{"id":13840,"date":"2026-01-31T20:15:00","date_gmt":"2026-01-31T20:15:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840"},"modified":"2026-01-31T20:15:00","modified_gmt":"2026-01-31T20:15:00","slug":"nick-walker-ditches-drop-sets-for-rest-pause-sets-during-2026-arnold-classic-prep-explains-how-hes-balancing-macros-fitness-volt","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840","title":{"rendered":"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He’s Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt"},"content":{"rendered":"


\n<\/p>\n

\n

Nick Walker is changing things up to present his best at the 2026 Arnold Classic. On Jan. 29, 2026, he explained why he substituted drop sets with rest-pause sets during prep<\/strong>. Additionally, he broke down how he\u2019s balancing his macros to ensure he\u2019s stage-ready.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI think this is going to be a very good look for me. I\u2019m not going to talk a bunch of shit, like I always do, even though that is my forte. I\u2019m in a good spot. I\u2019m happy.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Nick Walker<\/a> plans to re-establish his status as an Olympia title contender. But first, he has to find success at the Arnold Classic, and that won\u2019t be easy. He\u2019s coming off the lowest Olympia finish of his career<\/a>, which saw him take sixth place due to a mistimed peak<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Having won the Arnold Classic in 2021, Walker has a shot at becoming a two-time champion. However, to lay claim to gold, he\u2019ll have to defeat third-place Olympia finisher Chinedu Andrew \u2018Jacked\u2019 Obiekea<\/a> and the on-paper favorite, Hadi Choopan<\/a>.<\/p>\n

Beyond the top-two threats, \u201cThe Mutant\u201d has to take out Martin Fitzwater, who inched past him in Vegas. With the event just five and a half weeks away, he broke down how he\u2019s approached his diet and training to secure redemption onstage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Nick Walker Talks Training and Dieting Strategy for 2026 Arnold Classic\u00a0<\/h2>\n

In the video, Walker explained why he replaced drop sets with rest-pause sets during prep. Drop sets<\/strong><\/a> are a training system where the lifter performs a set to failure and then immediately changes the weight and carries on without resting. In contrast, rest-pause training<\/strong><\/a> involves taking short rests in between repetitions to maximize time under tension.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cAs far as training goes, it\u2019s definitely not high volume, it\u2019s not low volume. I\u2019m sitting in the middle,\u201d he shared. \u201cStill utilizing rest-pause sets because I like those. I steered away from drop sets.<\/p>\n

Not for any reason in particular, I just think, for me, it might be a mental thing or a bro thing, I just feel like when you do a rest-pause set, you\u2019re using that same load to push more reps out of you, which in my mind, in return, just means I\u2019m going to get more stimulus out of a heavier weight and get stronger.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

As for his diet, Walker decided to keep protein lower during prep, and he hasn\u2019t noticed a dropoff in his strength, pumps, or recovery.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cI have actually kept protein a tad lower. I definitely feel like that has benefited me a good bit. Obviously, it hasn\u2019t deteriorated my strength, my pumps, recovery, anything of that nature. I\u2019m literally doing six and a half ounces of protein per meal,\u201d he said<\/a>.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

Get Fitter, Faster<\/em><\/h3>\n

Level Up Your Fitness: Join our \ud83d\udcaa strong community in Fitness Volt Newsletter. Get daily inspiration, expert-backed workouts, nutrition tips, the latest in strength sports, and the support you need to reach your goals. Subscribe for free!<\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n

He explained that the change helped him with digestion. His protein mainly comes from chicken, ground turkey, and whey isolate. Fats are simple: Walker sticks with peanut butter and olive oil. His carbs are also straightforward, just rice or cream of rice.\u00a0<\/p>\n

\n

\u201cDigestion has been really on point with that. Really just coming from chicken, ground turkey, and whey isolate, to be honest. The carbs\u2026 I literally just alternate between rice and cream of rice. Fats, mainly, honestly, just some peanut butter and olive oil.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n

Though some have counted out Nick Walker, some bodybuilding veterans haven\u2019t. Lee Priest recently discussed his chances at the upcoming Arnold Classic. Priest emphasized that Walker\u2019s best days are not behind him<\/a> and predicted he could potentially beat Choopan onstage.\u00a0<\/p>\n

Walker looks on track to present an improved physique from the Olympia. The 2026 Arnold Classic<\/a> is set for March 5-8 in Columbus, OH.\u00a0<\/p>\n

RELATED:<\/strong>\u00a0Iain Valliere Reveals Top 3 Picks for 2026 Arnold Classic, Says Nick Walker Can Win With Improved Peak<\/a><\/p>\n

Watch the full video from the Nick Walker YouTube channel below:\u00a0<\/em><\/strong><\/h4>\n\n
\n
\n

\n Stay Updated with FitnessVolt<\/strong>
\n Get the latest fitness news, workouts & nutrition tips delivered to your feed<\/span>\n <\/p>\n


\n \n \n <\/svg>
\n Follow on Google News
\n <\/a>\n <\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/div>\n


\n
Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

Nick Walker is changing things up to present his best at the 2026 Arnold Classic. On Jan. 29, 2026, he explained why he substituted drop sets with rest-pause sets during prep. Additionally, he broke down how he\u2019s balancing his macros to ensure he\u2019s stage-ready.\u00a0 \u201cI think this is going to be a very good look […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":4,"featured_media":13841,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"tdm_status":"","tdm_grid_status":"","footnotes":""},"categories":[215,288],"tags":[],"class_list":{"0":"post-13840","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-mens-open-bodybuilding","8":"category-nick-walker"},"yoast_head":"\nNick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He's Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News<\/title>\n<meta name=\"robots\" content=\"index, follow, max-snippet:-1, max-image-preview:large, max-video-preview:-1\" \/>\n<link rel=\"canonical\" href=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:locale\" content=\"en_US\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:type\" content=\"article\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:title\" content=\"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He's Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:description\" content=\"Nick Walker is changing things up to present his best at the 2026 Arnold Classic. On Jan. 29, 2026, he explained why he substituted drop sets with rest-pause sets during prep. Additionally, he broke down how he\u2019s balancing his macros to ensure he\u2019s stage-ready.\u00a0 \u201cI think this is going to be a very good look […]\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:url\" content=\"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840\" \/>\n<meta property=\"og:site_name\" content=\"World Bodybuilding News\" \/>\n<meta property=\"article:published_time\" content=\"2026-01-31T20:15:00+00:00\" \/>\n<meta name=\"author\" content=\"Doug Murray\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:card\" content=\"summary_large_image\" \/>\n<meta name=\"twitter:label1\" content=\"Written by\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data1\" content=\"Doug Murray\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:label2\" content=\"Est. reading time\" \/>\n\t<meta name=\"twitter:data2\" content=\"4 minutes\" \/>\n<script type=\"application\/ld+json\" class=\"yoast-schema-graph\">{\"@context\":\"https:\\\/\\\/schema.org\",\"@graph\":[{\"@type\":\"Article\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840#article\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840\"},\"author\":{\"name\":\"Doug Murray\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246\"},\"headline\":\"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He’s Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-31T20:15:00+00:00\",\"mainEntityOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840\"},\"wordCount\":724,\"commentCount\":0,\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1769890500_Nick-Walker-1-.jpg\",\"articleSection\":[\"Men's Open Bodybuilding\",\"Nick Walker\"],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"CommentAction\",\"name\":\"Comment\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840#respond\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"WebPage\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840\",\"name\":\"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He's Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News\",\"isPartOf\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\"},\"primaryImageOfPage\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840#primaryimage\"},\"image\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840#primaryimage\"},\"thumbnailUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1769890500_Nick-Walker-1-.jpg\",\"datePublished\":\"2026-01-31T20:15:00+00:00\",\"author\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246\"},\"breadcrumb\":{\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840#breadcrumb\"},\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"ReadAction\",\"target\":[\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840\"]}]},{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840#primaryimage\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1769890500_Nick-Walker-1-.jpg\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/wp-content\\\/uploads\\\/2026\\\/01\\\/1769890500_Nick-Walker-1-.jpg\",\"width\":1600,\"height\":901},{\"@type\":\"BreadcrumbList\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?p=13840#breadcrumb\",\"itemListElement\":[{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":1,\"name\":\"Home\",\"item\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\"},{\"@type\":\"ListItem\",\"position\":2,\"name\":\"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He’s Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt\"}]},{\"@type\":\"WebSite\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#website\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/\",\"name\":\"World Bodybuilding News\",\"description\":\"Data, Rankings, Results.\",\"potentialAction\":[{\"@type\":\"SearchAction\",\"target\":{\"@type\":\"EntryPoint\",\"urlTemplate\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?s={search_term_string}\"},\"query-input\":{\"@type\":\"PropertyValueSpecification\",\"valueRequired\":true,\"valueName\":\"search_term_string\"}}],\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\"},{\"@type\":\"Person\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/#\\\/schema\\\/person\\\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246\",\"name\":\"Doug Murray\",\"image\":{\"@type\":\"ImageObject\",\"inLanguage\":\"en-US\",\"@id\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"contentUrl\":\"https:\\\/\\\/secure.gravatar.com\\\/avatar\\\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g\",\"caption\":\"Doug Murray\"},\"url\":\"https:\\\/\\\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\\\/?author=4\"}]}<\/script>\n<!-- \/ Yoast SEO plugin. -->","yoast_head_json":{"title":"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He's Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News","robots":{"index":"index","follow":"follow","max-snippet":"max-snippet:-1","max-image-preview":"max-image-preview:large","max-video-preview":"max-video-preview:-1"},"canonical":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840","og_locale":"en_US","og_type":"article","og_title":"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He's Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News","og_description":"Nick Walker is changing things up to present his best at the 2026 Arnold Classic. On Jan. 29, 2026, he explained why he substituted drop sets with rest-pause sets during prep. Additionally, he broke down how he\u2019s balancing his macros to ensure he\u2019s stage-ready.\u00a0 \u201cI think this is going to be a very good look […]","og_url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840","og_site_name":"World Bodybuilding News","article_published_time":"2026-01-31T20:15:00+00:00","author":"Doug Murray","twitter_card":"summary_large_image","twitter_misc":{"Written by":"Doug Murray","Est. reading time":"4 minutes"},"schema":{"@context":"https:\/\/schema.org","@graph":[{"@type":"Article","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840#article","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840"},"author":{"name":"Doug Murray","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246"},"headline":"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He’s Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt","datePublished":"2026-01-31T20:15:00+00:00","mainEntityOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840"},"wordCount":724,"commentCount":0,"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769890500_Nick-Walker-1-.jpg","articleSection":["Men's Open Bodybuilding","Nick Walker"],"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"CommentAction","name":"Comment","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840#respond"]}]},{"@type":"WebPage","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840","name":"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He's Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt - World Bodybuilding News","isPartOf":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website"},"primaryImageOfPage":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840#primaryimage"},"image":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840#primaryimage"},"thumbnailUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769890500_Nick-Walker-1-.jpg","datePublished":"2026-01-31T20:15:00+00:00","author":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246"},"breadcrumb":{"@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840#breadcrumb"},"inLanguage":"en-US","potentialAction":[{"@type":"ReadAction","target":["https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840"]}]},{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840#primaryimage","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769890500_Nick-Walker-1-.jpg","contentUrl":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2026\/01\/1769890500_Nick-Walker-1-.jpg","width":1600,"height":901},{"@type":"BreadcrumbList","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?p=13840#breadcrumb","itemListElement":[{"@type":"ListItem","position":1,"name":"Home","item":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/"},{"@type":"ListItem","position":2,"name":"Nick Walker Ditches Drop Sets for Rest-Pause Sets During 2026 Arnold Classic Prep, Explains How He’s Balancing Macros \u2013 Fitness Volt"}]},{"@type":"WebSite","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#website","url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/","name":"World Bodybuilding News","description":"Data, Rankings, Results.","potentialAction":[{"@type":"SearchAction","target":{"@type":"EntryPoint","urlTemplate":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?s={search_term_string}"},"query-input":{"@type":"PropertyValueSpecification","valueRequired":true,"valueName":"search_term_string"}}],"inLanguage":"en-US"},{"@type":"Person","@id":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/#\/schema\/person\/f9973621e08008ea75b7556cc829b246","name":"Doug Murray","image":{"@type":"ImageObject","inLanguage":"en-US","@id":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","url":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","contentUrl":"https:\/\/secure.gravatar.com\/avatar\/?s=96&d=initials&r=g","caption":"Doug Murray"},"url":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/?author=4"}]}},"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13840","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/4"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=13840"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/13840\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/13841"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=13840"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=13840"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/worldbodybuildingnews.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=13840"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}