Bodybuilding veterans are breaking down what could unfold at the 2024 Mr. Olympia. In a recent YouTube video published on September 27, 2024, Shahriar Kamali and Chris Cormier laid out the conditions that would need to be met for Nick Walker to claim the Sandow trophy, comparing him to retired Pro Branch Warren.
Nick Walker is looking to make an epic comeback this October 10-13 after being sidelined days before the 2023 Mr. Olympia due to a hamstring and calf tear. Despite believing he deserved a special invite to this year’s Olympia, Walker ended up deciding to compete at the 2024 New York Pro, earning his ticket to the prestigious stage.
During the build up to the New York Pro, many bodybuilding veterans, including Jay Cutler, believed that Walker would pull out the win, shocking everyone. However, when it came time to take the stage, Martin Fitzwater stayed true to his word and gave Walker a run for his money, which resulted in ‘The Mutant’ narrowly earning the win by one point.
King Kamali Argues ‘Aggressive’ Nick Walker at ‘All-Time Best’ Can Win 2024 Mr. Olympia
Following this performance, opinions about Nick Walker’s ability to make top three at the 2024 Mr. Olympia came into question. Recently, Chris Cormier and King Kamali sat down to discuss their thoughts ahead of the event and pointed out what improvements Walker needs to make in order to win gold this October.
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They believe a total of four competitors could potentially win the sport’s greatest achievement.
“Let’s see, Derek, Hadi, Samson, Nick, Andrew, and if Behrooz was in it, he’s another X-factor but he won’t be in it, so I got four guys,” says Kamali.
“Yeah, I would say at least four,” adds Chris Cormier.
King Kamali shared his thoughts on Nick Walker’s physique, highlighting his notable strengths.
“I think Nick Walker is again, I’m going to keep going back and saying this, Nick got mad at me last year because I had counted him out and all that stuff but when you look at what Nick offers, side chest, side triceps, back double biceps, most muscular, he throws the whole thing off a little bit.”
Chris Cormier believes Walker could perform rather well even though he recently competed in New York.
“If he was in the competition last year a lot of people think he might have been good enough to win it last year. So, you have nothing but that in his mind as he’s going for this competition. He’s done the New York Pro before and then competed in the Olympia before, so that shouldn’t be a major factor. He’s been there before,” explains Cormier.
Additionally, Cormier pointed out that despite coming back from a hamstring injury, he still would place him in the top three.
“Coming off a hamstring issue from the previous year, is it still lingering a little bit we don’t know that for sure but I think that I mean, I would still having him in my top three in all my predictions most of this year so.”
If ‘The Mutant’ doesn’t crack the top five, Kamali says Brandon Curry will swoop in to take that spot.
“He’s [Brandon Curry] always going to be there. Not Hunter, I love Hunter don’t get mad at me Hunter, I’m just saying I still haven’t seen you dry bro,” explains King Kamali.
Chris Cormier discussed what improvements Walker needs to make if he wants to earn the prestigious Sandow trophy.
“Fullness in the chest. Matching the back from the front, very strong from the back, you have to be just as strong from the front. He’s got a great most muscular, side chest, side tricep all that stuff is great with him,” says Cormier.
Cormier also pointed out that Nick Walker’s focus needs to be on his midsection and posing.
“He always got to keep in check the midsection on the stage. Posing needs to be spot-on, he had some issues with that front lat spread before, he got a little better when he came in at the Arnold after that.”
“It’s just maximizing your physique, you always got to bring the condition because without that then he can’t do it up there with those other guys.”
When King Kamali discussed how Nick Walker could improve to ensure the win this October, he compared him to Branch Warren.
“Him at his all-time best [is how he wins 2024 Mr. Olympia]. The nasty grainy, he’s got that Branch Warren conditioning. He’s got that Branch Warren look to his body. If he brings that graininess with the size and again, being pissed off, that can be a good thing because some people actually propel themselves to the next level with anger,” explains King Kamali. “They have that Incredible Hulk syndrome. I think Nick is like that.”
Kamali gives Nick Walker credit for his ability to bring out the weaknesses of his opponents and believes his aggressiveness on stage will do him some good. He even mentioned that Walker could crush Hadi Choopan from the back.
“Nick Walker he brings out, he shows the weak spots on a lot of people. From the back, I think he could crush Hadi. And from the side shots, he’s matching them and beating some. It all depends. If he comes in and is with his incredible grainy grainy look and he’s aggressive on stage too that’s something I always tell everybody. Be aggressive.”
“Be aggressive up there, it makes a difference. If he’s aggressive and his all time best and grainy, he’s got a shot. I don’t know if he could win but he’s in there.”
This isn’t the first time that Nick Walker has been compared to bodybuilding veteran Branch Warren, who was known for his grainy density and shredded quads. In the past, Terrick El Guindy expressed that he believed Nick Walker would win the Mr. Olympia for the next five years if he came in with quads like Branch Warren.
“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.
Bob Cicherillo and Steve Weinberger have also discussed Walker’s likeness to Branch Warren, revealing that he could only win the 2024 Mr. Olympia if he came in like ‘a Branch Warren 2.0.’ Both Cicherillo and Weinberger are adamant that if Nick Walker wants to stand a chance in the future, he needs to come in shredded and grainy.
While everyone is entitled to their opinions ahead of the 2024 Mr. Olympia, nothing is set in stone until the judges call out the winner in just two weeks. Be sure you don’t miss any of the action by following us here at Fitness Volt!
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