Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Supplements
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • 2023 WSM
      • Arnold Classic
      • Mr. Olympia
      • Results
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Mastering The Deadlift
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • Workouts
    • Training
    • Exercise Guides
    • Workout Plans
    • Celebrity Workouts
    • Training Programs
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Supplements
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
  • More
    • CrossFit
    • News
      • 2023 WSM
      • Arnold Classic
      • Mr. Olympia
      • Results
    • Fitness Calculator
    • Mastering The Deadlift
    • Profiles
    • Motivation
    • Videos
    • MMA
No Result
View All Result
Fitness Volt
No Result
View All Result
Bodybuilding

Nick Walker Reflects on Road to 2022 Olympia: ‘I Was In A Dark Place; I Almost Backed Out’ 

'The Mutant' joined Guy Cisternino to discuss the emotional struggle of preparing for 2022 Olympia: 'I didn't even think I was going to make it to Olympia.'
Doug Murray

Written by Doug Murray

Last Updated onJanuary 11, 2023

Nick Walker 2022 Olympia

Nick Walker 2022 Olympia - Image via @ nick_walker39 Instagram/ @Mutantandthenouth Youtube

Men’s Open star Nick Walker joined Guy Cisternino to summarize his successful third-place appearance at the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest. According to ‘The Mutant,’ he almost pulled out of the competition and was stuck ‘in a dark place’ before competing last month. 

“After the Arnold [2021], I think winning that, I started to get a lot of self-induced pressure on myself to succeed on a higher level,” Walker said while recapping his latest season. 

Following the conclusion of 2022 Mr. Olympia, the Men’s Open division changed shape completely. Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay shockingly dropped to fifth place. Many in the sport, including head judge Steve Weinberger, thought he came into the show off and hinted that he was suffering from injuries. During the finals, Hadi Choopan, Derek Lunsford, and Walker battled for the sport’s most coveted title.

While he made meaningful improvements from 2021 Olympia, Walker was unable to prevent Choopan from winning his first Sandow. Throughout last year, Walker was met with a few obstacles, most notably, losing Matt Jansen as his bodybuilding coach.

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nick "the Mutant" Walker (@nick_walker39)

The reason for their separation is unclear to this day, though, fans suspect it was because Nick wanted to compete at the 2022 Arnold Classic whereas Matt thought the 28-year-old should rest his body for an extensive Olympia prep.

In late September, Nick and Matt reunited with a shared goal of dominating 2022 Olympia. In a recent interview, Walker opened up about ‘the dark place’ he was in before moving up to third place in Las Vegas a few weeks ago. 

Nick Walker Says Outside Pressures Affected His Mindset During Prep 

Walker explained that outside pressures like social media affected his mindset heading into a long 2022 season. 

“The expectations that I had on me — the social media made things 10 times worse. So, then after I got fifth at Olympia, I wanted to do the [2022] Arnold. Because I thought to myself, somehow I need to stay relevant and keep going.

When the smart decision mentally, was, ‘nah dude, you’re done, let’s take a break.’ Because of the expectations and self-induced pressure, and everyone is like, ‘oh, do the Arnold and reclaim the title and do this and that,’ and it’s starts to fuck with you really really bad. And because of how quick the success was, I never had the time to grasp and sit down and take in everything. I still haven’t. I’m third in the world in my second year as a pro,” says Walker. 

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nick "the Mutant" Walker (@nick_walker39)

After losing his coach Matt Jansen, Walker said nothing ‘felt right’ while working with his new trainer, Dom ‘Supersliced’ Mutascio. Approximately a month before 2022 Olympia, Mutascio reflected on working with Walker. He mentioned that they were on the same page at first but eventually, Walker gave Dom ‘resistance’ during the later stages of prep. 

“Because of that I developed a lot of issues. Me and Matt [Jansen] broke up. I went to a very dark place. I moved [from New Jersey]. I’ll be honest, that was probably a very emotional decision I made — I don’t regret it, but I shouldn’t have done it. It led to me working with someone else [Dom ‘Supersliced’ Mutascio] that I knew wasn’t right for me. Nothing against him, he was a great coach, but nothing felt right.” 

“I was in such a dark place that it affected our relationship at the very beginning, luckily she stuck it out. Other decisions got made down this road, with me as Hosstile, and everything else. Once, me and Matt got back together, and once Maria came back down to Tampa before we left to go to Vegas — I can’t even tell you why coming here was such a big ass weight lifted off my shoulders.” 

At one point, Walker said he almsot pulled out of the 2022 Olympia contest. 

“Honestly, it was coming here [to Vegas was the turning point in my prep]. Bro, I didn’t even think I was going to make it to the Olympia. I almost backed out,” said Walker. 

Walker Shares 2022 Mr. Olympia Training Split

View this post on Instagram

A post shared by Nick "the Mutant" Walker (@nick_walker39)

To prepare for Olympia, Walker utilized a strict training split, consisting of two days on and one day off. 

“I trained a two day on one day off split, that way I could still go decently hard but incorporate a lot more rest. I kept cardio in pretty much every day. So, on the two-day on one day off, we would pretty much stay strict. On leg days, which we would go out.” 

Walker said he ate more food on days he trained legs. Most of the time, he let his significant other decide on which restaurants to eat at. 

“[Leg] day is always a different day. I would do chest and biceps and then I would do back — rest — shoulders and triceps, legs, rest,” Walker explained. “We would have the breakfast, train, post-meal, come home, have another regular meal. And then, it would be like 5:30, 6:00, and it’d be, ‘where do you want to go to dinner,’ and it will be different [each day during prep].” 

This wasn’t the first time Nick Walker shared details surrounding his latest Olympia prep. Given the difficulties he faced en route to 2022 Olympia, Walker is grateful to have placed third. However, after taking a closer look, he thought his package was worthy of earning second-place. Instead, former 212 Olympia Derek Lunsford took that honor. 

RELATED: Bodybuilder Nick Walker Annihilates a Hypertrophy-Inducing Back Workout

Looking ahead, bodybuilders are starting preparations for the upcoming 2023 Arnold Classic. Some fans speculated that Walker would compete in Ohio in less than two months, but he’s since dismissed that idea and said, ‘not this year.‘ Walker is only two steps away from becoming Mr. Olympia and plans to close that gap later this year at the next Olympia contest in November. 

Check out the full video below: 

Find complete coverage of the 2022 Mr. Olympia, including pre-judging, event recaps, analysis, and final results at our Olympia coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/olympia

Published: 11 January, 2023 | 1:00 PM EDT

Stay on top of the latest fitness news and updates by adding Fitness Volt to your Google News feed: Follow us on Google News You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and YouTube for even more content.
Facebook Twitter Reddit Flipboard LinkedIn Pinterest
Categories: Bodybuilding News
Previous Post

Larry Wheels Smokes 505-lb Squat 16-Rep AMRAP, Inspiring Lexx Little To Score a 600-lb Squat PR

Next Post

Shaun Clarida Teases Samson Dauda Showdown At 2023 Arnold Classic: I’m Going To Have To Out-Pose Him’

Doug Murray

Doug Murray

Doug Murray is a news writer and editor for FitnessVolt. He has built experience in various sporting fields, including MMA, and has written for a number of leading publications like MMA News, Sportskeeda, and CagesidePress.

Related

2023 Rising Phoenix And Arizona Pro Results

2023 Rising Phoenix & Arizona Pro Results and Scorecards

The highly-esteemed 2023 Rising Phoenix & Arizona Pro, headlined by the Women's Bodybuilding division, took place on September 30 in...

2023 Sheru Classic France Pro Results

2023 Sheru Classic France Pro Results — Nathan De Asha Wins Bodybuilding Title

It was a thrilling night in Lillie, France, on September 30 as competitors from the Men's Open, Classic Physique, Men's...

Regan Grimes Michal Krizo 2023 Olympia Update

Regan Grimes and Michal Krizo Share Insane Updates 5 Weeks from 2023 Mr. Olympia

With plenty of big names on the roster, the Men's Open division is packing heat for this year's Mr. Olympia,...

DIY Deadlift Jack Guide

5 DIY Deadlift Jack Ideas For Your Home Gym

There is something very gratifying and fulfilling about lifting a heavy barbell off the floor and putting it back down....

2023 Sheru Classic France Pro

2023 Sheru Classic France Pro Preview, Top Bodybuilders To Watch

Days from now, the Men's Open division will headline the 2023 Sheru Classic France Pro on September 30 for a...

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Latest

2023 Britain’s Strongest Woman Results — Rebecca Roberts Wins

2023 Daytona Pro-Am Results and Scorecards

2023 Van City Showdown Pro Results and Scorecard

2023 Rising Phoenix & Arizona Pro Results and Scorecards

2023 Sheru Classic France Pro Results — Nathan De Asha Wins Bodybuilding Title

Tallest Bodybuilders of All Time: Meet the Towering Titans

Reviews

Best Pre Workout Supplements

20 Best Pre-Workout Supplements: Expert Review & Ranked (2023 Update)

Best Foldable Weight Benches

10 Best Foldable Weight Benches for 2023 (Review & Ranked)

Best Treadmills For Heavy User

10 Best Treadmills for a Heavy Person in 2023 (Review & Ranked)

Fitness Volt

At FitnessVolt.com Our mission is to help our readers to achieve their fitness goals, regardless of where you’re at on your journey, we are on a mission to educate You with the latest from strength and fitness space. Read more.

Email: sm(at)fitnessvolt.com

Disclosure: FitnessVolt.com has an affiliate relationship with different brands and is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program. However, our reviews are based on well research backed analysis.

Follow Us

Trending Topics

  • Mr. Olympia
  • Bodybuilding
  • Strongman
  • Powerlifting
  • CrossFit
  • At Home Workouts
  • Bodyweight Exercises
  • Best Pre-workout
  • Best Fat Burners
  • Bodybuilding Diet
  • Bicep Workouts
  • Triceps Workouts
  • Chest Exercises
  • Back Workouts
  • Leg Workouts
  • Front Squat Guide
  • Calf Workouts & Exercises
  • Forgotten Exercises
  • Jefferson Deadlift

Calculators

  • Calorie Burning Calculators
  • IF Calculator
  • TDEE Calculator
  • Calorie Calculator
  • Keto Calculator
  • RMR Calculator
  • Macronutrient Calculator
  • Creatine Calculator
  • Wilks Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • FFMI Calculator
  • IBW Calculator
  • LBM Calculator
  • Fat Intake Calculator
  • Calories Burned Swimming
  • Calories Per Meal Calculator

  • Food Nutrition Analysis
  • Carb Cycling Calculator
  • Weight Gain Calculator
  • Weight Loss Calculator
  • Calories Burned Calculator
  • Strength Standards
  • One Rep Max Calculator
  • Body Fat Calculator
  • EER Calculator
  • Weight Loss Percentage
  • Treadmill Calorie Calculator
  • Body Surface Area Calculator
  • Running Pace Calculator
  • Bench Press Calculator
  • Protein Calculator
  • Water Intake Calculator
  • Body Type Quiz
  • Steps to Miles Calculator
  • Calorie Deficit Calculator
  • Home
  • About
  • Jobs
  • Accessibility
  • Advertise
  • Contact
  • Syndication
  • Sitemap
  • DMCA
  • Copyrights
  • Terms
  • Privacy
  • Cookies
  • Disclaimer

© Copyright 2010 - 2023 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.

No Result
View All Result
  • Bodybuilding
  • Powerlifting
  • Strongman
  • CrossFit
  • Workouts
  • Exercise Guides
    • Arms
    • Back
    • Chest
    • Core
    • Legs and Glutes
    • Shoulders
    • Yoga
  • Training
  • Nutrition
    • Diet
    • Fasting
    • Diet Plans
    • Supplements
    • Nutrition Tips
    • Food Facts
  • Reviews
  • Fitness Calculator
  • More
    • News
    • Mastering The Deadlift
    • 2023 WSM
    • Arnold Classic
    • Mr. Olympia
    • Diet
    • Motivation
    • Videos

© Copyright 2010 - 2023 Fitness Volt IBC. All Rights Reserved.