“The Mutant” is closing in on his Olympia return.
Last updated on August 7th, 2025
While some arm development comes from heavy back and chest training, the best gains are from dedicated arm training. That’s because neither pulls nor presses provide a targeted, full range of motion for the biceps, triceps, or forearms.
Genetics determines arm growth potential, but even the genetic elite like 2022 Olympia bronze medalist Nick Walker knows the importance of muscle isolation. With 10 weeks until the 2025 Olympia in early October, Walker went full send with science-backed arm finishers.
Nick Walker’s 2 Exercises for Huge Arms
Walker’s arm routine comprised two arm machine variants that bias the stretched position:
Triceps Tempo & Extensions
For triceps extensions, Walker uses a close grip on a curved machine bar, lowering the weight behind his head over four controlled seconds for a deep triceps stretch. He drove the bar up in an explosive one-second concentric.
Research promotes a slower stretch and faster eccentrics for muscle growth. This combo optimizes mechanical tension, muscle damage, and fiber recruitment.
Overhead triceps extensions are a staple arm builder because the long head of the triceps crosses the shoulder joint, so it can only be fully lengthened when stretched overhead. Overhead extensions have been shown to increase the triceps 1.4 times more than pushdowns. (1) Pushdowns are still an effective triceps builder and should be incorporated as well.
[Related: Experts and Science Agree These Are the Best Biceps and Triceps Exercises]
Walker angled slightly back with his arms pressed against the pads to apply pressure at the elbow joint, a deeper stretch on the lower elbow flexors. Combining flexed and extended curl variations for complete elbow flexor development (biceps brachialis and brachioradialis) seems to provide superior results. (2) This suggests Bayesian curls and preacher curls.
[Related: New Study for Bigger Biceps Says to Curl How You Want]
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References
- Maeo S, Wu Y, Huang M, Sakurai H, Kusagawa Y, Sugiyama T, Kanehisa H, Isaka T. Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. Eur J Sport Sci. 2023 Jul;23(7):1240-1250. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279. Epub 2022 Aug 11. PMID: 35819335.
- Costa BDV, Kassiano W, Nunes JP, Kunevaliki G, Castro-E-Souza P, Rodacki A, Cyrino LT, Cyrino ES, Fortes LS. Does Performing Different Resistance Exercises for the Same Muscle Group Induce Non-homogeneous Hypertrophy? Int J Sports Med. 2021 Jul;42(9):803-811. doi: 10.1055/a-1308-3674. Epub 2021 Jan 13. PMID: 33440446.
Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram
