
Nick Walker Says His ‘Gut Feeling’ Is That He and Derek Lunsford Will Fight in Top 2 at 2023 Mr. Olympia
Nick Walker is ready to exact his revenge against fellow star Derek Lunsford at the upcoming 2023 Mr. Olympia. In a Mutant and the Mouth Podcast, Walker discussed his prep and chances against top contenders this November on the sport’s biggest stage.
The 2022 Mr. Olympia event served as one of the most surprising shake-ups to the Men’s Open division in recent years. In a stunning upset, former two-time champion Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay was ousted from his throne. Instead, Hadi Choopan, Derek Lunsford, and Nick Walker battled for gold.
Ultimately, Choopan emerged victorious and won his first Mr. Olympia title. Nick Walker, however, continued to improve on the big stage and took home a third-place finish. His rival, former 212 Olympia-turned-Open threat, Derek Lunsford, left Sin City with silver.
On the heels of his best Olympia performance, Walker entered the 2023 Arnold Classic on short notice. At the event, he faced Samson Dauda and Andrew Jacked in the finals. In the end, ‘The Nigerian Lion’ came out on top in a close affair. His victory prompted discussions online and in the community about judging standards.
Looking ahead, Walker is convinced Dauda won’t pose a threat to the Mr. Olympia title this Nov. Despite having taken runner-up to Dauda in March, ‘The Mutant’ insists the next Mr. Olympia trophy will be held by either himself or Lunsford.
With the massive event approaching, fans and bodybuilding veterans have named frontrunners. Former eight-time Mr. Olympia kingpin Ronnie Coleman is one of them. He argued Lunsford will defeat Hadi Choopan when the two meet for a second time later this year. Walker, on the other hand, believes 2023 will be his year to shine when the contest returns to Orlando, Florida.
“I Honestly Feel This Is My Year,” – Nick Walker Talks 2023 Olympia Prep & Derek Lunsford
In 2022, Walker was forced to navigate most of his off-season without his coach Matt Jansen. Given that Jansen oversees Walker’s diet, training, and supplementation, the 28-year-old said it impacted his results last year. However, that won’t be the case for his preparations in 2023.
“Yeah he [Derek Lunsford] beat me right, I kind of called that,” said Nick Walker. “Yeah, talking about having a half-ass off-season last year compared to how things have went this year. I personally feel… you know with the 20 weeks I’m going to have now, no travel, strictly just fucking focus, right? Knock on wood no hiccups, I honestly feel this is my year. I honestly do. I feel like everything is aligned and there’s always you know, Matt’s happy, I’m happy right? So he’s the one that has to look at me, so if he has no issues and everything keeps flowing the way it’s going, I personally feel this will be the year.”
Hadi Choopan vs. Derek Lunsford at 2023 Olympia? Walker Says Lunsford Wins.
Walker believes Lunsford would defeat Choopan in a rematch and added that it’s ‘inevitable’ that Derek wins a future Mr. Olympia show.
“If it came down to Hadi and Derek this year… and you’re a betting man, who do you bet on?” asks Guy Cisternino.
“Derek. And listen, I’ll probably get a lot of shit from the Hadi fans because I still get roasted,” said Walker. “He’s a Mr. Olympia, that’s it. He was slaying people when he was 212 in the Open. And he has some of the best conditioning, hands down, probably the best in my opinion. Not last year but the couple years prior, peeled to the bone.
But I think me and Derek are young, we’re fresh. I think – I don’t want to disrespect Hadi and say he’s getting older and the time clock is ticking here… but I think the only reason why Derek lost to Hadi was from the front. If Derek’s backside matched the front, Derek is going to win, it’s inevitable, Derek would have won,” said Walker.
“I just have a gut feeling that it will be me and him in the final two,” added Walker.
Walker Back Up to 294 Lbs, Talks Off-Season Updates & Cardio
Even though Walker dropped 10 pounds during his trip to Canada, he says his body has rebounded nicely as he’s now tipping the scales at 293 pounds.
“I actually think this weekend is 19 [weeks away from 2023 Olympia]. I believe so [we’re inside 20 weeks] yeah. Yeah, [cardio] is 20 minutes six days a week. That was my off-season cardio as well. With all the traveling I kind of slacked a little bit, it’s whatever. Now, it’s steady, it’s consistent so.”
“What I like to do in the mornings is all I’ll do my 20 minutes of cardio. I’ll turn it on [the sauna] and heat it up. I’ll train abs for a good 15 minutes or so or whatever. Yeah [at my house]. Right now, [crunches] if I don’t feel like doing them I’ll obviously go to the gym and after training hit them.”
He also specified that he’s eating less food compared to last year’s season.
“Yeah, I mean obviously, I don’t think the food if I can remember… because last year was a bad off-season, you know that. I don’t think I was eating as much this off-season compared to last off-season. But this is where I’ll say genetics plays a huge role. I think when you are able to just train the way you adapt, the way I’m adapting to this, I don’t need a shit ton of fucking food to grow.
Genetically, it’s just boom boom. I lost 10 pounds when I went to Canada for the Canadian tour. I was like 284-ish. And now I’m back up to 293 and I texted Matt and said, ‘Bro, I don’t know my weight is not – we’re not doing anything different I don’t know what’s going on.’ He’s like, ‘You’re not getting fat don’t worry about it.”
Derek Lunsford has given his thoughts on an impending showdown with Nick Walker. In a recent Muscular Development interview with Ron Harris, Lunsford was asked how he felt when media outlets said he was scared to face Walker at the 2023 Arnold Classic. The former 212 champ laughed off the comments and stressed that he’s ‘staying in his lane’ ahead of his next showing.
Walker, meanwhile, harshly evaluated some of his peers’ physiques during an HD Muscle video appearance. According to Walker, Samson Dauda’s back is ‘shit’ and added that Big Ramy is done. In addition, he said Andrew Jacked, who took third at the recent Arnold Classic, won’t sniff out a top-five placing at this year’s Olympia.
Having trained together in the past, Walker and Lunsford’s professional rivalry will be on full display later this year. If history dictates the future, Walker is slated to move up in placings at the Mr. Olympia contest in November.
You can watch the full video from The Mutant and the Mouth YouTube channel:
Published: 6 July, 2023 | 3:25 PM EDT
Nick Walker on 2023 Olympia: ‘Samson Dauda’s Back is Shit, Big Ramy Is Done & Andrew Jacked Won’t Make Top 5’
Nick Walker‘s brutally honest personality was on full display during a recent interview. In an HD Muscle YouTube video, Walker revealed his top five for 2023 Mr. Olympia and examined contenders expected to compete this November.
“Everyone is just getting better, that’s just the reality. The newcomers are getting better and better and the older guys are going out. The young kids are coming up,” said Nick Walker.
The Men’s Open division’s popularity is at an all-time high following the last two major bodybuilding shows. Last year’s Mr. Olympia contest was filled with twists, turns, and unexpected surprises as Hadi Choopan claimed gold in a memorable affair. However, the former two-time champ, Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay‘s night did not go as planned. He was sidelined for most of prejudging and was eventually awarded fifth place.
Nick Walker, on the other hand, improved on the Mr. Olympia stage once again in third with 212-turned-Open talent Derek Lunsford securing runner-up. Instead of using the time to rebound, Walker jumped back into the 2023 Arnold Classic on short notice. He faced Samson Dauda and Andrew Jacked in Columbus, Ohio, — two names he already defeated on the Olympia stage.
In the end, Samson Dauda’s shape, symmetry, proportions, and conditioning proved to be a winning combination. And while he bested Walker on that night, ‘The Mutant’ isn’t convinced Samson will contend for gold at this year’s Mr. Olympia. In a Mutant and the Mouth Podcast, Walker said it would either be himself or Lunsford accepting the first-place trophy.
With less than five months until the biggest bodybuilding show on the calendar, preparations are heating up for everyone, including Walker. Before capping off his brief off-season, the 28-year-old picked apart some of the top names he intends to face in the coming months.
Nick Walker’s Top 5 for 2023 Mr. Olympia, Talks Hunter Labrada’s Path to Redemption, Samson Dauda & Big Ramy
Walker believes the 2023 Mr. Olympia top five will feature himself, Hadi Choopan, Derek Lunsford, Samson Dauda, and Hunter Labrada. Similar to Labrada, Walker says Samson’s weakest body part is his back.
“To be honest, I think it will be me, Hadi, Derek, I think Samson will jump into the top five, it’s four right there right? And I’m going to throw one out there, I think Hunter is going to get a spot back,” said Walker. “Well, okay, if we’re going to talk facts, Samson’s got a shit back too. I don’t know. Neither is Samson’s [back 3D]. Samson’s is flat as a board. There’s nothing going on there. From the front Samson is a monster but he turns around, wait what happened?”
In Walker’s opinion, Big Ramy is done. However, he mentioned that he’s still young enough to take time off and return with improvements.
“I think Ramy is done. I think Ramy is done,” said Walker. I do know Ramy, he’s done. Oh my God, he’s the sweetest guy.”
“I don’t think he’s done but he needs the year off to refocus, do some shit, and then come back. He’s still not young young, but he’s still young enough where he can make some changes.”
Nick predicts Labrada will have to win a battle against rookie Justin Shier to earn his spot on the Olympia stage.
“It is [Hunter’s weak spot is his back] but I think Hunter is hungry. [He was] devastated [after last year]. He knows what he needs to do. Do I think it’s going to be a while before his back catches up? Sure. But do I think it looks a lot better already? Yeah. So if he wins, which he probably will… he’s got plenty of time to keep making improvements.”
“I think that will be a battle [at Chicago Pro]. If Hunter can peak right and obviously we all know Matt doesn’t miss – so Justin [Shier] will be peaked. That’s going to be a battle. It’s going to be tough. I think Hunter overall is a little overwhelming than Justin. He’s a little wider and bigger but Justin’s can just hang, if Justin is a little better conditioned and peaked right, I think he can take out Hunter.”
“I’ll use Chris Bumstead as an example, one year he had no back, the following year he had the best back in Classic. That was one year. All it takes is hard work.”
Andrew Jacked Top 5? Walker says NO.
When asked about Andrew Jacked, Walker doesn’t believe he’ll outshine Samson Dauda or place in the top five this November.
“No [Andrew Jacked won’t make top five at 2023 Olympia]. No way [he beats Samson Dauda]. No. No. No. I have Samson, I have him in the top 6-8 spot,” added Walker.
Michal Krizo
As for Michal Krizo, Walker admits he’s big but doesn’t see him doing better than 10th. He added that Hadi didn’t win soundly last year so he doesn’t see him as a dominant titleholder like Phil Heath was.
“No [not a fan of his]. No, he’s big. He’s a big boy. But no. I see him maybe 10th. Maybe,” Walker said. “I think, listen, Hadi is great but just in my opinion, he’s a one-hit-wonder. He wasn’t like a Phil Heath where he won and you’re like, ‘Oh shit.’ I didn’t feel that with him, you know. With the competition now, even if I win, I don’t think it’s guaranteed I win again.”
Walker Casts Doubt on Blessing Awodibu & Regan Grimes This Year
According to Walker, until Awodibu brings up his legs, he will remain in the third call-out at Olympia. In addition, he doubted Regan Grimes’ potential and said he doesn’t think he ‘has the heart’ for bodybuilding.
“Blessing needs to get some legs before he talks shit,” said Walker. “I love Blessing but I think… Blessing just has – he’s afraid to ask for help. It’s like – I tried to help him, I’ve had friends try to give him advice, but Blessing is like ‘I don’t want advice.’ Alright, well that’s why you’re in the third call-out. And he was in the third call-out.”
“Regan, listen, he’s a nice guy. He should stick to the IG stuff. Listen, I just don’t think he has the mindset. Now that I’m around him a lot, I don’t think he has the heart. I don’t think he has the consistency. Bodybuilding is I’d say 100% mindset, yes. If your mind is not in this you will fail. He doesn’t look any different to me. He doesn’t, I’m sorry but he doesn’t. Yeah [it’s a mental thing] of course. I think he wants to but he’s just always distracted by other shit. Unfortunately, if you want to be at the top you unfortunately have to cut everything off. You have to be all in,”
After wrapping up his discussion on the Open class, Walker shared that Phil Heath won’t be coming back. When asked why, he pointed to monetary reasons.
“No, no. They [Masters Olympia] ain’t paying enough for him to come back,” Walker shared.
With contest schedules intensifying, plenty of top names have offered their take on who will become the next Mr. O. William Bonac, a two-time Arnold Classic titleholder, is convinced Choopan will repeat as champion later this year. Yet, former eight-time Olympia winner Ronnie Coleman doesn’t agree. He recently stated that Derek Lunsford will overthrow Choopan to become the next Mr. Olympia.
Samson Dauda has been open about his game plan for his sophomore Olympia appearance. He and his trainer Milos Sarcev agree that his only path to victory against Lunsford and Choopan is by bringing a more complete back. With that in mind, Dauda believes once his back is on par with the rest of his physique, the title will be his.
Given that Nick Walker has yet to slip on the Mr. Olympia stage, it’s hard to imagine he won’t showcase improvements in November. With how close last year’s show was, fans look forward to seeing who becomes the 18th man in history to win a Sandow trophy.
RELATED: Hadi Choopan Looks Ripped in 2023 Off-Season Physique Update Ahead of Title Defense
You can watch the full HD Muscle YouTube video below:
Published: 29 June, 2023 | 11:37 AM EDT
Nick Walker Gets Pushback on Transformation: ‘Look How Much HGH Has Enlarged His Organs’
American bodybuilder Nick Walker has quickly become one of the top Men’s Open contenders in the running for the coveted Mr. Olympia title. While he’s known for his freakish muscle mass and size, there was a time when he did not look this huge. In a recent Instagram post, Walker got pushback from fans on his insane body transformation photo.
Nick Walker first rose to prominence for his immense muscle mass, size, and conditioning after he dominated the competition at the 2021 New York Pro. He followed up with another commanding victory at the 2021 Arnold Sports Festival before concluding the season with an impressive fifth-place finish in his Mr. Olympia debut.
Following the result, Walker worked hard in the off-season and exhibited a significantly improved package at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, where he took bronze. He was last seen in action at the 2023 Arnold Classic three months ago. He turned in a stellar performance but fell short to Samson Dauda for the top prize.
Walker tipped the scales at 280 pounds and detailed his mindset for different phases of contest prep last month. While he did not report significant changes in his diet, he started implementing a more serious supplement stack. Then, he opened up on the changes in his training after taking silver in his last outing. He encouraged his fans to focus on being consistent with diet and training instead of relying on steroids for improvements in the gym.
Olympia judge Terrick El Guindy is confident Walker is destined for the Mr. Olympia title. He called on Walker to enhance his quad muscles to the level of bodybuilding veteran Branch Warren to better his chances of winning the coveted Sandow trophy.
‘The Mutant’ gave fans a look into the supplements and the shake he utilizes in the morning to improve digestion weeks ago. He issued an inspirational post boasting his huge legs crediting high-intensity training for the positive changes in his physique as well.
Nick Walker smashed a heavy push-day workout and cautioned his fans against reaching muscle failure in training. He also revealed that his intention is to shed weight and downsize after hanging up his posing trunks last week.
Nick Walker Gets Pushback on Insane Body Transformation Snap
In a recent Instagram post, Nick Walker faced backlash from the fans on a body transformation photo he shared which highlighted the stark differences in his now-muscle-bound physique.
“Never stop believing. Never let anyone tell you that you can’t do something, stay focus, rid of all distraction that’s hindering your performance, hindering your mindset,” captioned Walker. “Put yourself first always, shine brighter then you ever thought you could.”
“Bro took 6g of creatine instead of 5,” commented one.
“Another dude on steroids acting like everyone can achieve this naturally. The delusion is real,” wrote another.
A user responded, “Bro changed his DNA.”
“Haters will say he’s not natty”
“on the right side i see a healthy young man on the left side i see a basically seriously ill man whose organs injected with drugs will probably cost him his young life at some point… the parallels to dallas mc carver are amazing. I wish the best !!!”
“When people say ‘It’s not drugs, it’s genetics. These guys would be the best built men even without steroids” I always think of pics like this”
“Look how much the hGH has enlarged his organs. Pelomboism.”
Nick Walker joined forces with online fitness sensation Tristyn Lee and Jared Feather for a brutal back workout days ago. He offered some of his best tips on optimizing volume training based on his years of experience.
RELATED: Bodybuilder Matthew Greggo Inspires with Epic 10-Year Body Transformation
His transformation shows just how far Walker has come as a competitor. He will aim to secure his first Mr. Olympia title in Nov. where he will face the reigning champion Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford, the only two men to place above him last year.
Published: 28 June, 2023 | 4:42 PM EDT
Nick Walker Teams Up With Tristyn Lee And Jared Feather To Build A Thick Back
Bodybuilder Nick Walker is all set to start his competition prep for 2023 Olympia and get ready take on the top contenders. He revealed the update during a back training session with Tristyn Lee and Jared Feather.
New Jersey native Nick Walker is one of the most talented bodybuilders in the IFBB Pro League’s Men’s Open division. After earning the IFBB pro card by winning the 2020 North American Championships, achieving the Olympia goal has been the singular focus of Walker’s professional life. He made the pro debut with a fourth place finish at the 2020 Chicago Pro. However, 2021 saw him elevate his career to a whole new year. The Mutant earned a direct qualification with a win at the 2021 New York Pro and also won the 2021 Arnold Classic shortly after. Interestingly, both wins came within a year of him earning the Pro card.
Walker surged past many top contenders en route to a fifth place finish at the 2021 Olympia. However, top five was not good enough for him and he took an extended break from competition to improve his physique further. The results showed when Walker dominated the stage alongside Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan to secure a third-place finish at the 2022 Olympia. He made a quick turnaround and competed at the 2023 Arnold Classic, finishing second. He is now all set to start the 2023 Olympia prep and go after Hadi Choopan for the most prestigious professional bodybuilding title.
For his recent back training session, Walker Partnered with fitness influencer Tristyn Lee. The 20-year-old shot to fame as a teenager. The shredded physique and immersive social media content have made Lee a popular figure in the YouTube fitness community. In recent weeks, Lee shared an insane 17000-calorie Carnivore Big Mac recipe and also appeared on Seth Feroce’s podcast where he teased bodybuilding ventures in 2024 and also reiterated the claim that he has been natty all his life.
Tristyn Lee and Nick Walker went through the back workout under coach and IFBB Pro Jared Feather’s guidance. So let’s see how this passionate trio of bodybuilders tackled the workout.
Nick Walker goes through a back workout with Tristyn Lee
Walker gave a glimpse of his training routine and spoke about the plan of action before starting with the workout. He said:
“This is almost the start of my Olympia prep. Travelling is now done, to my knowledge at least…”
“I was at the Canada tour, I took about four days off, did like two deload days before so now the body’s nice and fresh. So now we’re just gonna ease our way up in training, progress each week as we do it.”
With that, the team jumped right into the workout and performed every exercise with perfect technique and range of motion.
Cable Pullover
Walker and Lee started the training session with a cable lat pullover to get a ‘good nice stretch, nice warm-up’ for the back muscles before delving into the heavier and complex movements. Jared Feather also performed the workout but he watched others carefully to ensure the duo performed each rep with correct technique.
Feather prefers to be in the most disadvantageous position for the lats at the top of the movement. Therefore he bends down more than usual and lets the arms go high above at the beginning of the rep. He does not allow the elbows to sink down to compensate for the lats either.
“Take a bicep curl for example. People will say you should curl here (slightly closer to the body than perpendicular) because you are in the most advantageous position to produce force because the joints are stacked. But you actually get more out of it (the exercise) when you’re in a disadvantageous position. So it’s very similar to this,” He added.
After demolishing some solid sets of the exercise, the trio moved on to the next exercise.
Smith Machine Rows
The trio next took to the Smith machine variation of bent over barbell rows. Considered as the king of back building exercises, bent over rows primarily target the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, spinal erectors and trapezius muscles. However, they also engage the entire posterior chain of muscles and help with strength and muscle gain. Using the Smith machine eliminates the need to control the weight as the barbell moves along the fixed trajectory. Walker, Lee and Feather performed the exercise with slow and controlled motion. Walker started out light and worked his way up to 275 lbs weight for the top set. Following this, the training partners took to another rowing movement next.
Machine Seated Rows
Walker and team jumped into seated rows on the M-Torture plate-loaded machine next. Seated rows target all the back muscles like latissimus dorsi, spinal erectors, rhomboids and traps. They are an essential exercise to build a thick back. Additionally, seated rows are beneficial in improving the upper body posture. The training partners performed the movement unilaterally to focus on the movement. Feather instructed Walker to move slowly through the eccentric phase of the movement to keep the muscles under tension for a longer duration. After pushing through a few heavy sets of rows, Walker and company wrapped up the training session.
Overall, the workout consisted of following exercises:
The back workout with Tristyn Lee and Jared Feather had relatively fewer exercises than we are used to watching him perform traditionally. However, Walker shed light on Feather’s contribution to his training and spoke about his learnings about training volume.
“Jared helped me a lot with technique again today. Helped me more, you know, in getting the stretch, making sure I’m feeling it in the areas which is, cool. It’s like you realize you don’t need a ton of volume to wreck the muscle. If you directly hit the muscle the way you should be, one or two sets really, you’re good to go,” Walker said after the workout.
Nick Walker has a proven track record of advancing his physique every time he steps on the stage. As he gets ready to start the competition prep for the 2023 Olympia, one can’t help but wonder if this is the year when The Mutant wears the Olympia crown.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Nick Walker’s personal YouTube channel:
Published: 23 June, 2023 | 12:26 AM EDT
Brett Wilkin Eyes Top 10 Olympia Debut, Nick Walker Reveals Plans to Downsize Post-Retirement
American bodybuilder Brett Wilkin is one of the fastest-rising stars in the IFBB Pro League. In a recent appearance on The Mutant and The Mouth, Wilkin shared his ambitions for his maiden Olympia appearance. Fellow competitor Nick Walker opened up about his plans to downsize after retirement and Guy Cisternino revealed the truth behind understanding calcium scores.
Brett Wilkin started out in the Classic Physique division in the early days of his career under the NPC. He earned his IFBB Pro Card as a Classic Physique competitor after a win at the 2018 NPC Junior Nationals. However, he chose to switch to the Men’s 212 class for his Pro debut at the 2019 IFBB Puerto Rico Pro. Then, he made his way to the 2019 Toronto Pro Supershow to make his second and final appearance in the 212 category.
Following the underwhelming performances, Wilkin took to the sidelines and worked hard in the training room to level up his physique. After a two-year hiatus, he returned and switched divisions to make a splash in the Men’s Open group. The decision worked wonders for him as he narrowly missed out on the top prize to Hunter Labrada and placed runner-up at the 2021 Chicago Pro.
Wilkin kicked off his run with a sixth-place finish at the 2022 Arnold Sports Festival. He gave fans a look into his gigantic 6,000-calorie diet and supplement stack he utilized to pack on the pounds in the off-season last August.
‘The Butcher’ joined forces with Shaun Clarida for an intense push-day workout in Aug. 2022. He followed that up by partnering with rising sensation Nick Walker for a fierce lower-body training session where they targeted quads weeks later.
Although Brett Wilkin did not earn an invite for the 2022 Mr. Olympia, he continued to work his way up the ranks. He laid out the 4,000-calorie diet he was using to get ready for his next appearance. Then, he collaborated with Hunter Labarda for a sleeve-busting arm workout to get ready for their guest-posing appearance at the 2022 Colorado Cup.
Wilkin amped up his training with a challenging shoulder workout in preparation for earning an invite to the Olympia last October. His hard work paid off as he turned heads with his impressive physique at the 2022 Romania Muscle Fest Pro, where he scored the silver medal. Wilkin finally secured his place in the lineup for the 2023 Mr. Olympia by defeating the competition at the 2022 Bigman Weekend Pro.
Brett Wilkin Shares Positive Update, Says He Never Eats More than 8oz of Protein per Meal
In a recent YouTube video, Brett Wilkin and Nick Walker agreed on their preferred host city for Mr. Olympia contests.
Walker said, “I like Vegas. Now that I’ve done both, Florida and Vegas, I prefer Vegas.”
Wilkin shared positive updates about his health as he gets back to training full force. He revealed he limits protein to 8 oz per meal and detailed his cheat meal philosophy.
“I took the whole week off and now I actually, my body feels good,” said Wilkin. “I went back to the gym today first time. Now going to start doing another push into July and then going down from there.”
“I still do [dirty shakes] just to keep the calories high. It’s not really that dirty. I’m not hungry in the morning even after I do cardio in the morning and stuff. I do a shake in the morning I’ll do like 130 grams of quick oats, 150 grams of blueberries, 35 grams of almond butter, protein powder, water, and then literally just a couple squirts of chocolate to give it more taste. Then the rest of the day is whole foods.”
“I’ve never gone higher than 8 oz of a protein, meats is the highest I’ll go. Just because like my body starts rejecting the protein part of it. So, what I’ll adjust always in the off-season is protein usually stays the same as prep and then I’ll just adjust carbs and fats, just increase those, more so carbs.”
“I’ve never done the cheat day thing. I can’t be somebody that eats like 15,000 calories a day. I would hate that. What I do is I’ll end up having like three or four cheats a week so I just do them on my legs day or my back day. That’s usually like just get Five Guys or some Mexican or something. It’s just I have to stay in caloric surplus.”
Brett Wilkin highlighted the importance of working around the risk of getting injured.
“We also gotta look at injury prevention, not being an idiot, keeping the weight at the point so we can continue to do this week to week because that’s an easy way to shut down the career fast. We’re not Superman anymore.”
Guy Cisternino shares how to understand calcium scores & talks running with Nick Walker
Guy Cisternino shared the truth behind understanding calcium scores properly. He claimed the scores are not a concrete method of predicting issues and explained how the process worked.
“It’s so crazy how the calcium scores go up and down based on… it’s all genetic because I asked my doctor flat out. I’m like doc, listen, is there anything that I’m taking that’s causing the calcium to possibly like, this to happen with bodybuilding drugs and he goes no. He goes, it’s genetic. I asked him if there’s anything I took bodybuilding wise that affected my calcium score, he said no. And I went to two different doctors. Calcium score is not covered under insurance because it’s not a very well-known test. There’s not a lot of research done, it’s a newer test, and they don’t know a lot about it.
“The analogy the doctor gave me, he goes, the problem with the calcium score is we don’t know if the straw is up or down, meaning you could have calcium building up an artery wall but trickling down the side and it could never cause a blockage. Or you could have calcium building straight up that actually is causing a blockage but there’s no real way to tell. That’s the problem. So, the calcium score or the number doesn’t really give any significance.”
Nick Walker revealed his plans to stay around 220 pounds post-retirement. Cisternino recommended he downsize, especially the lower body, to make running easier.
Walker said, “I would like to get more active when I retire.”
“I started running for about three weeks,” replied Cisternino. “I was following a running program, just running a little bit every day. The amount of weight I was dropping just running was f**king absurd. I couldn’t keep weight on just running like intervals in the morning. The weight was flying off me it’s insane. Not only that, trying to run [with big legs] sucks. You’re going to have to downsize a lot if you want to run, run.”
“I’d like to be 220 (pounds),” said Walker. “That would be my goal weight.”
Wilkin targets top 10 finish in Olympia debut
Brett Wilkin expects to go up against a stacked lineup in his first Mr. Olympia appearance and would be content with a top-10 placing.
“Being around long enough now that I’ve learned you also gotta pay your dues man,” said Wilkin. “I can name two guys, probably a few more out there, but I can name two guys that are ever top five in their first Olympia, that’s Phil Heath and Nick Walker recently. It’s one of those things that I got to be realistic and think about last year, Andrew Jacked got what, eighth or ninth place in his first Olympia, things like that. You gotta work your way up. I’m going to prepare. I’m just excited to complete again, go through the diet and then this lineup’s going to be crazy. I don’t think people realize. Last year was what I think 28 to 30 guys. This year there’s only going to be 16 or 17 guys. Think about the shows ahead of us, Chicago, Tampa, Texas, these are going to be stacked. It’s going to be a battle. There’s going to be a lot of guys missing out.”
“I would love to get into the top ten that would be a huge goal for this lineup, first Olympia. I’m not going to be disappointed either way,” continued Wilkin. “It’s just about I need to make a footprint where judges are like oh sh*t, he brought it. And I gotta build from that. First year is about making that footprint, showing that I’m serious, and then I gotta build from that.”
Brett Wilkin collaborated with reigning four-time Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead for a grueling leg workout two months ago. He followed that up by smashing a heavy back workout with renowned coach Joe Bennett last month.
You can watch the full video below.
RELATED: Bodybuilders Brett Wilkin and Iain Valliere Go Through A Killer Quad Workout
Published: 22 June, 2023 | 5:52 PM EDT
Nick Walker Crushes Push Day Workout, Emphasizes The Value of Avoiding Muscle Failure in Workouts
The gap between Nick Walker and Mr. Olympia title is narrowing each passing year. Having made it into the top three at the 2022 Olympia, Walker now trains to snatch it from reigning Mr. Olympia Hadi Choopan and recently went through a chest, shoulder and triceps workout as a part of this effort.
America’s own Nick Walker competes in the Men’s Open division of the IFBB Pro League. In a short span of three years, the 28-year-old has emerged to be a top Olympia contender. His resume includes impressive performances in six Pro bodybuilding shows. He holds dominant wins at the 2021 New York Pro and the 2021 Arnold Classic. The two Olympia appearances saw him secure fifth and third place finishes at the 2021 and the 2022 Olympia, respectively.
Making a quick turnaround after the 2022 Olympia, Nick Walker attempted to bring home the second Arnold Classic title in 2023. Walker was a massive favorite heading into the show. Experts in the bodybuilding community expected challengers like Andrew Jacked, Shaun Clarida and Samson Dauda to present a formidable challenge but rallied behind Walker to secure the win anyway. However, British bodybuilder Samson Dauda emerged as a dark horse and snatched the win from Walker after a neck-and-neck competition.
Nick Walker / Instagram
Although The Mutant had to be content with a runner-up finish, many people contested the result and opined that Walker deserved the judges’ nod. But he moved on from the argument quickly and started focusing his energies on improving the physique further to leave no doubt in judges’ minds the next time around.
As a part of his quest to win the Mr. Olympia title, Walker recently went through an off-season chest and triceps workout. So let’s check out how the 2021 Arnold Classic winner is pushing the limits to be the next Mr. Olympia.
Nick Walker goes through a push day workout
Pec Deck Flye
Nick Walker started the training session with pec deck flyes. Flye, an effective chest isolation movement, helps build adduction strength of the upper body. Additionally, the pec deck flye ranks high in terms of pectoral muscle activation, losing only to the bench press. As a result, it is a great exercise for achieving hypertrophy.
Walker stated that the angle of the machine used in this workout was slightly different, which presumably helped with muscle activation. The Mutant performed a couple of warm-up sets of this exercise and followed them up with two top sets to direct the blood into the chest. He stated that he does not need to push to failure every single time and only pushes to failure once in a while. Walker said:
“I have the size already so training to failure is good once in a while. But I’m also here for longevity. So doing an extra set of something rather than pushing one set to ultimate failure… Sometimes this isn’t a bad thing.”
He added:
“I still believe in training to failure. But I think utilizing reps from the reserve can also be beneficial in terms of growth. Because I feel like sometimes if you push the body too much and train to failure too often, you’re just fatiguing the body more… Not necessarily giving the rest your body truly needs, which is where reps in reserve come to play where instead of doing one or two sets to failure maybe do three sets of 12. But the reps… This is where you have to be really in tune with the muscle.”
Even though this method is less fatiguing, Walker feels it can lead to more growth. Following this, he took the first heavy compound exercise of the day.
Incline Dumbbell Press
Incline movements emphasize the clavicular head of the pectoralis major muscle and help build the upper chest by giving it a more fuller look. Walker took to the incline dumbbell press next and annihilated a few good sets. He started with the 40 lbs dumbbells for the warm-up set and slowly worked his way up, performing eight to ten rep in each set. Walker made sure that he performed the eccentric phase of each movement with really slow and controlled motion to keep the muscles under tension for a longer duration.
Machine Chest Press
After working with the free weights for the previous exercise, the New Jersey native jumped into the machine chest press. Weights on the machine move along a fixed trajectory and hence eliminate the need to control the weights. This results in overall reduced chances of injury.
The machine chest press served as the final chest exercise in Walker’s routine as he got a few sets of the exercise under his belt and shifted the focus on other muscle groups.
Lateral Raise – Machine and Cable
After wrapping up the chest routine, the 2021 Arnold Classic winner took up the shoulder exercises and performed machine lateral raises to work the medial deltoids. He cranked out 2 sets of 15 reps of the exercise on a machine.
Nick Walker’s shoulder routine typically consists of only medial and anterior deltoid exercises. For him, posterior deltoids deserve a place in the back workout. Walker explained:
“I normally always do two side delt exercises but I might start incorporating like maybe one press, one side or one side and one front. And I just think about side delts – they can never be too big in my opinion. I like to keep rear delts with back now. To me, I just feel like rear delts could be part of shoulders so if you train with shoulders, completely fine in my opinion. But for me it’s part of back.”
The Mutant then moved on to the cable machine variation of the same. Cable machines keep the muscles under tension throughout the range of motion and help bring about hypertrophy more effectively. While doing the lateral raises, Walker raises his hands higher than usual. Explaining the logic behind this, he said:
“I don’t really train the traps directly because I do feel like doing the side laterals really high, even though it really targets the side laterals really well, I do think no matter what, you’re going to engage a little bit of traps in there. So I really don’t think I need to directly hit traps.”
After pushing through a few sets of cable lateral raises next, Walker took to the final exercise of the day.
Smith Machine Skull Crushers
With chest and shoulder exercises in the books, it was time for the New Jersey native to target the next important muscle group for pushing – triceps. Walker first performed the skull crushers on a Smith machine to emphasize on the xx head of the triceps and then jumped into the final exercise of the day.
Machine Overhead Triceps Extensions
Walker wrapped up the training session with this exercise. Overhead triceps extensions work the muscles from a stretched position as well as a different angle. Hence they help emphasize the long head of triceps.
Walker did a few sets of the exercise with furious intensity to add the final bit of stimulus to the muscles and called it a day in the gym.
Overall, the workout consisted of:
Nick Walker has made tremendous progress in his career so far. When the 2023 Olympia weekend kicks off, Derek Lunsford and reigning champion Hadi Choopan will probably be the only competitors Standing in Walker’s way if he continues to train with similar intensity in the months to come. Whether he can get past them or not depends solely on his drive to push the limits of his body.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Nick Walker’s personal YouTube channel:
More on Push Day:
Published: 16 June, 2023 | 10:57 AM EDT
Nick Walker on Leg Training for Gains and Chasing the Pump: “Embrace the Suffering”
Men’s Open bodybuilder Nick Walker is eying his next competition taking place in November at 2023 Mr. Olympia. In a recent Going Deep Podcast, Walker discussed leg training, chasing the pump, and the importance of embracing suffering during contest preps.
“People need to understand when you’re suffering, you’re hungry, you’re tired, your strength goes down, you’re in a good spot, it’s a good thing,” Walker shared.
Over the last three years, Nick Walker’s presence in the IFBB Pro League was impossible to ignore. In 2021, he secured consecutive victories at the New York Pro and Arnold Classic. With an imposing combination of muscle density and conditioning, Walker quickly found himself in the top five at his first Mr. Olympia contest.
Following the success, Walker laid out goals for his 2022 season, which included adding size and trimming down his waistline. He opted out of the Arnold Classic won by Brandon Curry to focus on improvements for bodybuilding’s biggest show of the year. Ultimately, the 2022 Olympia event was won by Hadi Choopan, though Walker once again proved himself in third place.
Unlike his rival Derek Lunsford, who chose to stay on the sidelines after the Las Vegas show, Walker entered the 2023 Arnold Classic on short notice. He was denied the title by Samson Dauda in a close-fought battle. In spite of the setback, Walker is fully committed to bringing his best when he returns to the stage in less than six months.
RELATED: How to Get A Skin-Splitting Muscle Pump
Nick Walker ‘Embraces Suffering’ in 2023 Off-Season, Talks Chasing the Pump & Leg Training
Walker reflected on his average rep count during leg workouts and looked back on a tough training session.
“Yes 12-15 reps on leg exercises,” Walker shared. “He didn’t give zero fuc*s. He just ran me through it very very hard. I remember our first actual exercise was a superset of banded leg press and then walking lunges. I could have been done after that, I’m going to be honest, I’m like I’m good.
And then he’s like okay time for hacks. I’m like what? Then we move to hacks and he’s like okay time to move to – I’m like what the fuc*? I went home woke up the next day and felt like I was legit hit by a school bus, so that was fun I enjoyed it. But then I kept coming back every week. People wanted to train legs with us and then we would put them through it and make them throw up.”
As for intensity, Walker explained that he used to train to near failure, but nowadays prefers to stop the movement once he feels an adequate pump.
“I like to think I will stop like as soon as that rep you know you hit, you’re like, ‘Whoa that’s the one.’ Then I kind of rack it,” explained Walker. “Yeah, I normally would get that feeling pause at the top and keep you know… I think that benefits, yes, do I think it helped me get to where I am today? Yes. Do I think I need to do it now? No. I don’t.”
“When I think rest and reserve, I’m honestly not going to be like oh I did like three. No, I’m going to be like, oh I left like one or two in the tank, something like that. It’s like, yeah, as skilled as I believe I am, you want me to believe I did a three r and r? I don’t really fuc*ing know that shit man.”
While it may surprise his audience, Walker believes suffering is an essential ingredient to future success. He added that when he’s struggling with strength, hunger, or energy levels, that’s typically an indicator that he’s losing body fat and getting peeled.
“It’s working [if I’m suffering] that means I’m getting peeled. Then things are going to plan,” said Walker. “Obviously there’s levels but when you’re suffering that hard – you don’t want to do – you’re tired, you’re suffering, you don’t want to get out of bed. That 315 squat last week feels like 600 pounds this week, it’s fuc*ing okay. It’s part of what it is. You have to be so mentally strong that you have to realize that this is part of it. This is what it is. Look at yourself in the mirror.”
“People think they get so caught up in losing muscle, that’s fine, but how do you look? Are you getting peeled? If so, then it’s okay. If you have a good coach, he’s going to know when to give you food again, when to pull. You just have to shut the fuc* up, do as your told and listen and embrace the suffering. A lot of people lack that, embracing.
I embrace this shit I fuc*ing love it. I complain a little bit but at the end of the day, that’s the part I know where it’s fuc*ing go time. I work even harder the more I suffer. That’s when things really start to move. And for me, I want that shit to happen faster now. So I’m going to work even harder to make it happen faster,” said Nick Walker.
This isn’t the first time Walker’s passion and mentality toward the sport was brought up. In a recent The Truth Podcast, Fouad Abiad and coach Hany Rambod laid out why Walker has been so successful at a young age. They stressed that Walker lives bodybuilding 24/7 and his commitment to the sport is unrivaled.
Walker is determined to endure the pain necessary to claim a Mr. Olympia title. As the winner of the Olympia People’s Champ Award last year, he has a strong chance of pushing Choopan at the upcoming contest.
Check out the full video below from the Going Deep Podcast:
RELATED: Nick Walker Shares ‘Morning Routine’ Supplement Stack and Shake for Optimal Digestion
Published: 31 May, 2023 | 3:05 PM EDT
Nick Walker Shares ‘Morning Routine’ Supplement Stack and Shake for Optimal Digestion
Nick Walker has quickly become one of the most talked-about names in bodybuilding. In a recent YouTube video, Walker gave a comprehensive look at his morning routine in the 2023 off-season, which included his supplement stack and a green smoothie recipe for gut health.
As a Men’s Open bodybuilder, Nick Walker continues to make strides toward his goal of winning the sport’s most prestigious honor. In 2021, he was the talk of the town after taking home consecutive titles at the New York Pro and Arnold Classic. At his first-ever Mr. Olympia show, Walker managed fifth place.
Aiming to present a tighter midsection with more size, Walker worked furiously last year, opting not to defend his title in Columbus, Ohio. Walker later proved himself in third against a deep lineup at the 2022 Olympia. However, the 28-year-old fell short of former 212 Olympia Derek Lunsford, and the newly crowned champion Hadi Choopan.
After taking bronze at the last Olympia contest, Walker entered the 2023 Arnold Classic on short notice. While he presented arguably the most conditioned physique on stage, the judges favored the shape, balance, and beauty of Samson Dauda. Nevertheless, Walker was undeterred by the outcome. He’s now even more eager to cement himself as a Mr. Olympia winner in November.
283-Lb Nick Walker Shares Morning Routine During 2023 Off-Season
Walker said he checks his weight daily and is currently sitting at 283 pounds.
“I like to check my weight I do it every morning it’s an OCD thing, you don’t have to do it, you shouldn’t do it, I don’t advise you to do it, but I do. Okay, 283 [pounds] this morning. I was 282 yesterday I believe, so that’s not bad.”
At the beginning of each morning, Walker drinks one liter of water to kickstart his digestion.
“I always drink one liter of water before I do anything. I just feel like drinking a good amount of water before your day starts kind of gets the body rolling, gets the metabolism rolling, gets everything rocking and it helps with digestion as well.”
Given the current intensity of his training routine, Walker doesn’t feel the need to push himself with excessive cardio. He stressed that too much cardio training can work against him and his physique in the long run.
“This is my off day. I feel like the style in which I’m training now I don’t feel I need to do as much cardio as I used to. I will do some in the morning. Like a light walk today. I alternate between bike and treadmill but also the stairs are coming to the house so that’ll be fun.
I don’t really go crazy hard intensity just because I feel my intensity within the training which is how I do things more frequently now. I just feel cardio overdoes it at this point so I’ve been pulling back on that a lot and I’m seeing my body respond a whole lot better. I don’t hold as much inflammation, even digestion is a little better. Like I said, if I do it, it’s just a little 20 minutes light, nothing crazy just to get the body rolling.”
“Cardio can be toxic whether it’s intense or not, especially being bigger holding a lot more muscle. You know, not to talk shit on skinny guys, they can go a lot longer than someone who is my size. They don’t have that weight. They don’t have that muscle capacity so to speak. They don’t fatigue as quickly as I do. The harder I train the more rest I’m going to need. Sometimes cardio plays a role in that recovery in a negative way. I’m still personally trying to find the balance of recovery, the frequency, how hard, I’ve got it down pretty good at this point.”
In addition to water, cardio, and checking the scale, Walker said detoxing in the infrared sauna is an essential part of his daily routine.
“I have my own sauna here, which all of you guys can have your own sauna, we got this from Medical Saunas, it’s infrared. It helps a lot. Sometimes I prefer this over cardio. You break a nice sweat. You get the benefits of eliminating inflammation and just taking all the stress out of you. Increase heart rate because you’re sweating. I think this is very beneficial.”
Walker’s ‘Green Morning Shake’ Recipe + Current Supplement Stack
Following cardio, Walker consumes a morning green shake on an empty stomach. He says the beverage contains Revive GI, Revive’s Daily Green Chocolate, and HD Muscle’s Glutamine.
“I like to come back and have my morning green shake. AKA my poop shake which consists of… I use Revive GI and I’ll use Revive’s Daily Green Chocolate, then I’ll use HD Muscle’s Glutamine, I like to do the Glutamine early in the morning on an empty stomach. It just helps speed up recovery and also aids in digestion, four scoops, 20 grams,” Walker stated.
Below, you can find ‘The Mutant’s’ full morning supplement stack.
“So we take a full serving of the Vita HD every morning. I normally kind of put them all in my mouth at once but since I’m talking, taking sips and taking sips. Then next we’ll do a partial serving of the Kidney HD, we’ll do another serving later in the day. Then we’ll do Liver HD. I do the full serving. Then we’ll do K2 one pill of these.
Then I have B3 which is 2000 IUs per pill, so I’ll take three. Then I take this Citrus Bergamont but HD just literally came out with theirs. I have not received mine yet so until my comes we’ll use this brand. Then we use a little baby aspirin and then vitamin C. I’ll do about 6,000 a day, these are 3,000 per pill, three in the morning, three in the afternoon.”
Vita HD
Kidney HD
Liver HD
K2
B3 (6,000 IUs 3x daily)
Baby aspirin
Vitamin C (6,000 mg 3x daily)
Before wrapping up the video, Walker reviewed his morning routine and his breakfast, which was a Megafit chicken meal with cream of rice, frozen blueberries, and almond butter.
“The morning routine, get up, take care of business. Do my water, morning cardio, little sauna, coffee run, morning poop shake, for breakfast we have some Megafit chicken, flavor gang Cream of rice, frozen blueberries, and almond butter, that’s pretty much what we do for our morning routine.”
This isn’t the first time Walker has been open about his progress in the 2023 off-season. In a Mutant and the Mouth podcast with Guy Cisternino, Walker said his strength increased and mentioned the intensity of his training/PEDs had changed recently.
Walker last appeared on stage for a guest posing appearance at the 2023 Pittsburgh Pro, where he was joined by a star-studded lineup. In the months to come, fans look forward to seeing Walker’s game plan unfold as he aims to take Hadi Choopan’s Mr. Olympia title.
RELATED: Terrick El Guindy: ‘If Nick Walker Has Branch Warren Quads, He Wins Mr. Olympia The Next 5 Years’
Watch the full video from Nick Walker’s YouTube channel below:
Published: 30 May, 2023 | 1:25 PM EDT
Terrick El Guindy: ‘If Nick Walker Has Branch Warren Quads, He Wins Mr. Olympia The Next 5 Years’
Judge Terrick El Guindy and Chris Cormier are weighing Nick Walker’s chances ahead of his 2023 Mr. Olympia appearance this November. In a recent Prime Time Muscle podcast, Cormier and El Guindy explained why quad improvements could lead to ‘The Mutant’ claiming gold later this year.
Cormier and Terrick El Guindy have become major voices in bodybuilding with consistent online appearances where they tackle current events. Over the last several months, the Men’s Open division has undergone significant changes. Most notably, Hadi Choopan won the 2022 Mr. Olympia title.
Months later, Nick Walker and Samson Dauda battled for gold in Ohio at the 35th Arnold Classic. After Bob Cicherillo called Dauda in first place, the community was shocked by the result. Online protests raged until Walker told fans to calm down.
In the aftermath, Cormier and El Guindy dissected the show and Walker’s second-place performance. Given the shape, beauty, and aesthetic features of Dauda and Andrew Jacked, El Guindy cautioned that this trend could mean trouble for Nick Walker or any bodybuilder who leans on freak factor and size to win shows.
Terrick El Guindy, Chris Cormier Say ‘Bigger Quads’ Gives Nick Walker ‘The Illusion’ of a Slimmer Waist for 2023 Mr. Olympia
According to Cormier, Walker would benefit from adding volume to his quads.
“He did a vacuum or pulled up [during a front double biceps pose] which is not a good look because his legs are shorter and his torso is longer but I did like the fact that he was starting to crunch down on the abs that shortens the waist a little bit and therefore gave him a more balanced look.
But I think there needs to be more depth to the quads, just from the front, not so much even the sweep, but just popping out towards the crowd. That’s going to be a whole other look for him. He’s right there. I think with a little tinkering around he’d be right there,” said Chris Cormier.
Cormier added that more thickness to Walker’s quads would make his shoulders appear broader.
“You become wider on top and that makes your waist, the illusion makes it small. You get your quads out, big quads always helps, so you can increase the shoulder, you can increase the legs which is going to make the waist smaller. He’s been doing that. His waist is actually getting smaller. He’s been doing work to reduce his waist but mostly it’s going to be by adding muscle in certain areas.”
Having finished third at 2022 Olympia, Terrick El Guindy believes if Walker brings up his lower body he could win any show on the IFBB Pro League calendar.
“Nick Walker, he said he was going to win Olympia, he took third. He said he was going to win the Arnold, he took second. He’s a movement. People love him. They love his confidence.”
“I still want to see a little bit more quads on him. If he has more quads, that waist is going to look really small. And I think the quads plus some posing is going to bring Nick Walker to the position where he can win any show in the world,” El Guindy shared.
El Guindy stressed that Walker’s waistline would look smaller with a different variation of the front double biceps pose.
“He’s got to pose better on that front doubles biceps we’ve been saying, he wants to show his quads, create an angle like Flex Wheeler used to create that angle and that’s going to minimize the waist,” El Guindy explained.
Cormier, on the other hand, noticed that Walker had some issues staying full from prejudging to finals at his last two contests.
“That’s one thing I noticed from the daytime to the night. Everything needs to be managed to where on his physique the pecs are not very long so I noticed from the next day the pecs were a little fuller and that front lat spread improved in the next day because the first day it just looked like it was a little bit flat-ish in the pecs, the shoulders wasn’t that wide, but then when we came to the night show the next day it was a much fuller package there,” Cormier said.
At just 29 years old, Walker is brimming with potential. El Guindy is confident Nick Walker could end up becoming a dominant Mr. Olympia if he achieves Branch Warren-level quads.
“It’s just a matter of learning from the guys that have made mistakes from the past and they learned. I think there’s a possibility for Matt Jansen and Nick Walker to get with some of these guys from the past that were criticized like we’re doing it and they fixed it. If Nick Walker has quads like Branch Warren, it’s over, he’s winning every Olympia for the next five years,” Terrick El Guindy stated.
This isn’t the first time that Cormier and El Guindy assessed Walker’s potential. The two met for a special Prime Time Muscle episode in March, where they emphasized that Walker’s mental outlook and determination were critical factors to finding success in the sport.
Even though Mr. Olympia isn’t for several months, Nick Walker hasn’t slowed down in his quest to win. In a recent Mutant and the Mouth podcast, Walker signaled an intensity shift in both his training and PEDs. He explained that his strength was climbing as he and Matt Jansen entered the next stage of his 2023 off-season.
As for Samson Dauda, he’s been evaluating the potential Olympia lineup for November. Despite Derek Lunsford’s runner-up finish last year, Dauda believes with enough back improvements he could take him out and possibly dethrone Hadi Choopan.
Predictions for the annual Mr. Olympia event are all over the board. Walker says Choopan won’t repeat as champion whereas William Bonac says he will. Meanwhile, athletes rep Bob Cicherillo is convinced Dauda and Lunsford are the top two threats to Hadi’s title. Regardless of who competes, fans are in for a thrilling event come November.
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You can watch the full video from the Olympia TV YouTube channel below:
Published: 27 May, 2023 | 1:27 PM EDT