Can Nick Walker win the 2026 Arnold Traditional?

In Episode 265 of The Menace Podcast, host Dennis James and his common visitors Milos Sarcev and Jose Raymond mentioned Nick Walker’s possibilities of attaining an upset and profitable the 2026 Arnold Traditional in March. And, regardless of Walker’s disappointing finish to 2025, the brand new 12 months is right here for the taking agreed the panel, however he may want to observe his weight.

Nick Walker’s skilled bodybuilding story has actually had its ups and downs. The person they name “The Mutant” received the Arnold again in 2021 however has since constructed up a historical past of skipping competitions. Nonetheless, he made an impactful return to the stage in 2025 with an superior exhibiting on the Pittsburgh Professional, lacking Olympia qualification on the slimmest of margins due to Derek Lunsford. However at the same time as runner-up, Walker’s physique was a lot improved and he earned Mr Olympia qualification shortly after, taking a report third victory throughout Might’s New York Professional. Regardless of this monstrous momentum, Walker solely managed sixth place on the 2025 Mr. Olympia in Las Vegas, nevertheless, and has famous that he did not get his peak on level in Sin Metropolis. With The Mutant now readying for the 2026 Arnold in March, the Menace Podcast panel felt that there may but be extra highs to return within the story of Nick Walker.

How Can Nick Walker win the 2026 Arnold Traditional?

In the course of the present, Dennis James identified that whereas Walker is trying nice on Instagram and feeding his followers with spectacular content material, the proof will actually come when Walker steps onto the stage. “I nonetheless imagine that Nick Walker has a shot at profitable the Arnold,” stated the host. Milos Sarcev and Jose Raymond agreed with the statement as James continued. “If anyone is off, and Nick Walker is on, I nonetheless imagine he can win The Arnold.”

A few of these different opponents that may should be “off” on the night time embody Hadi Choopan, who received the 2024 Arnold Traditional in each the U.S. and the U.Okay., and Martin Fitzwater who received the Prague Professional in October.

So, what does Walker have to do, to impress the judges? “If he’s below 250 (kilos), peeled, like he was at The Arnold (in 2021), I believe he can win the Arnold,” James defined. “It doesn’t matter if (the opposite opponents) are ‘on’ or not.”

Jose Raymond advised his friends that he had heard Walker was nearer to 270 kilos throughout his disappointing Mr. Olympia efficiency. “He can carry the dimensions, however the abdomen, the management isn’t there,” added Dennis James. Milos Sarcev then noticed that the variety of judges comparisons and the size of time that Walker should keep conditioned on stage might be one other key issue that might decide Walker’s closing place. If The Mutant can take this suggestions and switch it right into a constructive, the massive man may conceivably punish his opponents in Columbus, OH, come March.

To look at the complete present, the place the gang additionally mentioned the follow of posing and different topical bodybuilding information, see under: