Nick Walker Eyes Derek Lunsford Battle at 2023 Olympia: ‘I Don’t See Hadi Choopan Repeating’ 

Bodybuilder Nick Walker has ambitious plans for the rest of his current season. In a recent Mutant and the Mouth Podcast, Walker addressed whether or not legs are a weak point and envisioned a showdown against Derek Lunsford at the 2023 Olympia contest. 

“The goal for me into this Olympia is to have the Olympia fullness to match the Arnold condition. If I can do that, I think I win hands down,” said Nick Walker. 

At last year’s Mr. Olympia, Hadi Choopan claimed gold after his fourth attempt at the event. He dethroned two-time winner Mamdouh ‘Big Ramy’ Elssbiay, who finished fifth and defeated Derek Lunsford and Nick Walker en route to securing the sport’s most notable achievement. 

Walker made a quick turnaround in Columbus, Ohio at the 2023 Arnold Classic, however, was unsuccessful in his quest for a second title. While the outcome was deemed controversial in the eyes of many professionals, Samson Dauda pulled off the victory nonetheless and earned his invitation to the next Olympia. Meanwhile, Walker still believes he should have gotten his hand raised. 

Having placed runner-up to Dauda, Walker opened up on results. Even though he thought he brought a winning package, the 28-year-old plans to use the judges’ criticism as fuel for his next competition. With this year’s Olympia taking place November 2-5, Walker set his sights on another battle with Lunsford as he doesn’t believe Hadi Choopan will repeat as champion. 

Nick Walker Says He Has Solid Shot of Defeating ‘Comparable’ Hadi Choopan, Derek Lunsford at 2023 Olympia

According to Walker, Choopan won’t be champion by the end of the next Olympia competition. He insisted that the show will be determined following a battle with Lunsford. 

“Yeah. I mean look, I think I have a shot of winning any show that I do, for the Olympia, yeah, I mean the two people that were in front of me were Hadi and Derek, and I think they are very comparable; I think that’s why they were one and two.

Listen, I love Hadi but I don’t see him repeating in my opinion and Derek, you know… he could continue to beat me now that he has a full off-season actually to put the work in and put size on now, so we’ll see. But everyone knows I improve drastically show to show. So, it’s just going to really come down to what me and him look like and who is in better shape, honestly,” shared Walker. 

“People don’t understand, Derek is not small by any means. Like, he’s a big guy and he’s got great shape right? You know, so, what I was trying to do even for the Olympia and for the Arnold was improve the shape. That’s what I was trying to do. And I think it worked in my favor for the Olympia because I was still very very full, but I think when I came into the Arnold, I wasn’t as full, a lot more conditioned, and the waist was definitely more streamlined but I just didn’t have the pop that everyone likes, I guess.” 

Walker Reveals If Legs Are a ‘Weak Point,’ Talks Training Tactics and Useful PEDs in Prep 

Reflecting on his last show, Walker said his legs lost volume, which he believes might have been a by-product of over-training. 

“Everyone says that my legs are my weak point right? I connect probably the best with my legs. So, I never have to do a ton of volume. I did legs yesterday. I did one set with four different exercises, four sets total, my legs are trashed, like fuc**ng trashed. I’m sore as fu** bro. I just know how to – in my mind, when people say, ‘Oh your legs are small.’ Well, maybe I’m just doing too much. Everyone was like, ‘Oh you need to do legs twice a week.’ It’s like, if I’m getting that sore and connecting so well with just that, I don’t need it; I don’t think I need another [session].” 

He explained going ‘too hard’ during cardio could have resulted in his legs being downsized in Ohio. 

“I think what happens for me, is when I do cardio, I think I go too hard as well. We’re the same. We go that’s it, we’re cranking. I think when you get in a calorie deficit for so long, you’re cranking the cardio hard – the legs are going to go. It’s the only body part that’s going to go. I think that with training legs and connecting as well as I do on a frequent basis, on top of the hard cardio. The legs are going to go if you’re in a calorie deficit.” 

While making improvements in the off-season, Walker credited Romanian deadlifts for being more beneficial than conventional deadlifting. He added that pull-ups are an underrated exercise for building a world-class back.

“I think what’s more beneficial than a deadlift in my opinion… is RDLs [Romanian deadlifts],” said Walker. “You know what I think is the most underrated back exercise, pull-ups. I think in my opinion, pull-ups can build one of the best backs in the world.” 

Before calling it a day, Walker revealed he uses T3 as necessary when he encounters a stall point in prep progress. He shared that he’s now taking MPP (nandrolone phenylpropionate) and routinely changes around his stack. 

“Needed [T3 use] if necessary. It’s [for] the end of a prep or maybe you hit a stall point – you kind of just – a little dose and it’ll go a long way,” Walker shared. “No, not really [I don’t use peptides].” 

“Over the years, you try different shit, you use different – you know. What I use throughout my past four or five years, I don’t really have [acne] breakouts,” Walker said. “I’m pretty good with my joints so knock on wood. I think it [MPP] helps, I do.”

Since winning his first Sandow, Choopan has been quietly training in Iran. Walker is confident that a balance of fullness and conditioning will be the key to taking out Choopan and Lunsford at his next Mr. Olympia show.

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