Bodybuilding star Nick Walker has made some key training changes in the lead-up to the 2026 Tampa Pro. In a June 29 YouTube video, he shared an update on his preparations and explained that he has scaled back ‘drastic cardio.’
In 2025, Walker pushed through a season packed with ups and downs. He nearly defeated Derek Lunsford at the stacked Pittsburgh Pro, but settled for silver following a sudden-death battle. To ensure his spot on the Olympia stage, “The Mutant” dominated the New York Pro for a third time.
However, at the biggest show of the year, he fell short of expectations. Walker mistimed his peak and lacked the hard conditioning that’s defined his career. As a result, he took sixth place and parted ways with his ex-coach Kyle Wilkes.
The decision paid off; Walker redeemed himself with an all-time best look at the 2026 Arnold Classic. He pushed Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea en route to a second-place finish. With a new coach in his corner, Walker is mapping out his path back to the Olympia, but this year, it runs through Florida.
Nick Walker Shares 2026 Tampa Pro Prep Update, Says He’s Avoiding ‘Drastic Cardio’
In the video, Walker revealed that he’s at an 8/10 mentally and 7/10 physically ahead of Tampa.
“On a scale of 1-10, I think mentally, I’m an eight, a full eight, which is good. I feel very, very good, mentally. Physically, I think now I’m starting to get the prep feels for sure. So, I’d definitely say I’m about a 7/10 for the physical part, which is normal.”
He believes the extra set of eyes will help immensely when he steps back onstage:
“But I think five weeks out, as a whole, I feel overall better than most preps. I think that is just due to, obviously, Prabh, who I just hired as a coach. You know, I’ve sent him pictures every single day, and I think once I have that true confidence in somebody, it takes the thinking away from me when I’m fully trusted and invested in somebody. I just follow the plan.”
“My body is getting better. We are starting to push a little bit in terms of a little extra cardio, obviously, being in a little bit of a stronger diet deficit, but this is part of the game.”
Unlike previous seasons, Walker explained that he eliminated drastic cardio routines.
“We’re not doing any type of drastic cardio by any means. I’m not going balls to the wall like I normally would in prep. We are getting what we need out of the cardio while making sure we get the majority of work done through the diet, and very, very hard training, which I prefer,” Nick Walker said.
Bodybuilding veterans favor Walker’s chances looking ahead. Chris Cormier and Shahriar Kamali, better known as King Kamali, suggested that Walker is ‘lightyears ahead’ of the Tampa lineup thanks to his muscle density and hardness.
Despite some prep struggles, Walker appears to be in a strong headspace. The 2026 Tampa Pro is set for July 30 to August 1 in Tampa, Florida.
“Overall, I think this prep has been pretty smooth, knock on wood, it stays that way. We’re in a very good spot.”
