Samson Dauda stunned the world by taking the title of Mr Olympia in 2024, but if he’s going to hold onto the championship this year and beat contenders like Derek Lunsford, Nick Walker, and Hadi Choopan, Dauda will need to maintain a strong grip on his crown. To that end, the “Nigerian Lion” shared an epic arm routine just weeks away from the big final in Sin City.
“Crunch time now, 4 weeks out,” wrote Dauda in a recent Instagram post for his 1.5 million fans, signalling that the champ is not afraid to get his sweat on in order to stay on top. If you want to follow in the lofty footsteps of Mr Olympia himself, here’s his workout:
Samson Dauda’s ‘Crunch Time’ Arm Workout
- Preacher Curl Machine
- Triceps Pushdown Machine
- Incline Bench Assisted Dumbbell Preacher Curls
- Cable Triceps Pushdowns
- Seated Cable Triceps Extensions
- Standing Cable Curls
Workout Breakdown
The preacher curl machine has a specific movement track, so it will effectively hit the biceps without the side-to-side motion that can happen when lifting heavy barbells. Instead, Dauda loaded up his plates and got to work. He then took himself to the triceps pushdown machine and once again isolated his muscles, this time focusing on the triceps. Notice how the Nigerian-British bodybuilder uses a steady speed to lift and descend, making the most of time under tension rather than rapid reps.
Dauda’s next exercise was the incline bench assisted dumbbell preacher curl. While this is a free weight exercise, the man mountain made use of the bench to support the heavy dumbbells rather than compromise his posture. Showing his strength, Dauda then placed the pin in the heaviest slot before annihilating his cable triceps pushdowns. (Don’t try this unless you’ve worked your way safely to this level of professional awesomeness). Using proper form, he braced his core and executed some solid reps here, building mass on all three components of his triceps: the long, lateral, and medial heads.
The kingpin then kept his feet firmly on the ground and humbled himself with heavy seated triceps extensions, once again pounding the three heads of his triceps for tremendous arm growth. Finally, Dauda utilized the straight bar attachment and cranked out some epic cable curls. Notice the slight pause at the top, and the controlled descent in order to maximize the negative part of the lift, activating his biceps for his most important competition yet.
To try this workout for yourself, remember that Samson Dauda is on another level when it comes to lifting weights, so be sure to take a progressive approach, balancing weight and form. Still, to build muscle, you’ll want to aim for 3 sets of each exercise in this workout, working in the region of 8 to 12 reps in order to hit, or get close to failure.
The proof of Samson Dauda’s hard work will be on display when he defends the Mr Olympia title on the big stage in Las Vegas between October 9 and 12. For more information, click here.
To follow Samson Dauda on Instagram, click here.
