{"id":11486,"date":"2023-03-14T13:12:02","date_gmt":"2023-03-14T14:12:02","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/?p=11486"},"modified":"2023-03-14T15:03:48","modified_gmt":"2023-03-14T15:03:48","slug":"bob-cicherillo-explains-why-nick-walker-didnt-win-2023-arnold-classic","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/everything-else\/bob-cicherillo-explains-why-nick-walker-didnt-win-2023-arnold-classic\/","title":{"rendered":"Bob Cicherillo Explains Why Nick Walker Didn\u2019t Win 2023 Arnold Classic"},"content":{"rendered":"<p>For some, Nick Walker was the presumed heavy favorite to win the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC). In Mr. Olympia legend Jay Cutler&#8217;s eyes, <a aria-label=\"Walker was supposed to finish on top (opens in a new tab)\" data-lasso-id=\"221640\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/jay-cutler-nick-walker-2023-arnold-classic-favorite\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">Walker was supposed to finish on top<\/a> (keyword: <em>supposed<\/em>). Instead, Walker would take a home runner-up result to <a aria-label=\"champion Samson Dauda (opens in a new tab)\" data-lasso-id=\"221641\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/2023-arnold-classic-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">champion Samson Dauda<\/a> and be left looking ahead <a aria-label=\"to what&#039;s next in the 2023 competitive calendar (opens in a new tab)\" data-lasso-id=\"221642\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/nick-walker-2023-arnold-classic-reflection\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">to what&#8217;s next in the 2023 competitive calendar<\/a>. As one bodybuilding icon would explain, Walker&#8217;s finish was earned. <\/p>\n<p>On Mar. 10, 2023, Mr. Olympia commentator and former International Federation of Bodybuilding and Fitness (IFBB) Pro League competitor Bob Cicherillo, posted a YouTube video to his Voice of Bodybuilding channel explaining how to judge a bodybuilding contest properly. Within his rationale, he offered <strong>specific clarity on why Walker ultimately fell short of a second AC title in three years<\/strong>.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed-youtube wp-block-embed is-type-video is-provider-youtube\"><a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/bob-cicherillo-nick-walker-arnold-classic-loss-explanation\/\"><img src=\"http:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/03\/lyteCache-13.php\" alt=\"YouTube Video\" \/><\/a><figcaption><\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<div class=\"is-layout-constrained wp-block-group is-style-call-out-bm-icon\">\n<p><em><strong>More from Breaking Muscle:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><a data-lasso-id=\"221643\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-increase-bench-press\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\"><strong><em>How to Increase Your Bench Press<\/em><\/strong><\/a><\/li>\n<li><em><strong><a data-lasso-id=\"221644\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/split-squat-vs-lunge\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">Split Squat vs. Lunge: Upgrade Your Single-Leg Training<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>While some have seriously considered the merits of Dauda <a aria-label=\"as a legitimate force in the sport (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/samson-dauda-jay-cutler-milos-sarcev-2023-mr-olympia-contender\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\" data-lasso-id=\"221645\">as a legitimate force in the sport<\/a>, Cicherillo didn&#8217;t have such qualms. He made it readily apparent that Dauda had the best and most balanced physique over the rest of the field. That includes Walker and <a href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/andrew-jacked-2023-arnold-classic-reflection-third-place\/\" target=\"_blank\" aria-label=\"the &quot;deserved&quot; third-place finisher in Andrew Jacked (opens in a new tab)\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\" data-lasso-id=\"221646\">the &#8220;deserved&#8221; third-place finisher in Andrew Jacked<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Dauda was simply the most well-rounded of his peers. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cWhy did Samson [Dauda] win the Arnold over Nick [Walker], [Andrew] Jacked, and everyone else?&#8221; Cicherillo asked rhetorically. &#8220;Because he had the best of all worlds: shape, symmetry, proportion, <a aria-label=\"size (opens in a new tab)\" data-lasso-id=\"221647\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-build-muscle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">size<\/a>, <a aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/how-to-burn-fat\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\" data-lasso-id=\"221656\">conditioning<\/a>, and presentation. He had it all. Was he the best in every one of them? No, but you can&#8217;t make the case for someone else overall &#8230; I keep getting a lot of responses, &#8216;Yeah, but Nick [Walker] won this pose, this pose, and this pose.&#8217; It doesn&#8217;t work like that, folks &#8230; He loses to Samson, outright, when it comes to shape, symmetry, and proportion. &#8230; <em>Overall<\/em>, Samson had a better physique and that&#8217;s why he ended up in the winner&#8217;s circle.\u201d<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p>As for Walker&#8217;s individualized disappointment, Cicherillo seemed to speak to the athlete directly. The commentator made it clear he believed Walker appeared in tip-top shape. However, he had lost some of the mojo that once made him one of bodybuilding&#8217;s fastest rising stars. <\/p>\n<blockquote class=\"wp-block-quote\">\n<p>\u201cNick Walker was tremendous,&#8221; Cicherillo said. &#8220;If he looked like he did at the [2022] Olympia, he probably would have won. But he lost a bit of the &#8216;freak factor,&#8217; bringing it down a little bit. That was probably a mistake on his part. You\u2019re not going to streamline a physique that can\u2019t be streamlined. Nick, go back to being a &#8216;freak.&#8217;<\/p>\n<\/blockquote>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-embed is-type-rich is-provider-instagram wp-block-embed-instagram\">\n<div class=\"wp-block-embed__wrapper\">\n<div class=\"sbi-embed-wrap\">\n<blockquote class=\"instagram-media sbi-embed\" data-instgrm-permalink=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cpu2wc9Ou2u\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" data-instgrm-version=\"14\" style=\" background:#FFF; border:0; border-radius:3px; box-shadow:0 0 1px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.5),0 1px 10px 0 rgba(0,0,0,0.15); margin: 1px; max-width:500px; min-width:326px; padding:0; width:99.375%; width:-webkit-calc(100% - 2px); width:calc(100% - 2px);\">\n<div style=\"padding:16px;\"> <a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cpu2wc9Ou2u\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" background:#FFFFFF; line-height:0; padding:0 0; text-align:center; text-decoration:none; width:100%;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\"> <\/p>\n<div style=\" display: flex; 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font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:550; line-height:18px;\">View this post on Instagram<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"padding: 12.5% 0;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: row; margin-bottom: 14px; align-items: center;\">\n<div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(0px) translateY(7px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; height: 12.5px; transform: rotate(-45deg) translateX(3px) translateY(1px); width: 12.5px; flex-grow: 0; margin-right: 14px; margin-left: 2px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\"background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; height: 12.5px; width: 12.5px; transform: translateX(9px) translateY(-18px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: 8px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 50%; flex-grow: 0; height: 20px; width: 20px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 2px solid transparent; border-left: 6px solid #f4f4f4; border-bottom: 2px solid transparent; transform: translateX(16px) translateY(-4px) rotate(30deg)\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"margin-left: auto;\">\n<div style=\" width: 0px; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-right: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(16px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; flex-grow: 0; height: 12px; width: 16px; transform: translateY(-4px);\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" width: 0; height: 0; border-top: 8px solid #F4F4F4; border-left: 8px solid transparent; transform: translateY(-4px) translateX(8px);\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div style=\"display: flex; flex-direction: column; flex-grow: 1; justify-content: center; margin-bottom: 24px;\">\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; margin-bottom: 6px; width: 224px;\"><\/div>\n<div style=\" background-color: #F4F4F4; border-radius: 4px; flex-grow: 0; height: 14px; width: 144px;\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/a><\/p>\n<p style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; line-height:17px; margin-bottom:0; margin-top:8px; overflow:hidden; padding:8px 0 7px; text-align:center; text-overflow:ellipsis; white-space:nowrap;\"><a href=\"https:\/\/www.instagram.com\/p\/Cpu2wc9Ou2u\/?utm_source=ig_embed&amp;utm_campaign=loading\" style=\" color:#c9c8cd; font-family:Arial,sans-serif; font-size:14px; font-style:normal; font-weight:normal; line-height:17px; text-decoration:none;\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">A post shared by Nick &#34;the Mutant&#34; Walker (@nick_walker39)<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/blockquote>\n<p><script async src=\"\/\/platform.instagram.com\/en_US\/embeds.js\"><\/script><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/figure>\n<div class=\"is-layout-constrained wp-block-group is-style-call-out-bm-icon\">\n<p><em><strong>More from Breaking Muscle:<\/strong><\/em><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li><em><strong><a data-lasso-id=\"221649\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/back-and-biceps-workouts\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">The Ultimate Back and Biceps Workout for Every Lifter<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<li><em><strong><a data-lasso-id=\"221650\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/single-arm-lat-pulldown\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">How to Do the Single-Arm Lat Pulldown for Back and Biceps Gains<\/a><\/strong><\/em><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/div>\n<p>It might be a little strange to hear that a bodybuilder&#8217;s ripped physique was too &#8220;streamlined&#8221; or too lean, so to speak. Though, with Walker taking home third-place and runner-up results at the <a aria-label=\"2022 Mr. Olympia (opens in a new tab)\" data-lasso-id=\"221651\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/2022-mr-olympia-results\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" class=\"ek-link\">2022 Mr. Olympia<\/a> and 2023 AC, respectively, it might be a critique he should consider. With enough refinement, perhaps the athlete known as &#8220;The Mutant&#8221; could find himself on top of a podium again in the coming months. <\/p>\n<p><em>Featured image: @nick_walker39 on Instagram<\/em><\/p>\n<p>The post <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\/bob-cicherillo-nick-walker-arnold-classic-loss-explanation\/\">Bob Cicherillo Explains Why Nick Walker Didn&#8217;t Win 2023 Arnold Classic<\/a> appeared first on <a rel=\"nofollow\" href=\"https:\/\/breakingmuscle.com\">Breaking Muscle<\/a>.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>For some, Nick Walker was the presumed heavy favorite to win the 2023 Arnold Classic (AC). In Mr. Olympia legend Jay Cutler\u2019s eyes, Walker was supposed to finish on top (keyword: supposed). Instead, Walker would take a home runner-up result to champion Samson Dauda and be left looking ahead to what\u2019s next in the 2023 competitive calendar. As&#8230;<br \/>\nThe post Bob Cicherillo Explains Why Nick Walker Didn\u2019t Win 2023 Arnold Classic appeared first on Breaking Muscle.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":11488,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"wprm-recipe-roundup-name":"","wprm-recipe-roundup-description":""},"categories":[20,1,21,22,19],"tags":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11486"}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=11486"}],"version-history":[{"count":2,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11486\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11489,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11486\/revisions\/11489"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/11488"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=11486"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=11486"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/bestratefinders.com\/blog\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=11486"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}