Shawn Ray believes Nick Walker has positioned himself for a strong showing at the 2026 Mr. Olympia. However, in an August 6 video, he warned that if the Men’s Open star comes in heavy, he’ll get overwhelmed by the competition.
After dropping to sixth place at the 2025 Mr. Olympia, fans started to doubt Nick Walker‘s potential as a Men’s Open contender. He restored his momentum at the 2026 Arnold Classic, where he pushed Andrew Jacked (Chinedu Andrew Obiekea) to claim a second-place finish. Walker considered the result a win itself since it was the first time he beat Hadi Choopan.
He recently qualified for the 2026 Mr. Olympia with a dominant win at the Tampa Pro. He displayed improved aesthetics and better waist control. Many, including Ray, believe Walker’s approach this season could lead to a better outcome when he returns to Vegas.
“He doesn’t have to work on a lot. He is Branch Warren 2.0. He is Rich Gaspari 2.0 and both of them were number two in the world at the Olympia, and for Gaspari, multiple times against the world’s best bodybuilder at the time. Nick Walker can get there, but he’ll only get there if he’s lean and mean.”
Shawn Ray Says Nick Walker Will ‘Get Smoked’ at 2026 Mr. Olympia If He Comes in Heavier
In the latest Voice of Bodybuilding podcast, Ray warned Walker about the Olympia stage lights. He also urged him to stay lean for the 2026 Mr. Olympia, sharing that a heavier package will likely backfire:
“If Nick Walker comes in under, because we’ve seen that the over doesn’t work for him. The over takes away the detail. The over takes away the abdominals. The over makes him watery. Come in lean and mean and tight. No one is going to call Nick Walker skinny,” said Shawn Ray.
“He wasn’t skinny in Tampa, Florida, but if he’s a pound over… he’s going to be a whitewash at the Olympia because the lights will not be in his favor. The distance from the stage for those judges is going to be a mile away instead of yards away, and he can get eaten up by those lights if he’s soft.”
Ray said Walker’s top priorities should be a natural tan, posing, and cardio, adding that all he has to do is keep his weight down.
“Those lights at the Olympia are different, and they are not in Nick Walker’s favor. The saving grace for Nick Walker is he already has his weight down, keep it down, keep it lean, mean, cardio, posing, cardio, tanning, get dark. Get really dark. Don’t rely on the ProTan, and there won’t be that much suffering because all he has to do is bring the weight down.”
According to the Men’s Open veteran, if Walker is just slightly heavier, he’ll disrupt his winning formula and could lose to competitors he defeated last year.
“If he comes in a pound over, again, he’ll be standing next to Tonio, going what in the hell happened to Nick Walker. I don’t think it’s that hard. This is not rocket science for Nick. You got four weeks, not suffering, just dieting and doing your cardio and working on your mandatories. This is easy work for a coach.”
“Anything more than that, messing with the formula, trying to bulk up, trying to come in heavy, he’s going to get smoked.”
Bodybuilders aren’t counting out Walker ahead of the ‘Super Bowl of Bodybuilding.’ Jay Cutler believes Walker can win the 2026 Mr. Olympia, but shared that he’s up against a strong lineup. Meanwhile, head judge Steve Weinberger called him a top-five threat.
As long as his weight is under control, Ray sees Walker shaking things up in Vegas. The 2026 Mr. Olympia takes place from September 24-27.
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