On the road to recovery from a hamstring and calf tear, bodybuilder Nick Walker is determined to return better than ever in 2024. In a recent YouTube video published on November 21, 2023, Walker pushed through a chest and legs training session and revealed one of his favorite breakfast meals.
“Nothing to failure,” shared Walker.
“The Mutant’s” rise in the IFBB Pro League was swift thanks to his freaky muscle mass combined with shredded conditioning. In 2021, Walker dominated the Open class, having laid claim to titles at the New York Pro and Arnold Classic. Capping off a historic run, Walker finished fifth in his first attempt at the 2021 Mr. Olympia competition.
Improving his taper and adding muscle volume without compromising his thin waist, Walker used most of the 2022 season to enhance his look. His work throughout the year wasn’t in vain; he battled Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan to take third in his sophomore Olympia appearance.
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Next, Walker set his sights on a second Arnold Classic title in 2023. He fell short of Samson Dauda in Columbus, Ohio, whose shape and aesthetics carried him to gold. Despite the setback, Walker was deemed a heavy favorite for 2023 Mr. Olympia. Days before he was set to compete, however, Walker was sidelined due to injury. Venturing back into training now, the 29-year-old kept it light.
Nick Walker Shares Breakfast at Broken Yolk, Discusses Dinner w/ Jay Cutler
Walker opened up on his visit to Cheesecake Factory before showing off his breakfast from the Broken Yolk restaurant.
“Had a nice little dinner with Jay Cutler, Cheesecake Factory. That is me and Jay’s favorite place. We both got carrot cake, but he took his to go. I don’t think he ate it. He probably gave it to Angie. I devoured mine.”
Walker’s Breakfast
- omelette
- green onions
- red peppers
- mushrooms
- chicken
- pancakes
Walker Trains Legs Weeks After Hamstring, Calf Injury: “Nothing Crazy”
Find Walker’s training list below, complete with his sets and reps.
- Leg press — 3 sets 15-20 reps,
- Hack squats — 3 sets 15-20 reps
- Peck Deck — 2 sets 12-15 reps
- Incline Smith Machine — 2 sets 10-12 reps
- Machine Press — 2 sets 12-20 reps
“We are going to attempt some quads today, very very light. Nothing crazy. Nothing epic. I just want to start getting a little blood flow in the quad. So we are going to keep the reps very very high, very slow, slight pauses.
I’ll probably only do about two exercises, probably multiple sets, and then we’re also going to do chest at the end. Two to three exercises for that. Leg press, probably leg extensions, maybe a hack, I’ll see how it feels, and then we’ll do three exercises for chest and that’ll be it.”
Walker Reflects on Training: “What Heals a Muscle Is Blood”
According to Walker, these movements were good for blood flow, which will ultimately assist his healing process.
“I’m not trying to overdo it. Leg press is a good exercise to do during this time,” added Walker. “What heals a muscle is blood.”
“We put some good blood flow in there, now I’m going to do some chest. Since I can’t go crazy crazy hard you know I’ll just add a little chest here which is fine.”
He made it clear that he wasn’t trying to “shock” the body and emphasized that he wasn’t going to failure.
“Whatever your top set is going to be, do it for a couple of reps. So, your body kind of adjusts to it and it’s not like a shock to your body. So, I just did about three reps with this. Going to take a couple of breathers and then do the first working set.”
“People can say what they want. Every split works honestly but everyone’s different and I just feel the more frequency a little less intensity as far as taking sets to failure but a little higher of the volume I think worked for me this past little off-season and the prep that I had.”
Walker says he missed out on the show, but you can’t take him away from the gym.
“Listen, I love this shit too much. I can’t be out the gym you know. You can take me out of the show, I mean there was no doubt that was happening but you can’t take away the gym. We’re in here. I decided to do chest and legs because I knew I wasn’t going to be able to go as hard on legs. But again, it’s okay,” said Walker.
“We’re not going hard. I’m not taking sets to failure. Literally doing two sets. Pec deck we did two sets 12-15, nothing to failure. I’m hoping I can do this for two sets, 10-12 not to failure then we’ll end with one of the machine presses in the corner, again two sets, might keep that one a little higher 12-20.”
This wasn’t Walker’s first fan update since the career-altering hamstring injury. A week ago, he explained why he would have defeated Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan at 2023 Olympia to win his first Sandow trophy. In addition, Walker shared that it was a challenge to watch the show live since he thought he could have easily taken the victory.
Fans are excited to welcome Nick Walker back to the sport’s greatest stage. The Olympia organizers announced that only the top three finishers received automatic qualifications for 2024 Olympia. Therefore, if Walker hopes to earn passage to the event, he’ll either have to win a Pro show or receive a special invite.
Watch the full video from the Nick Walker YouTube channel below:
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