IFBB Pro Men’s Open bodybuilders Nick Walker and Blessing Awodibu began their rivalry at the 2021 New York Pro. Walker emerged victorious, while Awodibu placed sixth. Awodibu returned in 2022 to claim the title, and Walker reclaimed the title in 2024 to qualify for the 2024 Olympia. The two athletes ultimately squashed their beef and have since become good friends.
On July 6, 2024, Walker published a leg workout video on his YouTube channel, in which he and Awodibu focused on quad hypertrophy. While filming, Walker was 14 weeks out of the 2024 Olympia, scheduled for Oct. 10-13 in Las Vegas, NV. Awodibu disclosed that ongoing health concerns prevented him from pursuing an Olympia qualification this year but not from training in the gym.
Nick Walker & Blessing Awodibu’s Leg Workout
Here is an overview of the high-volume training session:
- Seated Leg Curl
- Leg Extension
- Leg Press
- Hack Squat
- Hip Press
- Lying Leg Curl
- Adductor Machine
Check out the workout below:
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Seated Leg Curl & Leg Extension
Walker prefers starting leg workouts with hamstring curls, which effectively warm the knees and hamstrings and limit joint pain and injury risk during the heavy compound movements afterward.
Walker employed tempo sets involving slow, controlled eccentrics, pausing in the fully lengthened position to increase the time under tension (TUT) and maximize target muscle stimulation. (1)
The duo transitioned to leg extensions, biasing the quads via a pause in the fully stretched position of each rep.
Leg Press
Walker aimed for 15-20 repetitions, loading the quads by adopting a wider-than-shoulder stance on the leg press. He employed three-second negatives and a pause with deep knee flexion to lengthen the quad.
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Walker reset his setup after each rep by locking out his knees, taking a deep breath, and bracing his core before initiating the next controlled eccentric. For the top set, the elite bodybuilders loaded the leg press with eight 45-pound weight plates on each side. They removed four plates for a back-off set and paused in the “hole” for two seconds.
Hack Squat
Awodibu positioned his feet low on the hack squat footboard, prioritizing driving the knees over his toes to better load the quads. He avoided locking out his knees at the top to maintain constant tension.
Lying Leg Curl & Adductor Machine
After reaching mechanical failure during lying leg curls, Walker employed forced reps while keeping his shoulders and hips aligned to limit lower back and glute involvement.
To the Olympia
Walker is widely regarded as a top contender to challenge the reigning Mr. Olympia Derek Lunsford. After recovering from a hamstring tear that kept Walker out of the 2023 Olympia, a return to the podium would be a remarkable comeback.
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References
- Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, et al. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(2):351-362. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
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