"He does need a bigger back" - Samson Dauda and coach Milos Sarcev discuss improvements ahead of 2023 Olympia

Samson Dauda displayed a monstrous physique earlier this month to claim the 2023 Arnold Classic title ahead of star bodybuilders such as Big Ramy and Nick Walker. Going into the competition, Dauda was not one of the favorites to win the show, but the improvements he has made since taking the stage at the 2022 Mr. Olympia proved to pay off.

In a recent episode of The Menace podcast, Dauda and his coach Milos Sarcev detailed their training requirements post Arnold Classic. Milos Sarcev added that despite people asking him not to get Dauda too big in terms of muscularity, his athlete has just improved with additional size.

"I’ll leave him alone a couple of weeks. I already know he’s back in the gym and all this stuff. But no, we have time ... So, the good thing about him – and I mentioned you guys pointing fingers at me, ‘Don’t get him big, don’t get him big, watch the stomach, watch the waist.’ I said look, he’s improving in shape."

Big Ramy's training partner Dennis James mentioned that Dauda does not need to get bigger to compete for the Sandow trophy, but according to Sarcev, Dauda needs a bigger back to compete against the likes of reigning champion Hadi Choopan.

"The bigger he’s gotten the shapelier he’s gotten so far, the way I see it. Of course, the whole world is watching; we don’t want to risk anything like this [stomach distention] happening. You said it, he doesn’t need to get bigger, Dennis I think you mentioned, well, but he does need a bigger back right? You still need to get bigger to contest the guys like Hadi."

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"I train all year round" - Samson Dauda on training after winning the 2023 Arnold Classic

It is customary for athletes to take a break after a major show to allow their bodies to recover. Reiterating this fact, Samson mentioned that he will need to give his body a break in the near future.

"Probably we want to have some time off and then give my body a proper break ... So, now, I’m pretty much rebounding now from the show, I’ll be there for another two weeks and then I’ll need a break for at least six to eight weeks."

However, according to Samson, a 'break' does not mean he will stop training completely. Samson added that he trains the whole year but the intensity and goals of the training change throughout.

"Oh, no break from training. I train all year round. There’s no break from training. Oh no, I’m back in the gym already. I’m like that. We just literally immediately we got off, I had a week off and I’m already back in the gym. So I can improve what we brought then [to the Arnold Classic]"

While Samson has managed to jump across hurdles such as Big Ramy and Nick Walker at the Arnold Classic, beats of a different caliber await him later this year. This includes Derek Lunsford and reigning champion Hadi Choopan.

Despite the competition presented to him, experts in the game such as Bob Cicherillo believe that a 'near 100%' Samson Dauda will win the 2023 Olympia.