Nick Walker’s mission for redemption is officially underway. On Dec. 29, 2025, he discussed his prep for the 2026 Arnold Classic as he aims to secure a second title at the prestigious event.
Despite momentum ahead of Olympia, the two-day show did not go as planned for Nick Walker. He lacked his usual pop, and his conditioning wasn’t as sharp as in previous appearances. After dropping to sixth place, he and his ex-coach explained that they mistimed his peak.
Walker decided to move on without a coach and immediately entered the Arnold Classic. He won the contest back in 2021. However, if he hopes to become a two-time champ, he’ll have to get through surging contenders Hadi Choopan, Chinedu Andrew “Jacked” Obiekea, and Martin Fitzwater. In his latest YouTube video, he shared his thoughts on the road ahead.
Nick Walker Discusses Prep for 2026 Arnold Classic
In the video, Walker checked in 10 weeks from competing and revealed he weighs 284 pounds.
“So, we are 10 weeks out from the Arnold Classic. It is going extremely, extremely well. I am very happy with the way I’m looking,” he shared. “Overall, things are good. I’m 284 pounds right now. I’m literally only up 14 pounds from the Olympia. I perfected the rebound. I didn’t do any cheat meals.”
He said his end goal is to claim gold in Ohio, but more than anything, he wants to present a physique he’s proud of:
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“I just want to be able to present a look onstage that I’m very, very proud of. I think that’s kind of what I’m gunning for for this Arnold.
The end goal is to win. I want to win two Arnold titles, but I also want to put a look onstage that I can just smile and be like, I loved this look. I haven’t really felt that way for the past couple years.”
Walker briefly discussed prepping himself and emphasized that training intensity is still at 100 percent.
“It’s on me. I’m doing it myself, making my own calls. Obviously, my mom takes my pictures. I think my mom is a great eye for me, to be honest. She’s been doing my pictures with me since I started competing, almost 10 years ago.”
“Intensity will always be 100. I don’t know how to not train intense. I just think for me, how many sets can I handle versus intensity. It’s very hard for me to do an R&R type of training, realistically. I’ll go to mechanical failure for sure, but to hold back reps, that’s just hard,” Nick Walker shared.
Not everyone thought Walker should enter the Arnold Classic. Namely, Shawn Ray, who suggested that “The Mutant” hit the last Olympia qualifier of the year. Ray also shared that if Walker actually entered the Arnold Classic, he’d finish in 10th place.
Conversely, bodybuilding veteran Lee Priest had more confidence in Walker. He believes Walker’s best days are not behind him. Additionally, Priest predicted Walker could end up defeating Choopan when they meet onstage next year.
Should Nick Walker win the 2026 Arnold Classic, he’ll re-enter conversations as a possible Olympia title contender. The 2026 Arnold Classic takes place March 5–8 in Columbus, Ohio.
Watch the full video from the Nick Walker YouTube channel below:
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