Nick Walker is the most-watched mass monster of his generation. At 5'7" and somewhere between 250 and 270-plus pounds on stage, "The Mutant" won the 2021 Arnold Classic as a rookie, took third at the 2022 Olympia, and in August 2026 won the Tampa Pro with a perfect score to punch his ticket back to the Olympia stage.
Related: our guide to the best joint supplements →
His last three years have been a study in setbacks: a hamstring tear days before the 2023 Olympia, a 2024 withdrawal when his body stopped responding in prep, and a sixth-place finish at the 2025 Olympia his coach blamed on a mistimed peak.
He is not hedging about 2026.
"If everyone is on 100%, I will f***ing win."
This guide covers his current training split, his rest-pause method, the exact sets and reps from his documented sessions, and the diet fueling his run at the 2026 Mr. Olympia (September 24-27, Las Vegas). For the full contender field, see our Mr. Olympia 2026 preview.
Training Philosophy
Walker trains the opposite way most people assume a 260-pound man trains. Since the 2023 hamstring tear, his sessions are machine-dominant for constant, joint-friendly tension, and the working volume is surprisingly low: one acclimation set, then only a couple of working sets per exercise, with just one or two of them taken to true failure.
What makes those sets brutal is the rest-pause method. A typical final set runs eight reps, fifteen to twenty seconds of rest, eleven or twelve more reps, another short pause, then a final push to fifteen — sometimes dropping weight along the way.
He is also loudly pro-high-reps for size.
"People have this weird perception of higher reps can't get you big."
Four weeks out from the 2025 Olympia, his push sessions were running sets of 15-20 on nearly every movement. And between sets he takes his time: rest as long as you need, because rushing costs reps and, in his words, leaves gains on the table.
Since June 2026 he has trained under coach Prabh Dhaliwal, after a 2025 season run by Kyle Wilkes and Jared Feather. The team changed; the method — few sets, absolute effort — has not.
Weekly Training Split
Walker's documented split is five days: legs twice, chest twice, and back, shoulders, and arms woven through, with each muscle getting three to four days of recovery before it's hit again.
| Day | Focus | Training Style |
|---|---|---|
| Day 1 | Legs (Hamstring Focus) | Curls, RDLs, leg press |
| Day 2 | Push (Chest and Delts) | Machine presses, high reps, rest-pause |
| Day 3 | Rest | Recovery |
| Day 4 | Back | Rows, pullovers, pulldowns |
| Day 5 | Legs (Quad Focus) | Pressing patterns, extensions |
| Day 6 | Chest and Arms | Heavy pressing, isolation finishers |
| Day 7 | Rest | Recovery |
Hamstring Day
Hamstrings open the split — a deliberate choice from a man who tore one on the eve of the biggest show of his life. The session is short, heavy, and machine-led.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seated Leg Curl | 2 + bonus set | 15 | Strict, full contraction |
| Romanian Deadlift | 2 | 6-7 | Worked up to 435 lb |
| Leg Press | 3 | 15-20 | Feet high for hamstring bias |
| Bulgarian Split Squat | 2 | 10-12 | Each leg |
| Adduction Machine | 2 | 15-20 | Inner-thigh detail |
Push Day
This is the session Walker filmed four weeks out from the 2025 Olympia, and it shows the whole method: machines, high reps, and rest-pause on the last set of nearly everything.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Machine Fly | 5 | 15-20 | Pre-exhaust, rest-pause finish |
| Incline Converging Press | 4 | 15-20 | Upper chest, constant tension |
| Flat Machine Press | 4 | 15-20 | Rest-pause on final set |
| Seated Side Raise | 3 | 15-20 | Strict, no swing |
| Standing Side Raise | 3 | 15-20 | Back-to-back with seated raises |
| EZ-Bar Pushdown + Extension Superset | 5 | 20 | Triceps burnout |
Chest Day
His heavier chest work runs lower reps but keeps the same discipline: quality reps, controlled negatives, and minimal working sets.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Smith Incline Press | 2 heavy + 2 lighter | 6-8 / 10-15 | Top sets first, then volume |
| Cable Flyes | 3 | 10-12 | Full stretch, hard squeeze |
Back Day
Back sessions rotate cable pullovers, chest-supported rows, single-arm rows, T-bar rows, and machine pullovers. His documented working numbers: wide-grip pulldowns for two to three working sets of 10-12 with a drop set on the last, and T-bar rows for two working sets of 10-12 to failure.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Wide-Grip Pulldown | 2-3 | 10-12 | Drop set on final set |
| Cable Pullover | 2-3 | 10-12 | Lat isolation before rows |
| Chest-Supported Row | 2-3 | 10-12 | Strict, no momentum |
| Single-Arm Row | 2 | 10-12 | Each side |
| T-Bar Row | 2 | 10-12 | Working sets to failure |
| Rear-Delt Fly | 2-3 | 12-15 | Upper-back finisher |
Diet
Walker's documented 2026-season intake is 3,857 calories: 330 grams of protein, 430 grams of carbs, and 85 grams of fat across five meals. In a full off-season push, his documented day of eating has reached 4,567 calories over six meals.
The food is deliberately plain. Meal one is oats, cream of rice, whey isolate, blueberries, and peanut butter; the rest of the day rotates chicken with cream of rice and banana, chicken with rice and kimchi, and a no-carb chicken meal to close.
Refeeds are scheduled, not spontaneous — during Olympia prep he has documented a steakhouse dinner slotted in as a planned high-carb meal. But he rejects the modern mini-cut entirely:
"I don't understand a mini cut. If you need a mini cut, you just took your bulk too far."
On the supplement side, Walker became a part-owner of Morphogen Nutrition in February 2026, where his signature ProteGEN whey line lives. Despite the nickname, he has never been sponsored by the Mutant supplement brand — the name came from fans reacting to his freakish growth rate around 2019.
The System
Walker's method is the clearest modern case for effort over volume. Two working sets that end in rest-pause oblivion beat five sets that end comfortably — and a 260-pound physique built almost entirely on machines is the proof.
The deeper lesson is in the arc. A torn hamstring, a lost season, a mistimed peak — and the response each time was the same plain food, the same few brutal sets, the same patience between them.
Jay Cutler was his idol growing up. They share a birthday. And like Cutler, Walker's story is turning into one about what happens when relentless work meets repeated disappointment — the sequel gets written in September.
Explore Similar Routines
- Derek Lunsford's Workout Routine
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- Andrew Jacked's Workout Routine
- Mr. Olympia 2026: The Full Preview
- Jay Cutler's Workout Routine
Not everyone has two hours a day for an Olympia split. If time is your constraint, EMS training condenses a full-body strength stimulus into a 20 minute session.
Walker's documented intake is food-first — 3,857 calories across five plain meals in season. The supplement layer is thin by design: whey isolate anchors meal one (he drinks his own ProteGEN line), and cream of rice carries the carb load meal after meal.