Nick Walker is training carefully ahead of his Mr. Olympia comeback. On Sept. 17, 2025, he shared a push day workout, ditching heavy weight in favor of higher volume for muscle growth using rest-pause sets.
In 2022, Walker took third place at the Mr. Olympia. So close, he could taste gold. He attempted to bring his best a year later, but injured his hamstring and calf before getting another shot onstage. Anticipation for his return grew, but just weeks from the 2024 Mr. Olympia, Walker pulled out yet again, revealing that his body wouldn’t respond to prep.
2025 has been all about redemption — Walker tied Derek Lunsford on the Pittsburgh Pro scorecards but ultimately lost in the sudden-death round. He claimed his third New York Pro title to qualify this season and hasn’t let up on his hunt to secure the Sandow trophy.
Nick Walker’s Hypertrophy Push Day Workout 4 Weeks from 2025 Mr. Olympia
Find his exercise selections, reps, and sets from the video below:
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- Machine Fly — 5 sets x 15-20 reps (rest-pause for final set)
- Incline Converging Press — 4 sets x 15-20 reps (rest-pause for final set)
- Flat Machine Press — 4 sets x 15-20 reps (rest-pause for final set)
- Seated Side Raise — 3 sets x 15-20 reps (rest-pause for final set)
- Standing Side Raise — 3 sets 15-20 reps (rest-pause for last two sets)
- EZ Bar Tricep Pushdown to Extension Superset 5 sets x 20 reps (rest-pause for final sets)
Machine Fly
Squeezing in his elbows, Walker isolates the pecs before moving to heavier compound exercises.
“Great machine — I do it every chest day now. If it contracts hard, I’m going to do it. It’s all chest work, that’s the cool thing.”
Incline Converging Press
Between sets on the converging chest press, he explained that he doesn’t need to utilize a lot of weight to elicit growth:
“This is one of those machines where you can get a really good stretch and squeeze hard at the top and not have to worry about going too heavy. You can get a lot out of not a lot of weight.
I don’t think people understand that sometimes. I’ve lightened my weight on everything, more reps — my body took a little bit of a turn for the better.”
Flat Machine Press
Walker has transitioned to higher reps as he nears the Mr. Olympia and believes it’ll pay off with a new look.
“People have this weird perception of higher reps can’t get you big. I used to go to this gym, Extreme Fitness, there was this big black guy there.
You could definitely tell that he was a bad motherfucker, but coolest guy in the world. He’d get on a bench, I shit you not, bro, he would just do five sets with 225 for like 15 reps. That’d be his chest workout. His chest was this fucking big, huge,” Nick Walker said.
Seated Side Raise
Moving on, Walker hit his middle delts with seated side raises, focusing on slow and controlled form.
Standing Side Raise
For a different stimulus, he utilized standing side raises, emphasizing a full range of motion.
EZ Bar Tricep Pushdown to Extension
Walker worked his triceps with a superset, which also helped him burn extra calories, assisting him in his goal to shred down for Olympia.
“You know why I like supersets? I think it also prevents going heavy, and you can just focus on the muscle.
Granted, you’re going to be weaker on one angle, but it’s no different than someone starting with a fly and going to a press. You’re going to be weaker, but the contraction is better.”
Discussions about Walker’s next performance have dominated the bodybuilding community. Shawn Ray recently joined Jay Cutler to break down how “The Mutant” will hold up against top contenders in Vegas. He believes Walker will place no higher than fourth.
Using rest-pause sets and high volume, Walker is training like never before. He believes these changes will translate onstage when he battles at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, set for Oct. 9-12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
Watch the full video from the Nick Walker YouTube channel below:
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