Almost every present-day icon has had humble beginnings, and Nick Walker is also one of them. The Mr. Olympia contender recently gained a lot of traction after having pulled out of the championship at the eleventh hour. Having developed a winner’s mindset right from the beginning, Walker learned pretty quickly that losses were the stepping stones to success.
During a chat on Jay Cutler’s podcast, the legendary bodybuilder reflected on his first championship. From convincing his mother about his dream career to winning the hearts of the audience, Walker had it all charted out and slowly fell into place. He recalled how he witnessed a turn in fate after his first loss in bodybuilding.
“I’m going to be clear; it was delusion. Because I just always had that confidence in me.”
Walker began competing at a young age, participating in teen bodybuilding championships. He tried his luck at multiple competitions before winning his pro card in 2020 at the NPC North American Championships. During his chat, he recalled how he began his career amidst apprehension.
“My mom was, you know, she’s just a mom, right, like, she sees bodybuilding and…research was done immediately. And I remember she’s like, ‘You’re not going to make money in this unless you’re at the top’.”
Losing his first-ever championship didn’t help either. The Mutant’s mother wanted him to give up on the sport, but he pressed on. The second time was the charm, and the bodybuilding icon won when he competed again. Gradually, mama Walker got on board, too. He recalled what made her completely switch to a supportive stance.
“I think what really kind of turned the mind a little more was when I did Teen Nationals against Cody Montgomery, and he beat me. But a lot of people had me over him, and she just was not happy.”
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Since then, Walker has been more or less an uncrowned king of Mr. Olympia. Bringing in the mass and a hulk-like physique, the 29-year-old has upped his level every year. 2023 witnessed a newly transformed ‘Mutant,’ with all criticism against him taken into account and turned into solid results. With a thinner waist, more definition, and an improved overall package, he looked ready to grab the Sandow.
A serious hamstring tear days before the championship spun his entire world around. After pulling out of the Olympia at the last minute, Walker rose out of his misery like a champ. Recently, he opened up about resorting to a training method pioneered by the legendary Mike Mentzer to get back in shape.
Nick Walker swears by the Mike Mentzer signature—one set to failure
After the horrendous tear that forced him out, the bodybuilding icon needed a routine that would ensure gains with the minimum risk of hurting himself. This led him to derive inspiration from veteran bodybuilder Dorian Yates. The six-time Mr. Olympia had a particular training routine that was intense and involved just one set. That method was pioneered by his mentor and coach, Mike Mentzer.
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The one-set-to-failure technique is a routine in which the bodybuilder performs just one set but pushes the last rep till complete failure. Mentzer believed that this cut down the training time and days and worked the muscles harder, thus enabling growth. Current-day bodybuilders like Nick Walker adopting this method introduced decades ago is a testament to Mentzer’s forward thinking.
