Two-time New York Pro winner and 2021 Arnold Classic champion Nick Walker published a new training video on his YouTube channel as a part of his prep for the 2024 Mr. Olympia contest in Las Vegas, NV, on Oct. 10-13, 2024, on Saturday, Aug. 24, 2024. In it, Walker covers chest, shoulders, and triceps training leading to the 60th edition of the IFBB Pro League’s world championship event.
The summary of exercises Walker performed is below:
Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
Seated Chest Press
Standing Machine Lateral Raise
Machine Shoulder Press
Seated Machine Lateral Raise
Rope Pushdown
Overhead Triceps Extension Machine
Dip Machine
[Related: The 4 Training Aspects Nick Walker Adheres To For Chest Gains]
[Related: “Underdog” Nick Walker Dares Bodybuilding Community: “Keep Counting Me Out”]
Lighter Weight, Rest-Pause Sets, and Negatives
After missing the 2023 Olympia due to a hamstring injury, Walker qualified for the 2024 contest by winning the 2024 New York Pro in May. Even though he is ambitious to compete for the Sandow Trophy, Walker shared that his strategy is not just about lifting the most weight. Quality over quantity is what he feels will make the difference for the 2024 Olympia.
The end goal is…max contraction, the max muscle stimulation.
Walker did this by performing negatives and maximizing stretches that were three to five seconds each, pausing at the top of each rep to maximize those contractions. He also used rest-pause sets, which include a brief rest period before performing more reps to failure. These sets are used to increase intensity.
As with the pec deck, Walker trains with a target total rep number.
The goal is 20 reps total. However much rest that takes.
Walker emphasized the eccentric, or lowering, portion of his reps by either slowing down or setting up machines to make that portion more challenging. He did the same while using a Prime seated lateral raise machine.
I’m loading it more on the eccentric, which makes it harder coming down and a little easier coming up.
[Related: Nick Walker’s Physique Update: 14 Weeks Until the 2024 Mr. Olympia]
Prep Update
Walker revealed that he weighed 276 pounds at the time of the filming. He and coach Matt Jansen feel positive about his progress at this stage of his prep.
“We’re progressing daily. Gym performance is still really good. Food is definitely starting to drop, but it’s nothing major,” Walker explained. “Nothing’s changing, so we’re in a really good spot.”
Walker will try to become the 19th bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia title in Las Vegas. He must defeat incumbent champion Derek Lunsford, former champions Hadi Choopan, Brandon Curry, and several other contenders.
Walker is so confident that he told BarBend in an interview that he was already practicing his victory speech.
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Featured Image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram
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