Nick Walker didn’t mince words after he finished in second at the 2023 Arnold Classic behind Samson Dauda. Though “The Mutant” called his placing a hard pill to swallow, he went on his podcast a few days later to say point blank: “Samson didn’t take me out.”
But Walker isn’t letting that hiccup discourage him from his ultimate goal of winning the 2023 Mr. Olympia in November. And to finally secure his first Sandow, he is ramping up the workout intensity before his prep for the biggest bodybuilding show of the year.
To see his routine firsthand, check out the chest and triceps workout Walker added to his YouTube channel on April 24:
[Related: 10 Athletes With the Best Chests in Men’s Bodybuilding]
Nick Walker’s Chest and Triceps Workout
Here’s a complete breakdown of the chest and triceps workout Walker completed:
Pec Deck Flye
The peck dec flye is an excellent movement for isolating the mid-pec muscles. Walker included a back-off set with lighter weight after heavier sets to add some volume to his chest.
Walker performed the negative (downward phase when muscles lengthen) part of his lifts at a slow tempo and performed the concentric load (muscle contraction) at a regular cadence. The goal was to squeeze his pectoral muscles more.
Machine Incline Bench Press
The specific bench press machine Walker used has two grips — one for the upper chest and the other to target a bit more of the shoulders. Walker rested three to five minutes between sets.
“For better muscle recruitment, [a] longer rest period is going to create that,” Walker said in the video. “Because if you’re going faster, you won’t be able to get the most out of it, which means less muscle recruitment and less [muscle] growth.”
[Related: 10 Memorable Performances From the Arnold Classic Bodybuilding Contest]
He added that one should always have a “pump” whether training with high or lower volume. And that comes from keeping the intensity high.
For Walker’s last set, he added rest-pause sets. So he did eight reps, rested 15 to 20 seconds, then did a set of 11 or 12 reps with lighter weight. Then he rested for 15 to 20 seconds again, reduced the weight, and did another 15 reps.
Machine Bench Press
During this move, Walker talked a bit about the importance of keeping his intensity up even at high volumes of work.
“For me, [doing] a lot more volume creates a little more fatigue,” he said. “So me doing a little less volume […] taking that one to two sets of failure, doesn’t create [as much] fatigue. And I’ve always been a fan of getting the most out of the least.”
Cable Flye and Cable Chest Press
This cable flye machine has back padding to help stabilize Walker’s movement to stretch the chest muscles better. He added a superset of cable chest press at the end of his desired reps for cable flyes to get more blood flowing to his chest muscles.
Assisted Dip and Cable Triceps Extension
Walker did the dips slowly and under control, using an assistance machine to take some load off. Next, he moved to triceps exercises.
For this move, Walker used a straight bar attachment and kept his elbows static and close to his body. The key is that he didn’t use momentum to push the weight and focused on only extending his triceps. He added drop sets at the end.
Machine Overhead Triceps Extension and Machine Lateral Raise
Next up was an overhead triceps extension machine, which Walker said was one of the best he had ever used. This was followed by one shoulder exercise — machine lateral raise — to target his medial deltoids to conclude his workout. He added a rest-pause set to this movement to increase the intensity.
[Related: Jay Cutler vs. Nick Walker: A Fantasy Bodybuilding Showdown]
What’s Next for Nick Walker?
Since Walker finished in the top three at the 2022 Mr. Olympia, he automatically qualifies for a spot at the 2023 show. He won’t compete in any other contest beforehand, so his next milestone will be when his Olympia prep really kicks off.
The 2023 Olympia takes place November 2-5 in Orlando, Florida.
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