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Nick Walker has put his self-prepping journey to an end.. We\u2019ll get into that in a little bit; however, the net became electric with news that The Mutant had hired Prabh Dhaliwal (often known as @prodbyprob on Instagram) for his 2026 Tampa Pro prep. The move sent shockwaves throughout the fitness industry because it means Nick will compete again, but more importantly, it means he has aspirations of being at the 2026 Olympia. Moreover, it means that his head is still in the game. On the flipside, it also raises some questions. Why didn\u2019t he stay with Guy? Will Prabh have enough time? Will the coaching change bring about redemption of any sort? Does Nick even need to redeem himself? There\u2019s quite a bit to talk about here so let\u2019s dive right into the action.<\/p>\n
I have to say that I\u2019m surprised that Nick did not stay with Cisternino. I understand that Guy was never supposed to be the big name coach that Nick wanted. Rather, the scenario was supposed to play out like the 212 legend was simply overlooking his preparations. For some reason, Walker wanted the world to believe that he was doing everything on his own. Maybe it was because he needed that validation or maybe it was because he just didn\u2019t know what the hell he was doing. At the end of the day, a competitor who has always had a coach by his side, shouldn\u2019t break with tradition and then go off on his own. The stakes are just too high. If The Mutant was simply a level one amateur competitor and was just doing this for fun that would be one thing, but when you have won the Arnold Classic and you are in contention of winning the Olympia, you just can\u2019t make drastic moves like that without first planning them out properly. And the fact of the matter is that Guy helped him look better than he has looked at many shows in the past. Even though Nick took second place in Columbus that\u2019s nothing to hold his head down about. He\u2019s number two in the world if you go by the Arnold Classic. If you go by the Olympia he is definitely in the mix to be in the top six. But for a guy like Nick, that\u2019s just not good enough. Just like it wasn\u2019t good enough for Big Ramy. After so many years, people started to write him off, too. It was either win an Olympia or give up for The Egyptian Phenom in 2020. Unfortunately for Nick, he still has yet to win his first Sandow.<\/p>\n
Nonetheless, the fact is once it became apparent that the Guy did more than give a second opinion,\u00a0 I think that rattled Nick. Not only do I think he was unhappy with second place at the Arnold Classic, but I think he was also upset at the fact that people saw past his little coaching stunt. He didn\u2019t self-prep. He didn\u2019t really do anything on his own. I don\u2019t think he did his diet on his own, or his protocols on his own, or even his training on his own. And there\u2019s nothing wrong with that. He has been able to win some of the biggest titles in the sport and he has been able to stand amongst very few men, so what\u2019s the problem with him having a coach? I think the problem comes down to accountability.<\/p>\n
It\u2019s also why I think Prabh will have his work cut out for him. Because of the fact that Nick is unable to accept his share of the responsibility in anything besides victory. I mean let\u2019s be honest here, he has left coaches and supplement companies at a rate never seen before by any other competitor on his level. And with this upcoming prep going into Tampa \u2013 it\u2019s all or nothing. If his new coach doesn\u2019t get him a win, I highly doubt his new coach will be around long enough to prepare him for a second show. But then we go back to familiarity. The same way that a competitor needs to familiarize themselves with a coach, a coach needs to familiarize themselves with a competitor. To hire someone just a few months out from a show like Tampa and expect them to be able to bring you into the contest and win it is one hell of a high stake. Now I don\u2019t know if that is what is required between Nick and his new coach, but I will tell you that Nick doesn\u2019t have the luxury of much trial and error. If he doesn\u2019t win in Tampa that may be the end of the road for him. Unless of course Pittsburgh decides to give him a special invite. I certainly hope that\u2019s not the case because I have never been a fan of that gesture. I don\u2019t like 10th place medals and I don\u2019t like a federation giving somebody a free ticket to the front of the line. You either have what it takes or you don\u2019t. You either qualify or you don\u2019t. But this whole business of special invites smells bad. It\u2019s what gave Derek a path to his first Sandow, as well as Big Ramy in 2020. It\u2019s outrageous.<\/p>\n
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