After narrowly missing out on a second Arnold Classic win in 2023, Nick Walker can finally breathe a sigh of relief and focus on making off-season gains without worrying about the timeline. The IFBB Pro League’s Men’s Open division has been witness to Walker’s dynamic talent and meteoric rise since he debuted with a fourth place finish at the 2020 Chicago Pro. However, it was his dominant wins at the 2021 New York Pro and Arnold Classic that turned him into one of the most highly touted prospects in the division. All of these accolades were achieved within one year of earning the IFBB Pro card.
Following his fifth place finish at his Mr. Olympia debut in 2021, Walker decided to take a break and work on further improving his physique. He hoped to take his body to the next level and beat the top crop of the division. The longest off-season of his career bore fruits as he improved his standing at the 2022 Mr. Olympia and finished third.
Nick Walker Trains to Beat the Absolute Best and Establish Himself on Top
Now, Walker has his sights set on the final and toughest phase of his career, where he needs to beat the absolute best and establish himself on top of the food chain. To achieve this, he experiments with innovative equipment and trains relentlessly. His recent chest and triceps workout at the Torture gym was a part of this effort.
Nick Walker’s Chest and Triceps Workout: A Journey Through Packing Serious Muscle Mass
In this chest and triceps workout, Walker showed off his impressive muscle mass and strength. He began with a warm-up set of incline dumbbell press, gradually increasing the weight as he moved on to working sets. He then moved on to the Hammer Strength chest press machine, performing four sets of 10 reps each. For his triceps, he did four sets of 10 reps of the close grip bench press with a straight bar, followed by three sets of 10 reps of cable rope triceps pushdown.
Nick Walker’s Weight Reveal and Optimism Ahead of the Next Off-Season
In a recent post on Instagram, Walker revealed that he currently weighs 298 pounds, a significant increase from his competition weight of 270 pounds. He is optimistic about the progress he has made in the off-season and believes that things are moving in the right direction ahead of the next competitive session.
Nick Walker’s Drive and Determination to Continue Pushing Through
Nick Walker’s journey through the world of competitive bodybuilding has been marked by his drive and determination to improve himself and succeed at the highest level. After a stressful competitive season, he continues to push through and make gains, setting his sights on even greater accomplishments in the future.
View this post on Instagram
Nick Walker Prepares for Future Competitions with Chest and Triceps Workout
As he gears up for the upcoming competitions, Nick Walker is not wasting any time. Even though his off-season has not yet officially begun, he is already hitting the gym hard and experimenting with different types of equipment. His goal is to find the perfect training routine that will help him achieve his desired physique when the competition prep begins ahead of the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
In this particular workout, The Mutant focuses on his chest and triceps, two crucial muscle groups for any bodybuilder. By pushing himself to the limit, he hopes to achieve significant gains in size and strength. As a result, he chooses to train with innovative equipment offered by Torture gym to make the most out of his session.
The use of advanced equipment helps to keep Walker’s workout routine fresh and challenging. This variety not only keeps him motivated but also helps him to target different areas of his muscles. By trying out different machines and equipment, he is able to find the right combination that works best for him, and he can fine-tune his training routine accordingly.
As he progresses through the workout, Walker is completely focused on his form and technique. He is determined to push through the pain and challenge his limits to achieve the results he desires. With each repetition, he can feel the burn and the strain on his muscles, but he doesn’t let that slow him down.
This chest and triceps workout is just one step towards Walker’s ultimate goal: to beat the best and establish himself as the top bodybuilder in the world. By constantly pushing himself to new heights, he is on the path to success.
“I’m still trying out new equipment and seeing what I like the best so when my ‘prep’ actually starts, I know exactly what I like, what I want to keep using for the remainder of my prep for the most part.”
In this training session, Nick Walker focused mainly on his chest and triceps while also incorporating a deltoid movement.
Walker’s Start to the Workout
Pec Deck Flyes
To begin his workout, Walker kicked things off with the Pec Deck Flyes, an exercise that isolates the chest. This movement is designed to improve the adduction capability of the upper body muscles and is among the top three exercises in terms of pectoral muscle activation.
Walker performed ten reps in the first set and increased the weight in the second set to achieve a firm and thorough squeeze in his pectoral muscles. Following some solid sets to get the blood flowing into his chest, the 28-year-old moved on to a few compound movements.
View this post on Instagram
Machine Incline Bench Press
Nick Walker performs incline bench press on a plate-loaded iso-lateral machine
Following the pec deck flyes, Walker moved on to perform incline bench press on a plate-loaded iso-lateral machine. This machine has the advantage of having both weight stacks move independently, which helps in removing strength imbalances. Walker appreciated the benefits of this innovative piece of equipment and commented:
“Here’s what’s cool about this machine. It’s got two different grips – one a little lower and it still hits the incline , (the second one) is a little higher and it hits the upper chest and a little bit of shoulder too.”
Nick Walker shares thoughts on high volume training
Following his pec deck flyes, Walker proceeded to an incline bench press on a plate-loaded iso-lateral machine. The exercise involves slow and controlled movements, with Walker focusing on seven to eight reps with the rest pause method for the second set.
As he finished a few sets, the 28-year-old took a moment to share his thoughts on high volume training and how his body responds to it. He expressed his belief that high volume training is beneficial for his physique, as it helps him to pack on more muscle mass. However, he also emphasized the importance of maintaining good form and not sacrificing it for more reps or weight.
“I think everything has its place but I just feel like for better muscle recruitment, so to speak, with longer rest periods. If you’re going faster, you won’t be able to get the most out of it which means… less growth in my opinion. I think it’s good to do volume at the end of the workout just to create that volume and a little bit of roundness. But I just don’t think it’s something you should do for the whole workout.”
Moving on to the next exercise
After completing the sets of incline bench press, Nick Walker moved on to the next pressing movement for his chest and triceps workout.
View this post on Instagram
Seated Machine Chest Press
For his third exercise, Nick Walker utilized the seated machine chest press to target and further stimulate his pectoral muscles, with the goal of improving his pushing strength. He completed multiple sets of the exercise on a plate-loaded machine before moving on to another isolation exercise to further enhance his chest workout.
Standing Cable Chest Flyes
Nick Walker’s Cable Flyes on a Supporting Machine
As Nick Walker’s chest and triceps workout neared its end, the athlete moved on to an exercise that’s often considered a finishing move for a training session: standing cable chest flyes. However, as Walker explains, cable flyes are far more effective in activating the pectoral muscles than many people give them credit for. In fact, these exercises are only surpassed in effectiveness by bench press and pec deck flyes.
Walker performed this exercise on a cable machine that had a supporting pad to rest his back against, allowing him to maintain an upright posture without slouching forward. This not only maximizes the effectiveness of the exercise but also minimizes the risk of injury.
“So now, I can put my back and really flye instead of worrying about wobbling back and forth. I can really focus on the stretch here.”
Having completed the cable flyes, Walker proceeded to his final chest movement.
View this post on Instagram
Chest Dip Press
To conclude the chest workout, Walker utilized the chest dip press machine and then transitioned his attention to training his triceps.
Always a good finisher,” Walker exclaimed after doing the dip press.
Cable Triceps Pushdown
The Mutant’s triceps workout kicked off with this isolation movement. The cable tricep pushdowns work all three heads of the muscle and they are one of the most common exercises in the gyms around the world.
Machine Overhead Triceps Extensions
Nick Walker then moved on to the next exercise for his triceps, which was overhead triceps extensions on a plate loaded machine. Unlike tricep pushdowns which work the tricep muscles from a neutral position, overhead triceps extensions work the muscles from a stretched position. Many studies suggest that this method of working out the triceps contributes more towards strength gains and muscle hypertrophy.
View this post on Instagram
Machine Lateral Raises
Nick Walker incorporated lateral/medial deltoid movement into his workout routine to target his shoulders. This was the only shoulder movement of the session, and he performed several sets of the exercise.
Overall workout
The chest and triceps session comprised of following movements:
Chest
- Pec Deck Flyes
- Machine Incline Bench Press
- Seated Machine Chest Press
- Standing Cable Chest Flyes
- Chest Dip Press
Triceps
- Cable Triceps Pushdowns
- Seated Machine Overhead Triceps Extensions
Shoulders
- Machine Lateral Raises
- Walker shares his current weight and training update
Nick Walker’s Off-Season Training and Diet Plan for 2023 Olympia Prep
Nick Walker, the 2021 Arnold Classic winner, is currently training at a comfortable pace as he prepares for the off-season training. He is slowly ramping up his training and diet to gear up for the competition prep for the 2023 Olympia. In an update on his current weight and training progress, Walker explained his plan for the upcoming season.
According to Walker, he is currently weighing around 305 lbs and will be aiming to get down to a leaner weight of around 280-285 lbs for the Olympia competition. He also mentioned that he will be focusing on building up his weak points, particularly his legs and back, during the off-season.
Walker further explained that he plans to incorporate more high volume training in his routine during the off-season to promote hypertrophy and maximize muscle growth. He believes that high volume training has been effective for his body and has helped him improve his muscle density and definition.
“It’s another day forward to getting ready for the actual off-season to begin which will lead into the Olympia prep. Weight is around… 268 or 270ish (lbs)… I was as high as 274-275 (lbs) and that was after a night of eating too much cheesecake. So I think the cheesecake is finally out of my body now. So I feel good.”
He added:“Yeah, things are now moving in the right direction. Strength is now really starting to progress quickly. Food’s pretty high. So I’m trying to have some fun, enjoying the process. Just fortunate enough to be in the situation that I am. Just gonna keep grinding,” Nick Walker stated.
View this post on Instagram
Nick Walker Prepares for the 2023 Olympia with a Methodical Training Approach
Nick Walker, the 2021 Arnold Classic winner, has consistently brought an improved physique to the stage every time he competes. With the upcoming 2023 Olympia, he faces stiff competition from up-and-coming bodybuilders such as Andew Jacked and Samson Dauda, as well as defending champion Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford. However, Walker is planning his off-season and competition prep well in advance, showing a methodical and strategic approach to his training. In a recent update, he shared his progress and explained his weight gain strategy. Walker is gradually ramping up his training and diet to ensure that he can present the best version of himself on stage. This dedication and attention to detail bode well for his chances at the upcoming Olympia. For those interested in seeing Walker’s training regimen, he has shared a full workout video on his personal YouTube channel.
Watch a Streaming Below
Overview
Nick Walker, a rising star in the Men’s Open division of the IFBB Pro League, has been making waves in the bodybuilding world since his debut in 2020. After a string of impressive victories, including the 2021 New York Pro and Arnold Classic, Walker is now focused on achieving the ultimate goal: beating the best and becoming the top bodybuilder in the world. He recently revealed that he currently weighs 298 pounds and is optimistic about his progress ahead of the next competitive season. With a relentless drive and determination to improve, Walker is constantly experimenting with innovative equipment and pushing himself to new heights in his workouts. His recent chest and triceps workout at Torture gym showcased his impressive muscle mass and strength, as he continues to fine-tune his training routine to achieve his desired physique.
Featured Image @ Nick_Walker39 (Instagram) & Nick Walker (YouTube)
