Bodybuilder Samson Dauda is ready to reap the benefits of painstaking contest preparations. In a recent YouTube video published on October 11, 2023, Dauda discussed his current headspace for Olympia, his meal prep plan and shared a leg training session.
“Every time I try to go to sleep you just constantly, your mind keeps working your mind doesn’t shut off so yeah, this is prep. This is the part of prep they don’t tell you about, where you’re exhausted but yet you can’t sleep,” Dauda shared.
After a pair of fourth-place finishes at the 2022 Arnold Classic and Boston Pro, the bodybuilding world took notice of Samson Dauda. In addition to boasting impressive posing skills, “The Nigerian Lion” stands at six feet, giving him a size advantage against most of his adversaries.
In his first effort on the Mr. Olympia stage, Dauda rivaled Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay’s muscularity and took sixth place. This performance lit a fire under Dauda, who proceeded to enter the 2023 Arnold Classic under the eye of his coach Milos Sarcev.
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The finals in Columbus, Ohio saw three men in the running for gold: Dauda, Nick Walker, and Chinedu Andrew “Jacked” Obiekea. In the end, Dauda prevailed with superior leg volume, shape, aesthetics, and presentation. Considering the momentum Dauda has picked up as of late, veterans of the sport have deemed him a frontrunner to take Hadi Choopan‘s crown next month.
Samson Dauda Discusses Meal Plans and Changes to Cardio Routine 3 Weeks from 2023 Mr. Olympia
Sarcev has increased Dauda’s cardio routine to 45 minutes with a supplemental 45 minutes of posing afterward. Dauda specified that his “proper carb meal” is the third of the day, which is right before his first workout.
“There’s some changes we made this week. including obviously, cardio, we took cardio up for 45 minutes cardio and then 40 minutes of posing straight after that. Breakfast, no carbs for breakfast just what you see here. Three eggs and a coffee. Meal two, we keeping the carbs extremely low for meal two, which is steak.
Our first proper carb meal will be my pre-training meal a first proper carb meal I have right before going to the gym. And then post-training, whey isolate shake and meal after that. We’re kind of going in that way. So today, where we’re at. Man, it’s been a tough – it’s going to be a tough week. It’s the second day but it’s going to be a really tough week. I’m struggling to sleep with the stages of prep where we are.”
As with most bodybuilders during a prep, Dauda has reached a point of physical and mental exhaustion but refuses to take his eye off the prize.
“Every week that goes by, I see the changes… it makes me want to work harder and seeing that, seeing the results come from that work it makes me even more confident when I walk on that stage. I’m feeling at the moment, it feels like I’m going through hell, but if you’re going through hell, keep walking, so you get paid for something. You get something out of it,” shared Samson Dauda.
Next, Dauda focused on his meal prep for the week:
“We’ve done the first half which is steaks, that’s all cooked ready, next up, chickens going on and I’ll tell you this man the hardest part about doing this is knowing that you’re absolutely starving but you can’t eat none yourself because it’s not in your meal plan just yet,” Dauda shared.
Dauda Shows Off How He Builds Enormous Legs for 2023 Mr. Olympia
Find Dauda’s leg day workout below, complete with his sets and reps.
- Standing Single Leg Machine Hamstring Curl – 1 set 12 reps
- Leg Extension Machine – 4 sets 10-12 reps
- Leg Press Machine – 3 sets 12-20 reps
- Walking Lunges/Weights – 2 sets
- Reverse Hack Squat – 1 set 9 reps
- Hip Abduction Machine – 1 set 14 reps
“The Nigerian Lion” hasn’t been mysterious about his 2023 Olympia game plan. He and his coach believe with added back thickness, he’ll have the proper tools to contend with last year’s top three, including Choopan, Derek Lunsford, and Nick Walker.
In a recent appearance on Dennis James’ The Menace Podcast, Dauda elaborated on his expectations ahead of the biggest show of the year. Assuming an all-or-nothing mentality, Dauda says he won’t accept any outcome other than winning first place.
Next month, Dauda will aim to join the ranks of other English champions like Dorian Yates when he travels to Orlando, Florida in pursuit of the sport’s ultimate trophy, the 2023 Mr. Olympia title, which will be handed out on Saturday, November 4.
RELATED: Samson Dauda Teams Up With Sam Sulek To Build Herculean Chest
Watch the full YouTube video from Dauda’s YouTube channel below:
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