Branch Warren broke down the Olympia decisions including Nick Walker’s physique.
Bodybuilding great Branch Warren is the latest to share his opinion on the 2025 Olympia. During a recent interview, Warren broke down the judging at the competition while also touching on what he believes went wrong with Nick Walker.
After hearing the results, Warren believed that it could have gone either way but agreed with the judges.
“I agreed with actually how the scores came out because I thought Derek was the clear frontrunner after Friday’s prejudging. Finals, Hadi came in much better. I thought he won Saturday night but it’s a two day show. Derek pulled it off.”
Warren has remained extremely active in retirement. Despite not stepping on a competitive stage, Warren continued to train at a high level. During his career, Warren was able to win two Arnold Classic titles. He has plenty of experience on the Olympia stage and competed at shows for over a decade spanning across the 1990s. Warren was unable to capture the elusive Sandow Trophy but is considered one of the best of all-time without an Olympia win.
Branch Warren Talks Nick Walker’s Performance
Nick Walker was considered one of the favorites to win the Olympia after two years away but fell to sixth on the scorecard. He made a statement following his performance while many others have commented as well. Branch Warren became the latest to discuss Walker.
“Nick is a big, thick dude. Nick is my height and I think he steps onstage probably 20-25 pounds heavier than I was. The dude is huge, but the problem with Nick, he’s got a wide waist and he’s got a long torso, short legs, and his quads don’t match his upper body. He needs more quad sweep.”
Walker was forced to miss the 2023 Olympia after suffering a hamstring tear. He returned to the stage during the 2024 New York Pro and was victorious, punching his ticket to the biggest show of the year once again. Walker received criticism following his victory and would later announce that he decided to sit out of the Olympia once again.
After making his return, there were some problems in this specific field.
“I don’t think Nick was really that off. I think he just had five guys who are genetically and structurally superior to him. You got several guys that are big, they get really hard, and they got great structure and shape. That leaves Nick as the odd man out. It’s going to be hard for him.”
Walker did not completely shut down the idea recently about competing at the 2026 Arnold Classic. He burst onto the scene in 2021 with a victory at the New York Pro. The very same year, he was victorious at Arnold Classic. It was considered one of the most successful rookie years in the sport. He would go onto finish in the top five at the Olympia, which was held just two weeks later that year due to the pandemic. Walker has since propelled himself near the top of Men’s Open and is setting up for a successful 2026 season. It could begin in Columbus if he commits to the show, which is set to have another loaded lineup.
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