Judge Terrick El Guindy and Chris Cormier are weighing Nick Walker’s chances ahead of his 2023 Mr. Olympia appearance this November. In a recent Prime Time Muscle podcast, Cormier and El Guindy explained why quad improvements could lead to ‘The Mutant’ claiming gold later this year.
Cormier and Terrick El Guindy have become major voices in bodybuilding with consistent online appearances where they tackle current events. Over the last several months, the Men’s Open division has undergone significant changes. Most notably, Hadi Choopan won the 2022 Mr. Olympia title.
Months later, Nick Walker and Samson Dauda battled for gold in Ohio at the 35th Arnold Classic. After Bob Cicherillo called Dauda in first place, the community was shocked by the result. Online protests raged until Walker told fans to calm down.
In the aftermath, Cormier and El Guindy dissected the show and Walker’s second-place performance. Given the shape, beauty, and aesthetic features of Dauda and Andrew Jacked, El Guindy cautioned that this trend could mean trouble for Nick Walker or any bodybuilder who leans on freak factor and size to win shows.
Terrick El Guindy, Chris Cormier Say ‘Bigger Quads’ Gives Nick Walker ‘The Illusion’ of a Slimmer Waist for 2023 Mr. Olympia
According to Cormier, Walker would benefit from adding volume to his quads.
“He did a vacuum or pulled up [during a front double biceps pose] which is not a good look because his legs are shorter and his torso is longer but I did like the fact that he was starting to crunch down on the abs that shortens the waist a little bit and therefore gave him a more balanced look.
But I think there needs to be more depth to the quads, just from the front, not so much even the sweep, but just popping out towards the crowd. That’s going to be a whole other look for him. He’s right there. I think with a little tinkering around he’d be right there,” said Chris Cormier.
Cormier added that more thickness to Walker’s quads would make his shoulders appear broader.
“You become wider on top and that makes your waist, the illusion makes it small. You get your quads out, big quads always helps, so you can increase the shoulder, you can increase the legs which is going to make the waist smaller. He’s been doing that. His waist is actually getting smaller. He’s been doing work to reduce his waist but mostly it’s going to be by adding muscle in certain areas.”
Having finished third at 2022 Olympia, Terrick El Guindy believes if Walker brings up his lower body he could win any show on the IFBB Pro League calendar.
“Nick Walker, he said he was going to win Olympia, he took third. He said he was going to win the Arnold, he took second. He’s a movement. People love him. They love his confidence.”
“I still want to see a little bit more quads on him. If he has more quads, that waist is going to look really small. And I think the quads plus some posing is going to bring Nick Walker to the position where he can win any show in the world,” El Guindy shared.
El Guindy stressed that Walker’s waistline would look smaller with a different variation of the front double biceps pose.
“He’s got to pose better on that front doubles biceps we’ve been saying, he wants to show his quads, create an angle like Flex Wheeler used to create that angle and that’s going to minimize the waist,” El Guindy explained.
Cormier, on the other hand, noticed that Walker had some issues staying full from prejudging to finals at his last two contests.
“That’s one thing I noticed from the daytime to the night. Everything needs to be managed to where on his physique the pecs are not very long so I noticed from the next day the pecs were a little fuller and that front lat spread improved in the next day because the first day it just looked like it was a little bit flat-ish in the pecs, the shoulders wasn’t that wide, but then when we came to the night show the next day it was a much fuller package there,” Cormier said.
At just 29 years old, Walker is brimming with potential. El Guindy is confident Nick Walker could end up becoming a dominant Mr. Olympia if he achieves Branch Warren-level quads.
“It’s just a matter of learning from the guys that have made mistakes from the past and they learned. I think there’s a possibility for Matt Jansen and Nick Walker to get with some of these guys from the past that were criticized like we’re doing it and they fixed it. If Nick Walker has quads like Branch Warren, it’s over, he’s winning every Olympia for the next five years,” Terrick El Guindy stated.
This isn’t the first time that Cormier and El Guindy assessed Walker’s potential. The two met for a special Prime Time Muscle episode in March, where they emphasized that Walker’s mental outlook and determination were critical factors to finding success in the sport.
Even though Mr. Olympia isn’t for several months, Nick Walker hasn’t slowed down in his quest to win. In a recent Mutant and the Mouth podcast, Walker signaled an intensity shift in both his training and PEDs. He explained that his strength was climbing as he and Matt Jansen entered the next stage of his 2023 off-season.
As for Samson Dauda, he’s been evaluating the potential Olympia lineup for November. Despite Derek Lunsford’s runner-up finish last year, Dauda believes with enough back improvements he could take him out and possibly dethrone Hadi Choopan.
Predictions for the annual Mr. Olympia event are all over the board. Walker says Choopan won’t repeat as champion whereas William Bonac says he will. Meanwhile, athletes rep Bob Cicherillo is convinced Dauda and Lunsford are the top two threats to Hadi’s title. Regardless of who competes, fans are in for a thrilling event come November.
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