Men’s Open bodybuilder Nick Walker is prepping for his highly-anticipated Olympia return in 2025. Walker most recently graced the Olympia stage in 2022, earning a bronze.
In 2025, Walker competed at the Pittsburgh Pro to a silver-medal finish. Shortly thereafter, he claimed victory at the New York Pro, officially qualifying him for the 2025 Olympia, scheduled for Oct. 9–12 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
As the Olympia nears, Walker shared his training to build the back he believes worthy of the Sandow trophy.
Walker’s Back Building Guide
When training his chest, Walker prioritizes a deep stretch. He does the same when training his back. “I like to start with a flye. Stretches out the chest, allowing for better contractions. For back, I start with a stretching movement,” Walker explained.
Walker views exercise choice as the foundation for muscle growth. “If you’re not growing and executing everything else properly, it’s probably exercise selection. Choose the movements that work best for you.” Walker recommended.
- Stiff Arm Cable Pulldowns
- Machine Chest Supported T-Bar Rows
- Machine Bent-Over Rows
- One-Arm Lat Pulldowns
- Reverse Cable Flyes & Machine ROM Lateral Raises
- Cable Curls, Machine Preacher Curls, & Hanging Leg Raises
Stiff-Arm Cable Pulldowns
Walker begins with the stiff-arm cable pulldown, which allows for a deep stretch and strong contraction in the lats.
Hard stretch, pause at the top, squeeze at the bottom, burn them out, get a good stretch.
—Nick Walker
Stiff-arm cable pulldowns serve as Walker’s warm-up, providing a foundation for rowing. (1) There’s no need to go heavy, since engaging the lats is the goal rather than moving load. Walker focuses on maintaining tension in the muscles, performing three sets of 15 reps.
Machine Chest Supported T-Bar Rows
Walker aims to enhance the stretch while maintaining consistent tension on the lats. Prolonging time under tension builds muscle mass and strength. (2) Rounding the back during this exercise can enhance flexibility and mobility.
Machine Bent-Over Rows & One-Arm Lat Pulldowns
Walker positions his feet hip-width apart and opts for a semi-neutral grip for bent-over rows. Again, he focuses on achieving a deep stretch in the back, maintaining control over the weight, and executing strong contractions at the top of each rep.
Walker performs single-arm lat pulldowns and said, “This hits the lower lat pretty well… Anything for me, cable-wise, works every time.” Unilateral training helps correct muscle imbalances and improves his mind-muscle connection to maximize muscle growth. (3)
Cable Flyes, Lateral Raises, Curls, & Leg Raises
The reverse cable flye targets the rear delts. For the medial delts, Walker trains on a lateral raise machine.
Walker targets his biceps with a cable curl and then preacher curls to build the biceps peak. Wrapping his back day, Walker focuses on core strength, finishing with three sets of 20 reps of hanging leg raises. “I only do one ab movement per day,” Walker concludes.
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References
- Fradkin, A. J., Zazryn, T. R., & Smoliga, J. M. (2010). Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(1), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c643a0
- Burd, N. A., Andrews, R. J., West, D. W., Little, J. P., Cochran, A. J., Hector, A. J., Cashaback, J. G., Gibala, M. J., Potvin, J. R., Baker, S. K., & Phillips, S. M. (2012). Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. The Journal of physiology, 590(2), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
- Calatayud, J., Vinstrup, J., Jakobsen, M. D., Sundstrup, E., Brandt, M., Jay, K., Colado, J. C., & Andersen, L. L. (2016). Importance of mind-muscle connection during progressive resistance training. European journal of applied physiology, 116(3), 527–533. https://doi.org/10.1007/s00421-015-3305-7
Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram
