After being unable to compete at last year’s Olympia contest, bodybuilder Nick Walker is taking a calculated approach to training. In a recent YouTube video shared on August 24, 2024, Walker showcased an explosive push day workout where he focused on building his chest, shoulders, and triceps seven weeks before the biggest show of the year.
Walker pulled out of the 2023 Olympia due to a hamstring and calf tear. But this season, he won’t let anything stand in his way of redemption. He witnessed Derek Lunsford become the sport’s first-ever two-division Mr. Olympia in 2023 while he begrudgingly recovered in a wheelchair.
To earn his ticket to this year’s marquee event, Walker bet on himself at the 2024 New York Pro. He eked past Open contender Martin Fitzwater to earn gold, leaving many in the community wondering if he’ll have the quality, definition, and sheer mass to make a statement this October. Despite being counted out of many people’s predictions for Olympia, Walker plans to shock the world with a never-before-seen physique in just a few weeks.
Nick Walker Crushes Explosive Push Day Workout 7 Weeks from 2024 Mr. Olympia
Find his exercise selections below, complete with his rep-ranges and sets.
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- Incline Smith Machine Press — 3 sets 6-8 reps
- Flat Chest Press Machine — 2 sets 12-15 reps
- Pec Deck Fly Machine — 2 sets (1 moderate set of 15, 1 all-out set with rest-pauses)
- Standing Lateral Raise Machine (full/did some partials) — 2 sets 12 reps (eccentric focused)
- Machine Shoulder Press — 2 sets (1 moderate set of 15, 1 all-out set with rest pauses)
- Seated Machine Side Lateral Raise — 2 sets 12 reps (eccentric focused)
- Rope Press Down — 2 sets 15 reps
- Machine Overhead Tricep Extension — 2 sets 8-12 reps
- Machine Dips — 2 sets 12-15 reps
- Push-Ups on Dumbbell — 2 sets 10 reps
Incline Smith Machine Press
Aside from dumbbell pressing, Walker credits Smith machine presses as his favorite incline exercise. He started with 325-pound reps.
“Incline Smith, this is probably, next to dumbbells, this is my favorite type of incline machine. I just feel I can get a good stretch and good contraction at the top.”
“Last time I did this I did 405 for five reps, that was fun but I didn’t contract that hard so we’ll probably stay a little lighter, maybe three and a quarter. I’ll see how that goes and go from there.”
Unlike seasons prior, Walker is approaching his prep differently and doesn’t plan on sharing many physique updates leading into the show. He wants to ‘blow minds’ with shock value instead.
“This year, I’m doing it a little differently. I’m going to bring the shock value. I’m going to show up on stage and blow minds like I’m known for. I’ll post little sneak peeks here and there but as far as the full visual updates, we’ll save those for the stage.”
Flat Chest Press Machine
He favored a higher rep-range during flat chest presses.
“Very smooth, very easy on the joints, and it just knows how to hit the muscle really really hard. We’re going to do this one, a little bit of a higher rep range,” he said.
Pec Deck Fly Machine
He practiced rest-pauses with the pec deck fly machine with the goal of hitting 20 repetitions total.
“Now, we’re going to go up [in weight]. I honestly don’t know how many I’ll get here but we’ll probably turn this into a rest-pause. The goal is to hit 20 reps total, how many rests that it takes. That’ll be it for the chest portion.”
Standing Lateral Raise Machine (full/did some partials)
Moving to shoulders, Walker annihilated sets on the standing lateral raise machine, which included some full reps and partials.
Machine Shoulder Press
Keeping the weight moderate, Walker taxed his shoulders with machine shoulder presses.
Seated Machine Side Lateral Raise
Seated machine side lateral raise was his next movement. He focused on slow and controlled repetitions to maximize the pump, especially during the eccentric portion of the exercise.
Rope Press Down
Walker made sure to slightly hold at the top of each contraction throughout rope press downs.
Machine Overhead Tricep Extension
To continue working the triceps, Walker proceeded with machine overhead tricep extensions.
Machine Dips
Walker fired off two quick sets of machine dips before moving to his last exercise.
Push-Ups on Dumbbell
For a deep stretch in his pecs, Walker capped off his workout with sets of push-ups using dumbbells.
If Walker wants to leave Sin City with gold, he’ll have to conquer two names he’s yet to defeat on stage: Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan. Lunsford and Choopan are considered the two favorites ahead of the Olympia contest. Lunsford, the reigning Mr. Olympia winner, has added significant detail to his abs, arms, and back as of late, whereas Hadi Choopan has acquired momentum thanks to his victories at the 2024 Arnold Classic Ohio and UK shows.
While he might not have the aesthetic lines of a bodybuilder like Derek Lunsford or Samson Dauda, Walker can make up for that discrepancy with blistering fullness and density, especially in side poses. Walker has only improved on the Olympia stage from season to season, which makes him an extremely dangerous threat for those hoping to make waves this year.
Walker will undoubtedly need to bring an all-time best package to the Olympia stage if he wants a shot at becoming the 19th man to hold the Sandow trophy. Based on his careful and intense training session, ‘The Mutant’ expects his shock value to be among his greatest weapons when he storms the entertainment capital of the world.
Watch the full video from Nick Walker’s YouTube channel below:
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