Dr. Mike Israetel dissects the winning strategies of “The Nigerian Lion.”
Last updated on November 1st, 2024
Samson Dauda made history in Las Vegas, NV, on Oct.12, 2024, as the first Nigerian to win the Mr. Olympia, claiming a record-breaking $600,000 prize pool. He’ll attempt to replicate his success at the 2025 Arnold Classic, where $500,000 awaits the winner.
Dauda’s newfound status led muscle-building connoisseur Dr. Mike Israetel to closely examine his chest, shoulder, and calf training strategies and dieting approach on Oct. 18, 2024.
[Related: Two-Time 212 Olympia Champion Keone Pearson Trains Like He’s Still Chasing the Title]
Prioritizing Calves
If you want to bring up a muscle, science says to prioritize it. (1)(2) Dauda trains his calves before chest day, avoiding overlap with leg workouts. Israetel commends this approach.
“To properly stimulate a muscle that you really care about, have the most focus mentally and the most physical energy for those final reps close to failure,” Israetel explained. If you wait until after, “The limiting factor is your nervous and maybe cardiovascular system.” Not to mention, you’ve depleted energy stores.
No-Lock-Out Presses for Chest Gains
Israetel endorsed Dauda’s form on the Smith incline bench press, which was biased toward the stretch. “Very good technique, he’s not locking out, but as much as it hurts me to say, it probably doesn’t matter,” Israetel claimed.
“[Touching your chest] is probably at least, if not more, muscle growth-promoting than if you are locked out,” explained Israetel. Several recent studies have shown significantly more gains when overloading muscles in their fully lengthened position, but you still shouldn’t slack during concentrics. (3)(4)(5)(6)
Behind the Neck Press: Yay or Nay?
“No movement is inherently unsafe as long as you can put yourself into it and get yourself out,” Israetel assures, lauding Dauda as proof that behind-the-neck presses aren’t evil. “It’s not an exercise to be afraid of.” Always warm up, lower the weight slowly, ensure a stretch, and stop if you feel shoulder pain or discomfort.
Israetel likes the incline chest flye machine Dauda used when pivoting arms but focused more on the stretch than the squeeze. “A few sets of flyes on that thing will blow your chest into the atmosphere,” he asserts.
Dauda lifts light for flyes, suggesting no need to lift heavy to get swole. Muscle research shows light weight and high reps equal to heavy, low rep sets for hypertrophy when training to failure. (7)
Dauda’s Dedication to Meal Prep
Lastly, Israetel highlighted the differences between dieting for bodybuilding and other disciplines. “The sport never takes its damn claws out of you,” he stated, except for early off-season.
In a clip, Israetel showed Dauda explaining his discipline to self-prep meals rather than using food prep companies. “99 percent of the time, the reason people fail at their goals isn’t because of their training. It’s every other part outside the gym, day in and day out,” Dauda shared.
Israetel emphasized the brutal nature of contest prep, “16 weeks living in like the hyperbolic time chamber. It’s one hell of a mindf-ck, and it’s not for everybody.”
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Featured image: @samson__dauda on Instagram