The 2021 Arnold Classic champion, Nick Walker, has been on a mission to get as big as possible before he begins his prep for the 2022 Mr. Olympia contest, scheduled for Dec. 16-18, 2022, in Las Vegas, NV. On Apr. 18, 2022, Walker shared a video on his Instagram page that featured him performing a set of shoulder presses with 74.8-kilogram (165-pound) dumbbells for 10 reps.
Walker performed the set seated on a weight bench while wearing a lifting belt and wrist wraps. Check it out in the video below, which has already accrued nearly 80,000 views at the time of this article’s publication:
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The spotter made sure the weight reached Walker’s shoulders, but the only time he had to assist Walker aside from getting the dumbbells to the starting position was a slight touch to Walker’s elbows right before the lockout of the final rep. Walker wrote in the caption that his current mindset is on point:
The past few months, mentally, I was pretty out of it. But now I’m back, I’m where I belong now.
“The Mutant” has gotten significantly stronger over the last several weeks. On Feb. 9, 2022, Walker shared a workout on his YouTube channel that featured him shoulder pressing 150-pound dumbbells for six reps — quite the dropoff from where he is currently, hitting heavier weight for higher reps.
The New Jersey native trained at the MI40 Gym in Tampa, FL, owned by retired pro bodybuilder Ben Pakulski. Walker is in the process of moving to Tampa, and he indicated on a recent episode of the Bodybuilding and Bollocks podcast that he would train at MI40 more often. Walker structures his training by feeling rather than following a strict routine. Based on his recent feats of strength, he is confident that his strategy proves effective.
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Walker does not plan to compete until the 2022 Olympia, and he has not stated when he will officially begin his prep. When he does, it’ll be alongside his new coach, Domenick Mutascio. “The Mutant” hopes this fresh start can help him improve upon his fifth-place finish at the 2021 Mr. Olympia, which was won by the two-time champion Mamdouh “Big Ramy” Elssbiay. To move up the rankings on bodybuilding‘s grandest stage, Walker will have to pose down against 2019 Mr. Olympia and two-time Arnold Classic champion Brandon Curry and fellow top-five 2021 Olympia finishers Hadi Choopan and Hunter Labrada.
Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram