Nick Walker didn’t mince phrases after he completed in second on the 2023 Arnold Traditional behind Samson Dauda. Although “The Mutant” referred to as his inserting a tough capsule to swallow, he went on his podcast a couple of days later to say level clean: “Samson didn’t take me out.”
However Walker isn’t letting that hiccup discourage him from his final purpose of successful the 2023 Mr. Olympia in November. And to lastly safe his first Sandow, he is ramping up the exercise depth earlier than his prep for the most important bodybuilding present of the yr.
To see his routine firsthand, take a look at the chest and triceps exercise Walker added to his YouTube channel on April 24:
[Related: 10 Athletes With the Best Chests in Men’s Bodybuilding]
Nick Walker’s Chest and Triceps Exercise
Right here’s an entire breakdown of the chest and triceps exercise Walker accomplished:
Pec Deck Flye
The peck dec flye is a superb motion for isolating the mid-pec muscle mass. Walker included a back-off set with lighter weight after heavier units so as to add some quantity to his chest.
Walker carried out the unfavorable (downward section when muscle mass lengthen) a part of his lifts at a sluggish tempo and carried out the concentric load (muscle contraction) at an everyday cadence. The purpose was to squeeze his pectoral muscle mass extra.
Machine Incline Bench Press
The particular bench press machine Walker used has two grips — one for the higher chest and the opposite to focus on a bit extra of the shoulders. Walker rested three to 5 minutes between units.
“For higher muscle recruitment, [a] longer relaxation interval goes to create that,” Walker mentioned within the video. “As a result of should you’re going sooner, you received’t be capable of get probably the most out of it, which implies much less muscle recruitment and fewer [muscle] development.”
[Related: 10 Memorable Performances From the Arnold Classic Bodybuilding Contest]
He added that one ought to all the time have a “pump” whether or not coaching with excessive or decrease quantity. And that comes from retaining the depth excessive.
For Walker’s final set, he added rest-pause units. So he did eight reps, rested 15 to twenty seconds, then did a set of 11 or 12 reps with lighter weight. Then he rested for 15 to twenty seconds once more, decreased the load, and did one other 15 reps.
Machine Bench Press
Throughout this transfer, Walker talked a bit concerning the significance of retaining his depth up even at excessive volumes of labor.
“For me, [doing] much more quantity creates a bit of extra fatigue,” he mentioned. “So me doing rather less quantity […] taking that one to 2 units of failure, doesn’t create [as much] fatigue. And I’ve all the time been a fan of getting probably the most out of the least.”
Cable Flye and Cable Chest Press
This cable flye machine has again padding to assist stabilize Walker’s motion to stretch the chest muscle mass higher. He added a superset of cable chest press on the finish of his desired reps for cable flyes to get extra blood flowing to his chest muscle mass.
Assisted Dip and Cable Triceps Extension
Walker did the dips slowly and underneath management, utilizing an help machine to take some load off. Subsequent, he moved to triceps workouts.
For this transfer, Walker used a straight bar attachment and saved his elbows static and near his physique. The secret’s that he didn’t use momentum to push the load and centered on solely extending his triceps. He added drop units on the finish.
Machine Overhead Triceps Extension and Machine Lateral Increase
Subsequent up was an overhead triceps extension machine, which Walker mentioned was the most effective he had ever used. This was adopted by one shoulder train — machine lateral elevate — to focus on his medial deltoids to conclude his exercise. He added a rest-pause set to this motion to extend the depth.
[Related: Jay Cutler vs. Nick Walker: A Fantasy Bodybuilding Showdown]
What’s Subsequent for Nick Walker?
Since Walker completed within the prime three on the 2022 Mr. Olympia, he robotically qualifies for a spot on the 2023 present. He received’t compete in some other contest beforehand, so his subsequent milestone might be when his Olympia prep actually kicks off.
The 2023 Olympia takes place November 2-5 in Orlando, Florida.
Extra Bodybuilding Information
Featured Picture: Nick Walker on YouTube