“Much thicker and better” - Chris Aceto says Nick Walker will be ‘hard to beat’ at 2023 Arnold Classic

Nick 'The Mutant' Walker is definitely a force to be reckoned with. At just 28, the American bodybuilder has already established himself as a successful bodybuilder, primarily owing to his success in the last few years. In 2021, Walker made history when he was crowned the champion at the Arnold Classic Ohio. He is set to take on some elite bodybuilders in this year's Arnold Classic, scheduled to take place from March 2 to 5.

Chris Aceto, a veteran coach in the game, revealed in a recent video that he might have underestimated Walker's potential as a professional bodybuilder. Speaking to Dave Palumbo, the host of The Truth in Bodybuilding podcast, Aceto made his most recent opinion known:

"Both in terms of width and thickness all while keeping a good midsection. He [Walker] was really good at the Olympia, and I would expect him to be based on me being wrong all the time, that he’s even better at this Arnold. I would say he’s got to be considered very hard to beat."

'The Mutant' finished third behind champion Hadi Choopan and second-place Derek Lunsford in the Men's Open. For his performance, he was crowned as the Olympia People’s Champ. Aceto mentioned that Walker's recent performance at the 2022 Mr. Olympia is what changed his mind about Walker as a professional.

"He [Nick Walker] brought a much thicker and better version of last year’s Olympia. Just a lot more balance. A lot more size to the quads, size to hamstrings, much-needed size to the back."

Walker was added to the Arnold Classic line-up very late after a couple of bodybuilders withdrew from the competition. Many believe that this will be disadvantageous to him, but Aceto views it differently:

"He jumped into the show late… and for a lot of people that would be a bad idea but for him, it might be a good idea because his body fat is always low. He doesn’t have to do a lot of work to get that off."

Walker was not the only late entrant. Former Olympia Champion Big Ramy, Patrick Moore, and Andrew Jacked have also announced their participation after the prize money was bumped to $300,000.

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Walker was previously underestimated by Aceto

Aceto first met the young bodybuilder in 2017 at the North American Championships. Aceto revealed that he had underestimated 'the Mutant' for as long as he could remember:

"It’s so funny. I’ve underestimated Nick Walker from the second I saw him. I remember seeing him at the North Americas. I thought, ‘What a big ugly physique’. Even before he turned pro, I think the year before he might have placed in the top five and then I just mentally, he didn’t register with me on my radar. Then the next year he won and I thought had had a Fred Flintstone physique."

Aceto revealed that he believed Walker's physique to be too disproportionate. He believed that Walker's long arms and shorter legs did not do his overall look any justice:

"Long arms. His arms are too long and his legs were too short and his torso was too off. Like Fred Flintstone has a long torso but Fred Flintstone is pretty big. But Fred Flintstone is big, he’s usually bigger than the other guys. I know exactly I was wrong about him. Then he did the Chicago Pro and he got fourth but they lined him up to be like sixth. I think they moved him up at the night show, and he was really hard."

Walker looks phenomenal ahead of the Classic but it wouldn't be wise to rule out any of the other top-level athletes making their way into the competition.