Just a few days ago, Competitive bodybuilding icon Nick Walker made a triumphant return to the stage, winning the 2024 New York Pro. The bodybuilder was among the favorites to win the Mr. Olympia last year. However, just days before the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding, Walker had to say goodbye to his Olympia dreams.

The Arnold Classic Champion tore his hamstring muscle and had to withdraw from a competition he had spent a year preparing for. Now, after winning the New York Pro for the second time in his career, the 29-year-old bodybuilder is heading to Vegas to participate in the 60th edition of Joe Weider’s Mr. Olympia. Can the bodybuilding icon snatch the Sandow from defending champion Derek Lunsford and top contender Hadi Choopan?

How does The Mutant stack up against Choopan and Lunsford?

The last time bodybuilding fans witnessed Nick Walker, Derek Lunsford, and Hadi Choopan on the same stage was at the 2022 Mr. Olympia. This was nearly two years ago, and all three bodybuilders have progressed immensely since then. During the 2022 edition of bodybuilding’s most prestigious, these three were the best on stage.

Hadi Choopan, who had come to defeat Big Ramy, finally bested the two-time Sandow winner to become the 2022 Mr. Olympia. But it was Lunsford who stole the spotlight, after moving up from the 212 division. With only a few months to prepare for his open bodybuilding debut, Lunsford placed second. Walker also found success.

Despite placing third, The Mutant won the People’s Champion Award. Just a year later, in Walker’s absence, Derek Lunsford made history by becoming the first ‘champ-champ’ in bodybuilding history. The former 212 champion defeated Hadi Choopan to win the coveted Sandow trophy.

Even after a major hiatus, Nick Walker proved that the hamstring injury didn’t put a dent in his physique. Although the 29-year-old couldn’t defeat Lunsford or Choopan in 2022, on 18th May, he stepped on the New York Pro stage bigger than he has ever looked. However, that isn’t the only reason why Walker shouldn’t be taken lightly this year.

The Mr. Olympia contender just proved his doubters wrong

After his injury, Nick Walker took his time to heal. Despite this, he surprised many by guest posing at the High Roller Classic in December 2023, barely a month removed from his injury. While he impressed many, others thought that Walker wouldn’t be able to return to his previous glory.

The doubters found even more confidence when Walker guest posed at the Pittsburgh Pro 2024, a week before the NY Pro. Walker posed on stage with some of the best bodybuilders in the world, including reigning champion Derek Lunsford. Samson Dauda, Andrew Jacked, and his New York Pro rival Martin Fitzwater also posed.

In Pittsburgh, The Mutant didn’t look his best. While he seemed to have gained even more muscle, many criticized his midsection. They also questioned Walker about the lack of conditioning. Many thought that the 2022 People’s Champion wouldn’t be able to make a successful return.

While Walker’s coach and four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler defended Nick Walker, he had to prove the nay-sayers wrong. Although many thought Martin Fitzwater and Tonio Burton would beat Walker, The Mutant had the last laugh. At the NY Pro, Walker’s conditioning was on point, while his midsection looked streamlined.

So, although the people doubted the elite bodybuilder, underestimating Nick Walker didn’t turn out to be a wise decision. While the two-time NY Pro champion has over four months to prepare for the 2024 Mr. Olympia, he has already promised to make improvements.

What improvements does the Mr. Olympia contender need to make?

While the bodybuilding champion has progressed in the last few months, so have defending champion Derek Lunsford and former champion Hadi Choopan. Derek Lunsford seems to be putting one even more muscle mass for the upcoming title defense. Meanwhile, the Persian Wolf had already showcased an improved physique at the Arnold Classic 2024.

The Iranian bodybuilding champion brought even better conditioning on the Arnold Classic stage while maintaining muscle mass. He comfortably defeated Arnold Classic defending champion Samson Dauda in the Ohio and the UK editions of the prestigious contest. 

So, despite a statement win in New York, Nick Walker has his work cut out for him. The 2022 Mr. Olympia has the conditioning advantage over everyone on the Open Division roster, especially from the front. Meanwhile, Derek Lunsford arguably has the best back development among anyone on the current roster.

Amidst such competition, Nick Walker has to play to his strengths. You could argue The Mutant has the best arms among the three competitors. That being said, Walker needs to improve his quads. Bodybuilding fans had earlier pointed this out as one of the areas he fell behind compared to Samson Dauda at the Arnold Classic 2023. In stark contrast, Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford have exceptional quads.

Nick Walker also needs to work on his front and back-lat spread poses. While he showcased some drastic improvements in both poses at the New York Pro, the back-lat spread is one of Lunsford’s strongest poses. Similarly, Choopan is nearly unbeatable in the front-lat spread.

So, while Nick Walker has made a triumphant return, he needs to further strengthen his strengths and improve his weak points to have a shot at winning the 2024 Mr. Olympia.