Mr. Olympia Nick Walker and Morphogen Nutrition founder Ben Hartman discuss Nick's ownership stake, his upcoming signature VOLUGEN and PROTEGEN products, and the supplements and food he actually uses on Episode #238 of the PricePlow Podcast.
Nick Walker is the new Mr. Olympia, and he won the title as a co-owner of Morphogen Nutrition, not just a sponsored athlete. He made sure of that before he ever switched companies.
Episode #238 of the PricePlow Podcast brings Nick together with Morphogen founder Ben Hartman, who explained the equity deal from his side in Episode #221. This time, Mike and Ben get Nick's version: why ownership mattered to him, why he checks on Hartman's stress during his own prep, and how much say he has in the products carrying his name.
Those products include a signature VOLUGEN without creatine, a reworked pump capsule, and a Red Velvet Cheesecake PROTEGEN that Hartman reveals mid-episode. Nick also gets refreshingly blunt about his own habits: a pared-down pre-show stack, very little caffeine, no creatine in years, and zero interest (actual hatred) for protein cookies. Then there's his post-Olympia food run, which you have to hear to believe.
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https://blog.priceplow.com/podcast/mr-olympia-nick-walker-238
Video: Mr. Olympia Nick Walker Joins Morphogen’s Ownership
Podcast: Play in new window | Download (Duration: 57:32 — 48.4MB)
Detailed Show Notes: Nick Walker and Ben Hartman on Ownership, Signature Products, and Real Food
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0:00 - Introductions
Ben welcomes Mr. Olympia himself, alongside Ben Hartman on his fourth trip to the show. Kane notes that PricePlow isn't a bodybuilding commentary channel, but bodybuilding is the backdrop for nearly everything in supplements, so congratulations are in order.
Nick says the week since has been chill and that none of it has sunk in yet. He doubts it will until his career is over, because he's already focused on how to improve. He's still up around 5:30 for cardio and check-ins, but he's enjoying quiet family time in New Jersey after roughly eight weeks away, including six weeks at his coach's house in Tampa before flying to Vegas.
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2:00 - Health Phase and Four-Day Training
Asked what comes next, Nick describes a short post-show "health phase" in which he's pulled back to TRT. He says his body is extremely insulin sensitive right now, so he grows well in this window. Food is slowly coming up and cardio is coming down. For the next couple of weeks, his coach wants reps left in the tank and a solid pump instead of training to failure.
His training hasn't changed much. Nick calls it close to Dorian Yates-style training, but with higher reps: 12 to 20 depending on the body part, versus Yates' 6-to-8 range. He takes one all-out set, turns it into a rest-pause set, and moves on. He's trained four days a week since around the Arnold.
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4:30 - "I Love Carbs" (Just Not Sugar)
Nick admits he ate with zero restraint after the show. "I don't care, man. I'm going all out", as he puts it, and he gained 15 or 16 pounds in two days. It's already gone after three straight days of zero carbs.
That's no knock on carbs. "I love carbs. I think carbs are what fuel the fire", Nick says. Mike brings up Hartman's account from Episode #221 that Nick wanted a sugar-free, straight Cluster Dextrin option, and asks if that's just for prep. It's year-round: "If I want my sugar, dude, I'm gonna eat fruit." His pre-workout meal is cream of rice, peanut butter, and about 120g of banana, and he doesn't want to sip sugar while he trains.
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6:15 - Equity, Not Another Sponsor Check
Hartman told the ownership story from Morphogen's side in Episode #221. Here's Nick's. Another company sponsored him at the time, and he already had what he calls a reputation for going company to company. He didn't want a repeat, so he told Morphogen that switching had to come with ownership, beyond a standard athlete deal. That way, people would see "he's not just supplement hopping" and has bigger plans.
He also wanted a close-knit, family-oriented company that treats everyone fairly, and he calls the products "grade A", so the move was a no-brainer. Morphogen partner David DeMesquita first connected them. As for his role, Nick told Hartman, "prep or no prep", to name the involvement he wanted: "This is your baby, you brought me in."
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8:45 - Nick Checks In on Hartman
Hartman fills in a detail Nick skipped. Two weeks out from the Olympia, Nick was checking in on him, asking about his stress and his family. "I feel great that you're checking in on me and you're two weeks out of the Olympia", Hartman says. That alignment was the test from the start: could they joke around, say the same dumb stuff on a call, and share values?
Ben Hartman, Founder and CEO of Morphogen Nutrition, returns for a third PricePlow Podcast appearance to discuss the brand's second rebrand, the Nick Walker equity partnership, the 10g L-Tyrosine return to AlphaGEN, and where the supplement industry is heading -- all in Episode #221.
Nick sits in on every meeting and the company's text groups, and he's part of the decision-making. Still, Hartman's main ask was simple: focus on himself and his content, because Nick and his media team are "incredible" and that pays off for everyone. After the Olympia, they'd map out bigger moves using Nick's influence and network.
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10:30 - Flavor, Design, and New Labels
Mike asks what excites Nick in those meetings. New products and flavors, he says, especially his upcoming line, where he's helped with design decisions. He wants more say in formulas and flavors because "flavor is gonna carry very, very far." Quality comes first, but quality that tastes amazing is a no-brainer.
A fresh batch of samples for Nick's line arrived shortly before the show, but Hartman knew Nick wouldn't taste anything four days out. Those are shipping now. Hartman has a couple of drops planned for October, with Nick's flavors and signature products rolling into the line through Q4 and into Q1. The labels blend Nick's personality with Morphogen's look, and Hartman can't wait for people to hold the tubs.
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13:00 - Signature VOLUGEN and Six-Cap Pump
Hartman flashes a signature label on camera ("They look so badass", Nick says), then explains the first big change. Nick wanted his VOLUGEN focused on immediate performance and pump, so Morphogen removed the creatine and bumped up another ingredient, keeping the serving size about the same. Since creatine needs daily use, Hartman saw it as a minor add in a pre-workout.
A new pump capsule is coming too. Morphogen stripped its old pump formula to the hero ingredients and cut it from eight capsules to six. The original lacked a lane because it predated KIDNEY and Morphogen's other blood pressure support products. Now it's a dedicated pre-workout pump capsule, and stacked with VOLUGEN, Hartman promises "skin-splitting pumps" that some users may need to dial back.
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14:45 - Nick's Palate: Pineapple, Orange, Mocha...
Next come Nick's signature flavors, starting with two proteins. Morphogen has customer data and can poll people, Hartman says, but you never know what will land, and on his own he might have passed on both. Nick kept pushing, the team sampled four or five flavors, and Nick's two picks came back on top. Of one, Hartman says, "It might be the best flavor of anything we've ever done."
Mr. Olympia Nick Walker
Nick's palate leans pineapple, orange, and mocha, and roughly 30 sample baggies are headed his way. His case for a mocha greens flavor: everyone loves coffee in the morning, his dad included. Hartman already tested mocha, chocolate, and chocolate peanut butter samples, and mocha won. For now, it's a concept in sample testing.
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16:45 - Red Velvet Cheesecake PROTEGEN
Mike points out that chocolate and vanilla usually win in protein, though Nick's following could probably sell anything. Hartman says Mike would be surprised. When Morphogen relaunched PROTEGEN in chocolate, vanilla, strawberry, and Dirt Pudding, the Dirt Pudding flavor started outselling the others by about fivefold, by his count. It sits in cookies-and-cream territory, but anyone who knows what goes into dirt pudding will taste the difference. Kane vouches for it.
Then Hartman makes a reveal for Nick's audience: "There's a Red Velvet Cheesecake PROTEGEN coming." Nick's explanation: "Anytime I go to the Cheesecake Factory, that's literally coming out." The second Nick protein flavor stays under wraps for now.
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18:00 - Not a Stim Guy: The Coffee Story
Ben Kane asks whether Nick cares about stimulants at all. "I'm not a stim guy", Nick says. He's a pump guy. Kane remembers Nick's once-famous Starbucks order, and Nick explains why it's gone: he drank way too much coffee until it backfired on him, and he's been mostly off coffee for about two years. The order was a venti cold brew with five pumps of sugar-free vanilla, five of sugar-free cinnamon dolce, and five stevias, three times a day. "It was basically just adding coffee to my sugar."
He isn't totally caffeine-free though. He still gets a little from THERMOGEN, drinks decaf nine times out of ten, and enjoys a big coffee after a show. Carbs in VOLUGEN? "Keep it as a pre-workout."
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20:30 - Signature SKUs, Creatine Flavors, and Wholesale
Does Nick's line go beyond pump products? Hartman's plan is one or two signature flavors of nearly every powder Nick uses, such as NutriGreens, ADAPTOGEN, and Nightcap. Now that Nick is Mr. Olympia, Hartman has no idea where sales go. Having 20 Nick SKUs on the booth by the Arnold would be awesome, he says.
Morphogen Nutrition just dropped major upgrades to ALPHAGEN and VOLUGEN pre-workouts. That 10g L-tyrosine dose is back, plus some serious formula improvements that caught our attention. These work solo or stacked for maximum flexibility.
Nick hasn't used creatine in "like six, seven years", but that doesn't rule out creatine flavors brand-wide, possibly around early 2027. Morphogen has been heavily direct-to-consumer, so in August it hired an experienced sales manager to build a wholesale program, which brings store-level data on what sells. Across the whole line, Hartman can see 30 more flavors in six to nine months, though he admits that might be aggressive.
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22:45 - Nick's Creatine Answer and the SKU Math
So why skip creatine? "I just don't feel like it ever did anything for me", Nick says. "Genetically, what do I need it for?" Beyond making him feel watery, he never noticed a benefit, so he stopped. Kane jokes that Nick probably gets his creatine from meat. "I eat plenty of meat", Nick confirms. It's a personal call based on how he responds.
Kane asks whether the SKU talk means multiple flavors per product. Hartman walks through it: two PROTEGEN flavors with room for a third, one VOLUGEN flavor at launch that could grow to three, then signature versions of Recovery Aminos, ADAPTOGEN, Nightcap, and more. Twenty Nick-labeled products by the Arnold? "Potentially, yes", depending on lead times and Q4 sales, which fund production.
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24:15 - The Olympia Bump and Targeted Merch
Did Morphogen's site light up after the win? Hartman saw a clear spike that Monday, with traffic, followers, and engagement all way up. Garments jumped most: by his rough count, Morphogen sold 10 to 15 times as many in a few days as in a normal week, led by Nick's shirts like the "AND NEW..." designs.
Nick says merch can do very well for a sub-brand, and Hartman wants pieces with Nick's style, not a giant logo on a blank shirt. Darc Sport also sponsors Nick, and he says that as long as he does his job for them, he's free to do his own thing. Hartman calls Morphogen "a supplement company that has some targeted merch", with no plans to step on anyone's toes.
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27:45 - Family-First, Even in Business
Kane notes that Nick has kept a family feel around his personal brand, going back to his Jersey roots and his parents. "That's how I thrive", Nick says. Business is business, but close-knit relationships make a brand more successful, more fun, and more memorable.
That's why he checks on Hartman. Hartman is the owner, with his own stress, his own business, and a family to look after, and Nick wonders how many people check on him that often. Nick wants to be someone people can vent to, whether he's one week or two weeks out from a show. "All it takes is one solid vent session", he says.
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29:15 - Moving to Vegas, Staying on Plan
Travel plans? "I'm not a traveler, bro", Nick says. After a couple weeks of family time, he's moving to Las Vegas, where he lived for two years before. He left for other reasons, but this trip felt different, and his coach wanted to move there too. They just got a house together. From there, it's Olympia and Arnold focus, with trips back to Jersey.
His coach won't be policing his diet. If anything, it's the reverse: the coach tells Nick to go enjoy a meal, and Nick asks whether it's worth feeling terrible the next day. When he does eat, he doesn't stop at "a simple burger and fry." He's strict year-round, except right after a show.
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31:45 - The Post-Olympia Food Run
Mike asks about the big post-win cheat meal. "You want me to break it down?" Nick asks. Here's the short version. About six strawberry Pop-Tarts during interviews, then In-N-Out: two Triple Triples, two fries, and about six loaded cookies. Then four cinnamon buns. Then six to eight Randy's Donuts, his favorite, courtesy of his mom.
Back at the Airbnb around 2am, Shake Shack burgers and fries were waiting, along with about eight Insomnia Cookies and a whole box of oatmeal cream pies. No sleep, then a Darc Sport event at 8am and the Olympia winner's seminar at 11. Later, at Barry's, his favorite Vegas steakhouse, he finished an entire carrot cake by himself. "I'm a sweet guy", he explains. The zero-carb days came after.
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34:15 - Nick's Pre-Show Supplement Staples
Kane points out that many amateurs can't handle that much food after a show. "That's why they're amateurs", Nick fires back. He was eating big going in, too, with a huge carb load spread from Wednesday through Saturday. When the conversation turns into an impromptu enzyme ad, Nick says he doubled up on Morphogen's digestive ENZYMES and Glucose Control at every meal and "felt fantastic."
About two weeks out, Nick limits what goes into his stomach, partly for mental reasons. His Morphogen staples were PRIME, standalone TUDCA, KIDNEY, ENZYMES, and Glucose Control. He says they "covered all the bases" he needed heading into the show.
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36:15 - PRIME as the Anchor
Would Hartman change any of those formulas for Nick? Probably not. Morphogen built its health line with PRIME as the anchor and everything else as an add-on, which is why PRIME and KIDNEY work as a stack, with TUDCA as a standalone. And as Hartman puts it, two weeks out from a major show "is not the time that you need to worry about taking twenty health supplements."
Nick cuts variables everywhere close to a show: flavors, capsules, even his flavored cream of rice. Hartman says the remaining products cover basic health, blood pressure support, a healthy inflammatory response, digestion, and glucose uptake, which leaves room to double the enzymes and Glucose Control. A men's health formula or a multivitamin? Not needed at that point.
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38:00 - "I Have Receipts"
Mike notes that Hartman laid out this stacking foundation on a previous episode, and now Mr. Olympia is running it. By Hartman's account, his sales records show top competitors buying Morphogen for close to a decade, including other brands' sponsored athletes. He even met one longtime buyer at the Arnold. Now there's a Mr. Olympia who uses the products and isn't tied to another supplement brand. "They use ours. I have receipts", Hartman says. Nick adds, "You can check my orders."
Kane brings up PRIME's origin, and Hartman confirms he first made it for his dad and his family history. As PRIME caught on in bodybuilding, it passed CALM as Morphogen's best-seller, and Hartman now calls it the GOAT of health products.
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41:15 - No Protein Cookies, Ever
Mike noticed a cookie theme in the food story. Chocolate chip and oatmeal raisin are Nick's favorites, and he'll eat however many you hand him. A protein cookie is the last thing he wants. "When I get off stage, I don't want health. I want the dirty, dirty cookie", Nick says. "I just think there's too much protein in everything." Protein soda isn't happening either. If he wants a strawberry Pop-Tart, he's getting the regular one.
Mike, cracking up, points to protein ketchup as proof the trend has gone too far. Hartman adds that protein-everything products can leave people thinking a few grams covers them, and that the trend has squeezed protein supply for supplement brands. Nick agrees.
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43:00 - Why PROTEGEN Isn't Commodity Whey
Nick wants a real cookie when he wants dessert. Hartman applies the same logic from the other side: if you're taking an actual protein supplement, it should give you something a commodity tub doesn't. Kane notes that protein costs keep climbing while Morphogen adds extras like AstraGin® (with research showing AstraGin boosts whey) and leucine peptides. Hartman won't release another WPI 90 identical to a hundred other brands and "squabble over pennies."
AstraGin® is more than a pre-workout ingredient. A 2026 clinical trial shows significant BCAA absorption improvements from whey protein, faster amino acid delivery, and a 13% drop in zonulin after 4 weeks.
Margins are a bit thinner, but "we're crushing in sales of PROTEGEN because it is unique", he says. An extra 5% margin on a plain product wouldn't reflect who Morphogen is, or help customers as much. His rule from day one: show any product from the line to someone who's never heard of Morphogen. It should lead its category on its own.
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45:00 - PepForm® Made It Taste Better
Peptide proteins have a reputation for tasting awful (Hartman remembers the old PeptoPro days). But when Morphogen added PepForm® Leucine Peptides to hit a specific leucine target, "it actually made it taste better." Samples with the peptides beat samples without.
The protein almost didn't happen. About a year ago, a consultant pushed hard against re-entering protein, and Hartman regrets ignoring his gut. Partner David DeMesquita reminded him it's his company and asked if he believed in it. He did, so they made it, and sales have been strong since. If supplier quotes keep rising, Hartman says he'll probably raise the price about $2 sometime in Q4. He notes PROTEGEN already beats some $70 tubs of plain isolate on servings and formula, at a lower price.
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47:15 - Peptides: Outcome Before Buzzword
Kane asks whether the peptide trend played into the decision. Hartman knows the word "peptide" sells, and that it can also get flagged on social media. His interest is the outcome: he says peptide-bound leucine spikes earlier and absorbs faster, while raising total leucine. It's still protein, not a scoop spiked with free-form leucine to pad the numbers.
He also teases an unnamed product in the peptide world, hopefully out by the end of October, that he thinks "is gonna shake some things up." What he will say is that Morphogen won't build a product just to put "peptide" on the label. PROTEGEN's tub doesn't even mention peptides on the front.
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49:30 - Reading the PROTEGEN Label
Mike reads the label for listeners: 27.25g of Whey Protein Isolate, just over a gram of PepForm® leucine peptides, total leucine above 3g, a quarter gram of Tart Cherry, digestive enzymes, and 50mg of AstraGin®. Morphogen's product page lists 1,150mg PepForm®, 3,105mg total leucine, and 100mg of DigeSEB® Sport, an enzyme and probiotic blend.
Hartman explains the leucine logic. About 3g is a general-population benchmark, though Nick needs more. Past that point, returns diminish: piling leucine onto too little protein leaves nothing to build with. PROTEGEN lands near 3g, roughly 20% more leucine than regular whey. Could the extras add up to more? In theory, Hartman says, but there are no studies on the finished product, and he won't put that claim on a label.
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51:45 - Fewer Scoops and Real-World Feedback
A customer asked whether PepForm® could make up for using less protein as prices rise. Hartman's answer: only to a point. Leucine and absorption helpers can't replace the bulk protein you need as raw material. Kane finds the leucine debate funny, since commenters claim serious bodybuilders don't care. Nick mostly just eats enough protein, but likes the extras. "It benefits, it always benefits", he says.
Mike says the edge matters more after 35. Hartman agrees, admitting he falls short on protein between training, hockey, coaching youth sports, and little sleep. Credible industry contacts using two to four scoops a day for six weeks tell him they feel bigger, stronger, and less sore. Those are anecdotes, but he believes the benefit adds up over a year.
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54:45 - Protein Muffins and a Custom Shaker
Before wrapping, Mike asks whether there's anything else Nick wants to blow up. Protein muffins, it turns out. "Just give me a nice old-fashioned toasted blueberry muffin and we're golden", Nick says. Shaker cups, thankfully, survive the purge. "I love shaker cups."
That sets up a thank-you to episode sponsor Perfect Shaker. With Darren Thompson, PricePlow's Spencer Lynn is setting up a custom laser-etched Perfect Shaker as a gift for Nick, ideally with his NW logo on one side and possibly Morphogen's on the other. Hartman thinks the NW mark is the cleanest fit for etching.
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56:15 - Morphogen's First Arnold Booth
Hartman closes with news: Morphogen plans to exhibit at the Arnold Sports Festival for the first time in 2027. Five seconds into the booking call, the Arnold rep congratulated them on Nick Walker and ruled out three-quarters of the available booths, since Morphogen's line would block dozens of other companies. So they're getting an island booth, larger than planned, which Hartman considers well worth it.
Booth design starts in the coming weeks. Nick will compete at the Arnold too, so the team won't interfere with his contest, but Hartman fully plans on "chaos" at the booth. Nick's booth day? "Sunday, I'll be there Sunday." Kane notes it's a home show for Morphogen, and Hartman says Columbus is about 20 minutes away.
Where to Follow and Learn More
Connect with Nick Walker, Ben Hartman, and Morphogen Nutrition
- Instagram: Nick Walker (@nick_walker39)
- Instagram: Ben Hartman (@morphogenben)
- LinkedIn: Ben Hartman
- Instagram: @morphogen_nutrition
- Morphogen Nutrition Website
- Nick Walker Signature Series at Morphogen Nutrition
- Morphogen Nutrition on PricePlow - Sign up for news and product alerts
Resources Mentioned
- Episode #221: Ben Hartman on Morphogen's Comeback, Nick Walker's Equity, and the 10g Tyrosine Return
- Episode #063: Morphogen Nutrition Rebrands! Ben Hartman #2
- Episode #033: Ben Hartman - The Rise of Morphogen Nutrition
- Episode #209: Darren Thompson: Inside PerfectShaker
- Morphogen Nutrition Launches New ALPHAGEN and VOLUGEN
- Morphogen Nutrition PRIME: Our Original Breakdown
- Morphogen Nutrition KIDNEY: Our Original Breakdown
- Morphogen Nutrition CALM: Our Original Breakdown
- PricePlow's PROTEGEN Video Review
Products Discussed
- Morphogen Nutrition PROTEGEN
- Morphogen Nutrition VOLUGEN
- Morphogen Nutrition PRIME - Total Health
- Morphogen Nutrition KIDNEY +Blood Pressure
- Morphogen Nutrition TUDCA
- Morphogen Nutrition ENZYMES - Digestion Support
- Morphogen Nutrition Glucose Control +GLP Support
- Morphogen Nutrition THERMOGEN
- Morphogen Nutrition NutriGreens
- Morphogen Nutrition Recovery Aminos
- Morphogen Nutrition ADAPTOGEN
- Morphogen Nutrition Nightcap
- The Full Morphogen Nutrition Lineup on PricePlow
Thanks to Nick Walker and Ben Hartman for a conversation that covered equity, label decisions, and one carrot cake that never stood a chance. Next up for this partnership: the signature VOLUGEN and pump capsules, the second Nick protein flavor, more signature flavors planned through Q4 and into early 2027, and an island booth in Columbus. We'll cover each one as it lands.
Thanks also to Perfect Shaker for sponsoring this episode. Nick's custom laser-etched shaker is in the works, and you can browse their lineup at PricePlow.com/perfect-shaker. For the story behind the company, Darren Thompson sat down with us in Episode #209.
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