Armed and Harmful!
Nick Walker Goals His 22-Inch Weapons on the Olympia Title
By Ron Harris
Armed to Battle With the Finest
Nick “The Mutant” Walker has quickly risen to the highest of the game in almost file time. In 2021, he jumped proper into the Chicago Professional solely six weeks after incomes skilled standing on the 2021 IFBB North American Championships. At that Chicago Professional, held in Atlanta, he positioned a decent fourth place behind winner Akim Williams, Justin Rodriguez, and Maxx Charles – and none of these three have beat Nick since, and possibly by no means will once more. His second professional present was the New York Professional, which might be his first win within the IFBB Professional League. Just a few months later in Columbus, Ohio, the younger gun joined previous greats like Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, Dexter Jackson, and Flex Wheeler by changing into an Arnold Basic champion. He capped off this sensational season with a top-five end on the Mr. Olympia, an achievement most professional bodybuilders dream of however by no means come near. Since then, he has positioned third on the Mr. Olympia in 2022 and a really shut second place on the 2023 Arnold Basic.
At 5-foot-6 and 255 kilos, Walker is packed head to toe with dense, thick muscle mass. When the primary pose in judging is known as, the entrance double biceps, jaws drop and crowds scream on the sight of his gargantuan arms. They add a freak issue to each single one in all his poses, in truth, and a few are already saying his arms are among the many finest within the sport proper now. After all, I needed to speak to this rising celebrity to search out out no matter I might about how he constructed them and share it with you, the loyal MD readers!
Mutant Arms: Origins
Nick didn’t come out of his mama with big arms, however they had been by no means what you’ll name small. “They had been all the time lean and outlined, with a little bit of pure measurement,” he says. Sadly, he by no means measured them at the beginning of his lifting journey, however ultimately at his heaviest low season weight of 285 kilos, they taped out at a whopping 24 inches. Usually, if a bodybuilder has freakish growth within the arms or legs, you possibly can look to at least one or each of his mother and father for a genetic blueprint. Nick’s father was a bodybuilder in his personal youthful years, although he by no means competed, and Nick has by no means seen a photograph from these days. “However I do keep in mind after I was a little bit child, his arms had been nonetheless fairly huge,” he provides. Oddly, although he inherited the potential for uncooked measurement from pricey previous dad, he did miss out on one genetic trait which will have made his entrance double biceps pose much more dramatic: the double “cut up peak” biceps that each Ronnie Coleman and ‘80s star Boyer Coe had been identified kind. “He has it and so does my older brother Louie, however not me,” shrugs Nick. Fortunately, he’s doing OK with out it!
Early Coaching Blunders
Nick can let you know precisely when he determined he wished huge arms. “I noticed a video of Jay Cutler doing curls, and I mentioned proper then and there I wished arms that huge sometime.” Filled with youthful enthusiasm, teenage Nick went greater than a little bit overboard in his quest. “I skilled arms twice every week, and the exercises can be three hours lengthy,” he reveals. “I’d accomplish that many workouts, all for increased reps of 15-20, and I averaged about eight units every for each train.” As time glided by, Nick started to learn the way his physique responded to totally different coaching variables, and he found that along with his arms, much less was extra. The next will sound sacrilegious to lots of you, however it got here straight from Walker himself. “The one factor that was in all probability holding my arm development again essentially the most was having a devoted arm day,” he explains. “The arms are all the time working not directly everytime you prepare chest, again, and shoulders, so including an entire day the place you simply annihilate them might be counterproductive for most individuals. It was for me for positive.”
After years of hammering arms that method, Nick started working them with a lot much less quantity after a bigger physique half like chest, again, or shoulders. Lo and behold, they grew into the outrageous weapons you see at this time. “It’s important to keep in mind that if a muscle can’t get better correctly, it received’t develop, and I do know for me having that arm day on prime of all the pieces else was holding them again.” In truth, in the event you try Nick’s present coaching cut up, you will notice that he in all probability does a great deal much less for his 23-inch arms than the remainder of us whose arms have half the mass of his. Let that sink in, and maybe chances are you’ll rethink what you’re doing to your personal arms and provides his briefer type a attempt. Now, let’s have a look at a couple of of Walker’s favourite methods to blast bi’s and tri’s.
Twin Cable Curls From Low Pulley
Normally when somebody is seen utilizing two cable pulleys for a biceps curl, it’s the variation known as the “entrance double biceps cable curl” standing between two excessive pulleys. What Nick demonstrates right here, curling from two low pulleys along with his again to the load stack, is definitely an identical motion to incline dumbbell curls, since every rep begins with the biceps within the absolutely stretched place underneath load. Walker additionally prefers a particular attachment known as the KAZ deal with by Prime Health. “It has a tapered deal with diameter, thicker at one finish, to match the pure mechanics of the human hand,” he explains. Not solely does he discover it hits his biceps higher, however it takes the forearms out of the equation for essentially the most half and eliminates the elbow ache he sometimes experiences.
Preacher Curl Machine
Nick has tailored many workouts to go well with his wants, and it is a prime instance. Moderately than sit up, he has his legs out in again of him. This prevents him from hunching over, which may typically trigger the shoulders to take over as soon as the biceps begin to change into fatigued. “Since I usually solely do two or at most three units of any given biceps train as of late, each rep of each set must rely and actually hit the goal.”
Hammer Dumbbell Curls
Nick feels hammer curls are a should, however it’s not essential to do them each week. “For most individuals, I believe each different biceps exercise is ok,” he says. He prefers to alternate arms moderately than do each without delay, and does his finest to place his thoughts into the goal muscular tissues right here, specifically the forearm extensors and the brachialis.
Twin Cable Pushdown
Should you’re questioning why Nick chooses to make use of two separate straps for a similar motion most of you do with a rope attachment, it’s as a result of he’s discovered it’s an enchancment. “Once I begin going heavy with a rope, a whole lot of instances my arms begin slipping, particularly round that ball on the finish,” he tells us. Securing every hand in a loop strap as a substitute locks his arms into place in order that’s by no means a priority. You may additionally discover that because of the size of the straps, he’s capable of obtain an extended vary of movement. “Clearly the rope is just so lengthy, and you may’t unfold them aside and get them too far again. With the 2 straps, I can prolong all the way in which down towards my hips for a way more full contraction.”
Commonplace Cable Pushdown
The chief of Walker Nation additionally does the extra normal pushdown variation with a bar attachment, usually a brief straight bar. “Out of all the different sorts, the V-bar, the cambered bar and so forth, that’s what offers me the perfect contraction for my triceps.”
Dip Machine
Machine dips are a frequent ending motion in Nick’s triceps exercises. Most machine stacks aren’t terribly difficult, however that’s irrelevant in his case. “I don’t actually really feel the triceps working after I go very heavy, and so they don’t get pumped,” he reveals. As an alternative, he retains his reps increased, round 15-20, and doesn’t relaxation lengthy between units. “One factor I love to do on machine dips each few exercises is to do 5 units with solely 30 seconds relaxation between.” If that sounds acquainted, it’s much like Hany Rambod’s FST-7 “Sevens,” however with a pair much less units. “The pump simply builds set after set, and I discovered that by the fifth set I bought the utmost quantity of blood into my triceps.”
New Low season Coaching Break up
Monday: Legs
Tuesday: Chest and biceps (perhaps triceps too)
Wednesday: Again (may do triceps right here as a substitute)
Thursday: OFF
Friday: Legs
Saturday: Chest and shoulders
Sunday: OFF
Arm Exercises: Mid-October 2021
Biceps
Cable Curls – 2 x 12-15
Barbell Curl “21’s” – 3 x 21
Preacher Curls – 5 x 10-12 (relaxation solely 30 seconds between units)
Triceps
Cable Pushdown – 2 x 12-15
Cranium-Crushers – 2 x 10-12
Dip Machine – 5 x 10-12 (relaxation solely 30 seconds between units)
Contest Historical past
2012 Gold’s Basic
Third, Teenage
2013 East Coast Championships
Teen Winner
2013 Jap USA
Teen Winner
Third, Open Mild Heavyweight
2014 Teen Nationals
Second, Heavyweights
2016 South Jersey
Heavyweight and Total
2016 USA Championships
Sixth, Mild Heavyweight
2017 Muscle Seaside
Heavyweight and Total
2017 North American Championships
Sixth, Heavyweight
2017 NPC Nationals
Sixth, Heavyweight
2019 USA Championships
Second, Tremendous Heavyweight
2020 North American Championships
Tremendous Heavyweight and Total
2020 Chicago Professional
Fourth Place
2021 New York Professional
2021 Arnold Basic
Winner
2021 Mr. Olympia
Fifth Place
2022 Mr. Olympia
Third Place
2023 Arnold Basic
Second Place
Ron Harris bought his begin within the bodybuilding trade through the eight years he labored in Los Angeles as Affiliate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Journal” present within the Nineteen Nineties. Since 1992 he has revealed almost 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and health magazines, making him essentially the most prolific bodybuilding author ever. Ron has been coaching for the reason that age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives along with his spouse and two youngsters within the Boston space. FbInstagram
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