Tag: exercise selection
Nick Walker Shares ‘The Only 10 Exercises You Will Ever Need to Build Muscles’
Leading 2023 Mr. Olympia contender Nick Walker took a break from preparations to discuss exercise selection. In a recent YouTube video, Walker revealed the top movements he would perform if he could only choose ten.
Nick Walker is easily one of the most exciting stars in the sport, especially within the Men’s Open division. In 2021, he catapulted into the deep end of the category, having claimed gold at back-to-back contests at the New York Pro and Arnold Classic. Walker’s huge arms combined with mass and conditioning stole the show in his first Olympia appearance, as he finished fifth.
In 2022, Walker used the off-season to add size while still keeping his waist narrow. He routinely tipped the scales at over 300 pounds last year and when it was time to step on the Olympia stage, ‘The Mutant’ seized the moment. He battled with contenders Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan in the finals. Walker would settle for third while Choopan went on to become the first Iranian-born Mr. Olympia.
Having shown improvements on the sport’s biggest stage, Walker rolled the dice and entered the 2023 Arnold Classic. He was unable to defeat Samson Dauda, who won the show with size, balance, and symmetry. Despite the loss, Walker is highly confident ahead of Olympia. He doesn’t believe Choopan or Dauda will be in the running for gold.
Many believe Walker’s quads held him back from gold on the Olympia stage, including judge Terrick El Guindy. He predicted that Walker could one day win the Olympia title if he’s able to bring the same level of quad conditioning displayed by retired mainstay Branch Warren.
Nick Walker Lists His Top 10 Exercises for Muscle Growth
A few weeks ago, reigning four-time Classic Physique Olympia Chris Bumstead started a craze by offering his ten most crucial exercises. Now, fans can compare Cbum’s workout list with Walker’s, which can be found below:
Incline dumbbell press
Smith squat
Cable Curls
Pull-ups
Push-ups
Romanian deadlifts
Leg Press
Barbell rows
Rope push downs
Seated Hamstring Curl
Incline dumbbell press
“First on my list is the incline dumbbell press. I just think those are a very great movement for the chest. I like to incorporate that to build the upper chest.”
Smith squat
“I would choose a Smith squat over a free weight squat. I know what they say about the free weight squat but I think as a bodybuilder you get a better connection with a Smith squat versus a free weight squat, that’s just my opinion.”
Cable Curls
“Cable curls. I’m a big fan of the cables and I think cable curls for biceps is a very good exercise to have in there just because of the constant tension full range of motion, squeezing, never lose tension throughout the whole thing. Dumbbells you can kind of lose it somewhere in there. I think cable curls are a great one,” Walker shared.
Pull-ups
“100% pull-ups. I think pull-ups is one of the most underrated exercises that people just don’t utilize it enough. In my opinion, pull-ups, if you’re doing it assisted or free weight, that to me is what builds the ultimate back.”
Push-ups
“Push-ups, again, I think push-ups are a very underrated exercise. This isn’t an exercise I necessarily want to start a workout with but it is something I would end with to really burn it out and put as much blood volume into the muscle as possible. I think, I’ve been doing that or dips, dips are tricky. Push-ups I feel at the end of the workout can really be utilized and very effective.”
Romanian deadlifts
“I would do RDLs, whether it’s a dumbbell or a barbell – I think either or can be very effective but some sort of RDL. I choose this over a deadlift just simply because I feel deadlifts, the ego, again, can get in the way a little too much. I know when I deadlift, I’m like let’s lift some fucking heavy shit. When you’re doing an RDL, you’re more prone to concentrate on hitting the hamstring and focusing on that primary muscle.”
Leg Press
“I would choose a leg press. To me, I’ve done leg press the majority of my entire career. I think between those and the Smith squat, they build extremely good quads.”
Barbell rows
“Next, a barbell rows. I need barbell rows for a big back, it’s very beneficial. I’m not going to be specific, whether it’s free weight or Smith. Whatever works best for you. But some sort of row, whether it’s chest supported, Smith or even a free weight. I incorporate all three.”
Rope push downs
“Pushdowns. I think some sort of rope push down. It’s not necessarily a mass builder but I think it can be. It’s a good shaping movement for a tricep without hindering the joints so much. I do a rope push down every tricep workout that I have pretty much whether I start with it or end with it.”
Seated Hamstring Curl
“Last, seated leg curls. Probably one no one thinks about. I’m going to go with a seated leg curl for the hamstrings. I feel for me these have built my hamstrings the best. The seated leg curl. I contract with them the best. I feel I get a full stretch with them the best. I can contract with them the best. The last I’m going to pick is seated hamstring curl.”
Walker wasn’t the only person from the fitness community to give his rendition of Bumstead’s list. ATHLEAN-X’s Jeff Cavaliere also tackled the subject. He agreed with the majority of Cbum’s exercise selections except for his choice to include a close-grip flat bench press.
Aside from exercise selection, Nick Walker has been an open book about his progress. During an off-season push day workout, he offered secrets for building a bigger chest. Then, in a Mutant and the Mouth Podcast appearance, Walker revealed that his quads have grown considerably since his last competition in Ohio.
With less than four months until 2023 Olympia, Walker is eager to get back on stage and prove himself as one of the best. Fans look forward to seeing him rematch Lunsford, Choopan, and Dauda later this year.
RELATED: Nick Walker on 2023 Olympia: ‘Samson Dauda’s Back is Shit, Big Ramy Is Done & Andrew Jacked Won’t Make Top 5’
Watch the full video from Nick Walker’s YouTube channel below:
Published: 20 July, 2023 | 9:29 PM EDT
Jeff Cavaliere Reacts to Chris Bumstead’s Top 10 List of Exercises for Life, Agrees with 9/10
Jeff Cavaliere is a fitness guru who has maintained an impressive physique since he arrived in the industry. In a video on the ATHLEAN-X YouTube channel, Cavaliere examined the 10 exercises Chris Bumstead chose to do forever if he had no other options.
Chris Bumstead took over the Classic Physique Olympia throne in 2019 after taking the honor from the then-two-time champ Breon Ansley. Since becoming a titleholder, Bumstead’s dominance in the IFBB Pro League has been impossible to ignore. He holds the all-time record for the most Classic Physique Olympia victories at four.
At his last Mr. Olympia show, Cbum won the judges over with exceptional conditioning, detail, and posing execution. He managed to take home another title despite suffering from a torn bicep in the weeks leading up to the competition. During the contest, Bumstead defeated contenders Urs Kalecinski and runner-up Ramon Queiroz in the finals.
In the off-season, Bumstead recently joined Chris Williamson for an interview regarding exercise selection. During the video, Bumstead was asked to list only 10 exercises he would perform for a lifetime. And considering his physique and overall dominance, it’s safe to say fans paid close attention to his answers.
The latest to attack the subject is Jeff Cavaliere. Cavaliere is a key figure in the ATHLEAN-X fitness company, which is known for encouraging wellness and staying fit. Cavaliere has trained celebrities, in 2006, he was the assistant strength and conditioning coach for the New York Metts and has a massive social media following. Jeff has gone to great lengths to keep fans informed and never shies away from technical discussions about exercise.
Below, you can find Jeff Cavaliere’s review of Bumstead’s exercise selections. For the majority of the list, Jeff agreed with Bumstead’s picks. In addition, Cavaliere offered a few other exercise variations that he believes deserve an honorable mention.
Squatting
“Again, If I’m critiquing it for me if this is my alterations to it… because squats are kind of rough on my knees for the reasons he said, I would have to go with a Bulgarian split squat, which I love love love. Also, I’m not limited to 10 in this rule, am I? I would also probably say a reverse barbell lunge. It takes away all the knee pains. Again for me, Bulgarian split squat and reverse barbell lunge is going to eliminate all those knee issues.”
Deadlifting
“Deadlift is an amazing hamstring builder. As someone who does more stiff-legged variations of it myself, I love it,” said Cavaliere. “The one thing that people might say if they’re doing them for a lifetime, but I’m a believer you can do the lift for a lifetime.”
Pull-ups
“We’re talking full reps, not those short, all lockout, no kipping, this is real pull-ups. Neutral grip is definitely the safest option for people who have any type of potential elbow issues. Chin-ups I believe would be very hard for a lifetime. People almost always for a lifetime will get some sort of medial elbow discomfort. I don’t see the problem with the pull-up itself, as long as you’re doing it properly.”
Incline dumbbell presses
“I love that exercise. We’ve put that on our list. A 30-degree angle on the incline bench, again I think it’s important. Plus it also gives you, I think if you do your incline at a low enough angle, it still gives you all the benefits of the flat bench press also. I don’t think you need to do both of them necessarily.”
“For me always, the dumbbells are better for me. I’ve got some bum shoulders and it makes me feel a hell of a lot better when I’m doing it.”
Seated dumbbell shoulder presses
“I love the dumbbell shoulder press, I don’t like doing them seated. Well, first of all, if you can get on your feet any opportunity you can get on your feet, you should take advantage of that. Now, I’m sort of putting my own personal bias on it, to train more athletically, I think being on your feet is something that’s going to carry over more.”
Close grip flat bench
“First time I’m going to disagree. The incline bench is going to cover a lot of ground. If it’s triceps that you’re going for, I love the lying triceps extension, not a skull crusher but further back behind because it gives you a more unique stimulus on the triceps. You get the stretch on the long head.”
Dumbbell curls
“I mean there’s not a person out there that’s not going to put curls [on their list]. I honestly think the enjoyment of my workouts would go down if I didn’t have a curl. One thing curls do, is they sort of give you instant feedback to know that what you’re doing is working.”
“If nothing else, it teaches you what a real good mind-muscle connection should feel like that you can then apply to other exercises in the gym.”
Barbell bent over rows
“Yeah. Honestly, the deadlift is there and it’s going to heavily hit your back but that’s a lot more isometrically. I think here if you’re going to go with a dynamic movement, the barbell bent over rows is great.”
Hanging leg raise
“That’s fine. Well, I actually think people need to train their core directly. I don’t believe training with exercises like the barbell bent over row or the deadlift, yeah there’s a lot of core demands to do the exercise right but I think you need to directly train your core. A lot of them can be very remedial if you don’t have the strength to do a hanging version then it should probably be some variation of a reverse curl.”
Lateral raises/triceps extensions
“I definitely think that the pressing is definitely great when you’re doing the dumbbell shoulder pressing but there’s no doubt if you want to get bigger medial delts that’s specifically going to contribute to the look or growth of the shoulders, you have to pick some variation of lateral raises.”
“I might pick the cheat lateral version,” added Cavaliere
In a recent collaborative effort, Jeff joined Dr. Andrew Huberman for a discussion on workout splits. While there is value in traditional bro splits, Cavaliere argued that there are more effective solutions available. Most importantly, Jeff highlighted that a split left incomplete isn’t an effective program for garnering results.
Regardless of their differences, fans and athletes can learn a ton from Jeff Cavaliere and Chris Bumstead’s exercise selection. Both men have reached incredible heights in fitness and agree on most of the movements listed above.
RELATED: Scott Herman Puts Jeff Cavaliere On Blast For Not Apologizing For Fake Weight Controversy
You can watch the full video from the ATHLEAN-X YouTube channel below:
Published: 7 July, 2023 | 11:15 AM EDT