Nick Walker’s Favorite Back Training Techniques

Walker’s pull day strategies are growing his proportions to new heights for the 2024 Mr. Olympia.

The 2024 New York Pro Open champ Nick Walker documented his recent home purchase in Florida after relocating from Las Vegas to the Sunshine State in August. Walker’s cross-country move puts him in close proximity to a strong bodybuilding network and support system.

Walker shared insights into his best back and rear delt techniques, including the angles, range of motion, volume, and rest times he adheres to eight weeks out from the 2024 Mr. Olympia — the 2024 Olympia is scheduled for Oct. 10-13, 2024, in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Straight Arm Cable Pushdown

Walker hinged forward at a roughly 75-degree angle. Using a short cable straight bar on a high pulley, he raised his arms overhead in a Superman pose to stretch the lats.

Walker warmed up with three sets of 15 reps. He does not go to muscular failure, aiming instead for a thorough stretch and focused contractions.

Chest-Supported Angled T-Bar Row

Walker put his chest on the T-bar row apparatus, gripped the moving D-shaped handles, and unracked the loaded bar. The heavy load pulled his shoulders and scapula forward into a maximum stretch.

Walker secured his lifting straps for a stable grip, then used his back and biceps to pull the weight back toward his chest. This trains the back in a sagittal plane (forward and backward motions). Walker’s top set was eight reps; the last two reps pushing his limits.

Subsequent sets were lighter, allowing more range of motion to focus on the stretch and a stronger squeeze. Chest-supported rows are Walker’s bread-and-butter movement; he goes all out in four sets of 10-12 reps per workout.

Always let that heart rate come down, however long it takes. If you rush into your next set, you won’t get the most out of it.

This contradicts the common belief that shorter rest times are optimal. However, heavy lifts require longer rest periods as exhaustion may affect strength, muscle engagement, and range of motion.

T-Bar Row & Machine Upright One-Arm Row

Walker’s next move was a bent-over, T-bar row with no bench support. His torso was closer to 45-60 degrees with a slightly rounded back.

Walker intended to row six 45-pound plates but only managed five while bent over due to greater core demands. The result was three sets of 10 to 12 reps.

Walker sat upright and wrapped his lifting straps around the prime-row machine handle. He reached far forward to stretch the lats, then pulled and rotated the adjustable handle to match his natural line of pull. Two sets of 12-15 repetitions were adequate stimulation.

Reverse Pec Dec Flye

Walker uses lighter weight on reverse flyes to prevent involving the triceps and traps from taking too much load. He grabbed the handles palms down and tucked his chin on the pad.

“You don’t have to go all the way back,” said Walker, referring to range of motion necessary to engage the rear delts. When Walker maxed out over three sets of 12-15 reps, he finished with partial reps.

John Meadows Rear Delt Partials & Weighted Back Extension

Walker attributed his rear delt variation to the late bodybuilder John Meadows. Take two heavy dumbbells, lie face down on an inclined bench, and let the arms hang toward the floor. Then, swing the weights out and in with control for high reps. Walker performed two sets in a 20-40 rep range.

Walker set up on a back extension machine in a kneeling pose. He held onto the built-in bar, adding resistance, then dropped his torso. He settled for two sets of twelve.

Machine Preacher Curl and Standing Alternating Curl

The biceps assist during all pulling movements. Walker picked preacher and standing curls to train biceps.

The angled bench on preacher curl machines strains the arm most near the elbows. This has been shown to create better regional hypertrophy in the lower biceps. (1) Standing alternating curls allows more natural movement and exposes imbalances.

Walker did four sets of preacher curls and two sets of standing curls, each for 10-12 reps.

Walker’s exclamation point was hanging his body from an assisted pull-up station and then pulling up to stretch the arms, upper body, and hips.

Walker’s Thoughts as the 2024 “Mr. O” Underdog

After the session, Walker acknowledged his role as the underdog in the 2024 “Mr. O” competition. His best Olympia finish was third in 2022 before an injury sidelined him from the 2023 event. Perhaps the two-year gap simmered down his hype some.

“I’m not [talked about] for the top five this year,” Walker said. “And according to the world, my New York Pro package was underwhelming.”

Walker’s lean at 275 pounds — more so than he was before his NY Pro win at the same weight. The New Jersey native vows to silence his doubters at 2024 Mr. Oympia.

“Keep counting me out; I love it,” Walker exclaimed. “Come the stage, everyone will see.”

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References

1. Zabaleta-Korta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J, Francés M, Zubillaga A, Santos-Concejero J. Regional Hypertrophy: The Effect of Exercises at Long and Short Muscle Lengths in Recreationally Trained Women. J Hum Kinet. 2023 Jul 15;87:259-270. doi: 10.5114/jhk/163561. PMID: 37559762; PMCID: PMC10407320.