Nick Walker is five weeks away from battling on the 2026 Mr. Olympia stage. In an August 20 video, he pushed through a brutal workout to build his legs, focusing on slow, controlled repetitions and strong contractions.
The Men’s Open star faced a massive setback last season. Walker dropped to sixth place at the Mr. Olympia, prompting major changes to his camp. He fired his old coach and carried on without one. The decision was risky but paid off. Walker secured a silver medal at the 2026 Arnold Classic.
While he lost to Andrew Jacked (Chinedu Andrew Obiekea), the runner-up performance restored his momentum. Before the Tampa Pro, he hired a new coach and brought an all-time-best look to the stage. Now Olympia-qualified, Walker is dialing in his training to bring something new.
Nick Walker’s Massive Leg Day Workout Ahead of 2026 Mr. Olympia
Find his exercises from the video below:
- Cable Lying Leg Curl (1 set of single leg)
- Drop Squat Machine
- Linear Hack Squat
- Smith Machine RDL
- Leg Extension Machine
- Hip Thrust Machine
- Hip Adduction Machine
- Stairmaster Machine
Cable Lying Leg Curl
He opted for longer rest times on leg day to ensure he recovers efficiently before each set.
“Leg days I will take just a little longer; legs will take the wind out of you,” Walker shared. “I’ll just do one set of single leg.”
Drop Squat Machine + Linear Hack Squat
During prep, Walker revealed that he’s stuck with two squat machines instead of using the leg press.
“My quads are for the leg press, but now I mainly just do two squat movements. This feels incredible. Then, I do the one in the corner over there next.”
“Going to do my warm-ups then the working sets, but after this, pretty much just go into a working set. I’m pretty much done. No need to fuck around.”
Smith Machine RDL + Leg Extension Machine
After Romanian deadlifts and leg extensions, Walker felt the fatigue kick in:
“My legs are fried,” he said.
Hip Thrust Machine
Focusing on strong contractions, Walker trained for glute detail using the hip thrust machine.
Hip Adduction Machine
“The Mutant” kept his adduction machine reps slow and controlled before finishing off with cardio on the Stairmaster.
Walker has made it clear that a tighter waist is the main obstacle standing in his way. He recently argued that if he controls his midsection at the Olympia and showcases more detail in his chest and back, he could claim the Sandow trophy on his fourth attempt.
Bodybuilding veterans like his approach. Shawn Ray urged Walker not to change his winning formula ahead of the Mr. Olympia. He emphasized that Walker presents a bigger threat onstage when his weight is lighter.
Walker isn’t lacking training intensity before the biggest show of the year. The 2026 Mr. Olympia is scheduled for September 24-27 in Las Vegas, Nevada.
