Men’s Open bodybuilder Nick Walker scored a controversial runner-up finish to former Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford at the 2025 Pittsburgh Pro in early May. “The Mutant” came out on top one week later at the 2025 New York Pro, and he is currently riding that momentum as he preps for this October’s 2025 Olympia.
This will be Walker’s first Olympia appearance since 2022, when he finished in third. To see how dialed-in Walker is, take a look at how he trains chest, delts, and triceps 15 weeks out from the 2025 Mr. Olympia.
Nick Walker’s Push Workout
- High-to-Low Cable Chest Flyes
- Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
- Machine Lateral Raises
- Machine Converging Chest Press
- Cable Front Delt Raises
- Cable Rope Triceps Pushdowns
- Machine Overhead Triceps Extensions
Building a Champ-Caliber Upper Shelf
Starting with Smith incline presses at roughly 45 degrees, Walker moved through his full range of motion with an exaggerated back arch to engage the lats. Incline presses are more effective for upper pec growth than flat or decline presses.
Literature shows greater upper pec activity when flaring the elbows during the eccentric and pulling them in during the concentric. (1)
Walker performed two heavy sets in the six to eight rep range, followed by two lighter sets of 10 to 15 reps. Evidence suggests varying rep ranges are beneficial for muscle gains. However, moderate rep zones should comprise the bulk of weekly sets. (2)
To Intensify or Not?
Walker prefers full-range standard sets and avoids intensifier techniques like drop sets, rest-pause sets, forced reps, and partials. This could help save energy for full-range reps, which should be prioritized over partials. Science is conflicting on training to and past failure, though these methods could enhance gains by pushing limits. (3)
Intensifiers are helpful for time-restricted instances, but may not cause additional growth past complete range reps to failure.
However, constantly pushing limits can have a negative impact on recovery. Even a high-level bodybuilder like Walker monitors his training loads and sets by alternating weights.
Should You Squeeze?
Walker noticed greater detail by emphasizing concentrics.
I stopped worrying about weight and squeezed. That’s why my back is so detailed.
—Nick Walker
Walker likens squeezing in the gym to posing on stage, adding, “On stage, you’re not focusing on negatives, you’re squeezing.”
Olympia-winning coach Hany Rambod implements “flex sets”, which involve flexing to emphasize muscle details. Literature suggests that eccentric exercises are slightly more growth-inducing for specific muscles. (4)
Walker’s Lateral Raise Form for Huge Delts
“Side delts are one of those muscles that don’t get sore,” Walker noted. “You could hit them three times a week.”
Walker performs lateral raises through his full range of motion, stopping in an extended overhead position. He explained, “I contract the shoulder much harder than stopping [halfway]. My shoulders have grown drastically.”
Walker replaced shoulder presses with front delt raises, claiming that it has been the key to his shoulder development. (4)
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References
- Chaves SFN, Rocha-JÚnior VA, EncarnaÇÃo IGA, Martins-Costa HC, Freitas EDS, Coelho DB, Franco FSC, Loenneke JP, Bottaro M, Ferreira-JÚnior JB. Effects of Horizontal and Incline Bench Press on Neuromuscular Adaptations in Untrained Young Men. Int J Exerc Sci. 2020 Aug 1;13(6):859-872. doi: 10.70252/FDNB1158. PMID: 32922646; PMCID: PMC7449336.
- Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb 22;9(2):32. doi: 10.3390/sports9020032. PMID: 33671664; PMCID: PMC7927075.
- Robinson ZP, Pelland JC, Remmert JF, Refalo MC, Jukic I, Steele J, Zourdos MC. Exploring the Dose-Response Relationship Between Estimated Resistance Training Proximity to Failure, Strength Gain, and Muscle Hypertrophy: A Series of Meta-Regressions. Sports Med. 2024 Sep;54(9):2209-2231. doi: 10.1007/s40279-024-02069-2. Epub 2024 Jul 6. PMID: 38970765.
- Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Jul;23(7):1240-1250. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35819335.
Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram
