Nick Walker is pulling out all of the stops before attempting to win another Arnold Classic title. In a recent episode of the Mutant And The Mouth podcast, Walker shared his preparation strategy ahead of the upcoming show. He revealed that he is using the sedative/stimulant kratom to improve his cardio performance, in order to give his best performance on the day of the competition.
Over the last few years, Nick Walker became one of the fastest-growing Men’s Open bodybuilders. His combination of compact muscle and freakiness are some of his best weapons, which he used effectively to win at the New York Pro and 2021 Arnold Classic. In his Olympia debut, he earned fifth place. Instead of competing at the 2022 Arnold Classic last year, the 28-year-old took the advice of his coach and focused on the off-season.
Weeks before stepping on the Olympia stage, Walker discussed his career ambitions with seven-time 212 Olympia Flex Lewis. He promised Flex Lewis that he would become the 2022 Mr. Olympia champion and win as many Arnolds and Olympias as possible before calling it a career.
Walker fell short to Derek Lunsford and champion Hadi Choopan but left Sin City with Olympia’s People’s Champ Award. After entering the upcoming Arnold Classic, Walker laid out some of the measures he’s taken to win another major bodybuilding title.
Nick Walker on Using Kratom for Fasted Cardio Gains In 2023 Arnold Classic Prep: ‘I Feel Great, Happy, Energy Is Golden’
Speaking to Guy Cisternino, Walker explained why he started using kratom (an herbal leaf from the tropical Evergreen tree in Southeast Asia).
“I’ll explain how it started so everyone knows the whole story. I didn’t really talk to Guy much about it. I remember messaging Mark. We had a full-on conversation about it. He explained it to me in detail. I said, ‘you know what, okay, let me try it, I’ll try it.’ He even said to me, don’t do too much. Take very little, see how it does and go from there.”
After using the herb, Walker reported positive results. He said it gave him one of ‘the best feelings’ he’s ever experienced while training cardio.
“I got it in the mail. The first time I used it, I did it for cardio. And it gave me one of the best feelings I’ve ever had. Full of energy, felt good, I could have been on the bike or stairs for the whole day if I wanted to. I felt like a fuc**ng marathon runner.
So, the next day, I didn’t want to do it for cardio. I wanted to do it just for training to see how that goes. Pretty much same thing. I did it on leg day specifically because I have a little knee pain in my left knee and the pain went away. The workout was phenomenal. I felt great, happy, energy is golden,” says Nick Walker.
Walker clarified that kratom increased the quality of his sleep as well.
“The next day, we do it just before sleep. Tried it before sleep. I don’t ever have trouble sleeping but I just wanted to try it. I slept better. I did sleep better,” added Walker. “It helps you sleep. But now, being in prep, I’ve found the most benefit for me is before cardio. So, I like to take it every morning before cardio. I’m sure as I get closer to the show my sleep will be kind of shitty. So, I’ll incorporate it with sleep as well but the most benefit right now is before cardio.”
In addition to Kratom use, Walker recently gave his thoughts on steroid cycles during preps and off-seasons. Despite performing at the highest level, Nick stressed that his steroid dosages stay moderate throughout the year.
Veterans of the sport have been vocal about who they believe will win the upcoming Arnold Classic. Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler called Walker the clear favorite but won’t count out Ramy if he enters the show at 100%. Chris Aceto, who coaches Andrew Jacked, said getting through Nick Walker will be difficult.
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Walker is determined to start the year off with a major victory. Regardless of the outcome, he looks forward to running it back against Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan at Olympia in November.
Catch full coverage of the 2023 Arnold Classic, including pre-judging, event recaps, analysis, and final and full results at our Arnold Classic coverage hub: FitnessVolt.com/arnold-classic
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