Last month, the two-time Arnold Classic champion, Nick Walker, became the runner-up at the 2026 Arnold Classic. His next goal is the Olympia. Preparing himself for the next event, Walker has clearly mentioned that he believes in strategic rest and will spend some time by himself.

"Win a show, go to Olympia, but whatever happened to getting qualified and then be like, alright, let my body rest until the Olympia now," Walker said. "Now, it's like let's do eight shows. By the time you get to the big one, you look like dog s***."

He is mainly investing his time in himself, without feeling the pressure to prove in a competition. Going by his latest Instagram post on April 18, Walker shared an update about how his training looks right now.

"Weight is holding 276-277," the caption read. "Training 4 days a week
1 hour of treadmill in the morning, light walk. Diet has not changed since training performance, sleep and recovery and hunger are all in a great spot and increasing."

Walker believes a steady mindset is a championship trait. He has had a rough path over the last two years. A devastating torn hamstring injury forced him to sit out the 2023 Mr. Olympia entirely. He returned competitively in 2024, winning the New York Pro to re-qualify for the Olympia.

But he finished in sixth position at the 2025 Mr. Olympia. With the 2026 Mr Olympia scheduled for September, Walker delivered one of the most improved physiques of the year at the Arnold Classic.

He finished second behind new titleholder Chinedu Andrew 'Jacked' Obiekea. This will fuel Walker to prepare himself for the September event.

"Improvements are truly made during downtime," he said. "Nothing drastically will change if you're competing week after week. Patience is key here."

As Walker devotes the next few months to rest and preparation for the Olympia stage, the legends shared their take on his title future.

How Legends See Nick Walker Taking a Contest Break

Walker's mindset resonates with one of the sport's most celebrated veterans, Samir Bannout, the 1983 Mr. Olympia. Bannout publicly backed Walker. He pointed out that Dorian Yates, a six-time Olympia champion, employed a similar selective competition strategy throughout his dominant era.

“Nick Walker is intelligent. In fact, what he’s doing now is wonderful. I think he is going to come back even better. That’s a good move, a very good move,” said Bannout. 

However, industry veteran and commentator Dave Palumbo has openly questioned Walker’s decision to bypass some of the sport’s biggest contests. It gave rise to a debate about what it really takes to stay relevant at the top of the Men’s Open division.

"He’s made a ton of money for the year," said Palumbo. "He’s putting too much pressure on himself."

With all this debate, Walker will have to prove himself at 2026 Mr. Olympia.

What do you think of Walker's decision?

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Written by

Proma Chatterjee

Edited by

Soheli Tarafdar