Nick Walker is changing things up to present his best at the 2026 Arnold Classic. On Jan. 29, 2026, he explained why he substituted drop sets with rest-pause sets during prep. Additionally, he broke down how he’s balancing his macros to ensure he’s stage-ready.
“I think this is going to be a very good look for me. I’m not going to talk a bunch of shit, like I always do, even though that is my forte. I’m in a good spot. I’m happy.”
Nick Walker plans to re-establish his status as an Olympia title contender. But first, he has to find success at the Arnold Classic, and that won’t be easy. He’s coming off the lowest Olympia finish of his career, which saw him take sixth place due to a mistimed peak.
Having won the Arnold Classic in 2021, Walker has a shot at becoming a two-time champion. However, to lay claim to gold, he’ll have to defeat third-place Olympia finisher Chinedu Andrew ‘Jacked’ Obiekea and the on-paper favorite, Hadi Choopan.
Beyond the top-two threats, “The Mutant” has to take out Martin Fitzwater, who inched past him in Vegas. With the event just five and a half weeks away, he broke down how he’s approached his diet and training to secure redemption onstage.
Nick Walker Talks Training and Dieting Strategy for 2026 Arnold Classic
In the video, Walker explained why he replaced drop sets with rest-pause sets during prep. Drop sets are a training system where the lifter performs a set to failure and then immediately changes the weight and carries on without resting. In contrast, rest-pause training involves taking short rests in between repetitions to maximize time under tension.
“As far as training goes, it’s definitely not high volume, it’s not low volume. I’m sitting in the middle,” he shared. “Still utilizing rest-pause sets because I like those. I steered away from drop sets.
Not for any reason in particular, I just think, for me, it might be a mental thing or a bro thing, I just feel like when you do a rest-pause set, you’re using that same load to push more reps out of you, which in my mind, in return, just means I’m going to get more stimulus out of a heavier weight and get stronger.”
As for his diet, Walker decided to keep protein lower during prep, and he hasn’t noticed a dropoff in his strength, pumps, or recovery.
“I have actually kept protein a tad lower. I definitely feel like that has benefited me a good bit. Obviously, it hasn’t deteriorated my strength, my pumps, recovery, anything of that nature. I’m literally doing six and a half ounces of protein per meal,” he said.
He explained that the change helped him with digestion. His protein mainly comes from chicken, ground turkey, and whey isolate. Fats are simple: Walker sticks with peanut butter and olive oil. His carbs are also straightforward, just rice or cream of rice.
“Digestion has been really on point with that. Really just coming from chicken, ground turkey, and whey isolate, to be honest. The carbs… I literally just alternate between rice and cream of rice. Fats, mainly, honestly, just some peanut butter and olive oil.”
Though some have counted out Nick Walker, some bodybuilding veterans haven’t. Lee Priest recently discussed his chances at the upcoming Arnold Classic. Priest emphasized that Walker’s best days are not behind him and predicted he could potentially beat Choopan onstage.
Walker looks on track to present an improved physique from the Olympia. The 2026 Arnold Classic is set for March 5-8 in Columbus, OH.
Watch the full video from the Nick Walker YouTube channel below:
You can also follow us on Twitter, Facebook, Instagram, and
YouTube for even more content.
