Since parting ways with coach Matt Jansen after missing the Olympia in 2023 and 2024, IFBB Men’s Open bodybuilder Nick Walker enlisted Jared Feather for his training, paired with the Renaissance Periodization (RP) app. Walker recently brought in Kyle Wilkes as his main coach.
In early November 2024, Walker introduced his new training split. He’s focused on hypertrophy-cycling and longer rest between sets, biased toward building his hamstrings.
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Mutant Split: Volume Cycling Legs & Chest
Walker’s current five-day split prioritizes legs and chest twice weekly, with a different goal for each workout. He allows three to four days of rest per muscle group.
Walker will train other muscles with less focus on growth and more on performance and recovery. He’ll prioritize other body parts once he hits his gains target for legs and chest.
“Take as long as you need to recover,” Walker advised. “If you rush, you won’t get the same reps; you’re just leaving gains on the table.”
Performing one set to acclimate to the weight is a key strategy for Walker. His hamstring-focused leg day comprises the following exercises:
- Seated Hamstring Curl: 2 Sets x 15 Reps + Bonus Set
- Romanian Deadlift (RDL): 2 Sets x 7, 6, 6 Reps
- Leg Press: 3 Sets x 15-20 Reps
- Bulgarian Split Squat: 2 Sets
- Machine Adduction: 2 Sets x 15-20
Fast lifts and slow, controlled eccentrics were recurrent techniques during Walker’s session. He demonstrated with leg curls, emphasizing the short head of the hamstrings for beefy rear thighs.
Walker theorized that a bonus set would make him stronger the next workout. He followed with free-weight barbell RDLs, working up to 435 pounds for six reps. “I want my erectors to be huge…no more erector dysfunction,” Walker declared.
Walker attributes his newfound leg gains to lighter weight and deep knee flexion, flaring his toes out with a wide stance during leg presses. “[I’m not] throwing shade at anybody, but nobody goes that full range; no one hits that depth,” Walker shared.
Walker trained less intensely on the leg press to preserve strength for his quad-focused leg day. Though he miscalculated his second set, failing to push harder than his first, “You probably lowball yourself a little bit,” he admits, increasing intensity on the next set to compensate.
Unilateral Training Demands and Inner Thighs
While squatting single-legged during Bulgarian split squats, Walker highlighted the cardio demands compared to two-legged exercises. “Take a second, get your breath back, then go to the other leg,” he suggests. The extra time and balance requirements are limitations.
Though the RP Strength app programmed machine adductors first, Walker used caution, “It’s one of those tricky movements because of the huge stretch in the beginning,” leaving them more prone to injury. Walker isn’t worried about his inner thighs, “I don’t have a thigh gap,” he assures.
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Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram
