Samson Dauda, also known as The Nigerian Lion, is well-known for his huge frame and aesthetic physique. After years of intense training and dieting, he brought the 60th anniversary Sandow back to the UK. In this year’s 2024 Mr. Olympia, he shocked the world by taking home the 60th anniversary 24-carat-gold-plated Sandow. In doing this, he showed everyone exactly what he’s capable of when his training and diet come together.
The Inspiring Journey of Samson Dauda
Samson Dauda is a 32-year-old Nigerian-British bodybuilder coached by his wife, Marlena Gustowska. Originally born in Nigeria, Samson moved to the United Kingdom during his teenage years. Because of this, he is known as The Nigerian Lion but competes under the UK banner.
While playing rugby as a teenager, he received multiple comments from people telling him he should compete as a bodybuilder. He began competing in April 2014, entering the show as a beginner. He went on to take second place overall in his first-ever show. He recently won the 60th anniversary Mr. Olympia 2024 competition, taking his first Olympia title. This made him the first man since Dorian Yates to take the title back to the UK.
However, it was his performance at the 2024 Mr. Olympia that cemented his legacy after he won gold against Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford. He also picked up silver against Derek Lunsford at the 2025 Arnold Classic.
Early Life and Beginnings
During his early life, he used his physical prowess to focus on playing rugby. On the field, his rugby teammates and local gym owner Chris Jones noticed his natural physical gifts. This led to them encouraging him to try competitive bodybuilding.
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When speaking to Chris, he originally opted out when learning about the rigorous preparation needed. However, in 2013 his interest peaked after seeing seven-time Olympia champion Phil Health competing on stage. Following this, his love for bodybuilding was born.
In 2014, he entered the WABBA World Championships as a first-time beginner. During this, he was invited to compete in the main competition, coming second in his first-ever showing. Following this, he placed in the top ten in his first eight competitions, coming 8th in the 2018 Amateur Olympia. He then came top five in his next three competitions before competing in the 2017 IFBB Amateur Diamond Cup Rome. This would be his final competition as an amateur.
From Humble Beginnings to Mr. Olympia Dreams – The Samson Dauda Documentary
Road to Success
Samson has always had an amazing structure from a young age. Out of the top bodybuilders, many have always known and talked openly about his potential and genetic gifts. His main struggle throughout his competitive career has been conditioning.
After competing in five amateur shows. Samson gained his pro card at the 2017 IFBB Amateur Diamond Cup Rome. Following this, he competed in 24 shows, coming out of the top ten only once in the 2018 IFBB Romania Muscle Fest Pro. During this period, notable placings include 1st at the 2021 and 2023 IFBB Prague pro events. The 2021 victory gained him direct qualification into the 2022 Mr. Olympia event.
After completing 6th at his first Mr. Olympia in 2022, many wondered if he would live up to his potential and become an Olympia champion.
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Throughout his competitive years, he’s made small but notable improvements to his muscle maturity and conditioning. His most recent accomplishment was 2nd at the 2024 Arnold Classic UK event, finishing behind this year’s runner-up, Hadi Choopan. Just two weeks before the recent Mr. Olympia event, he competed in the 2024 IFBB France Pro, taking the win.
Samson Dauda's Achievements
- 2014 WABBA World Championships - 2nd (Tall)
- 2015 IFBB Amateur Olympia UK - 8th (Over 100 kg)
- 2015 IFBB British Championships - 3rd (Super heavyweight)
- 2016 IFBB British Championships - 4th (Super heavyweight)
- 2017 IFBB Amateur Arnold Classic Europe - 5th (Over 100 kg)
- 2017 IFBB Amateur Diamond Cup Rome - 1st (Over 90 kg and overall)
- 2018 EVLS Prague Showdown - 5th
- 2018 George Farah Classic Pro Italy - 9th
- 2018 IFBB Prague Pro - 5th
- 2018 IFBB Romania Muscle Fest Pro - 11th
- 2019 IFBB British Grand Prix - 2nd
- 2019 IFBB Chicago Pro - 7th
- 2019 IFBB Portugal Pro - 5th
- 2019 IFBB Vancouver Pro - 8th
- 2020 IFBB British Grand Prix - 6th
- 2020 IFBB Europa Dallas Pro - 5th
- 2020 IFBB Monsterzym Pro - 2nd
- 2021 IFBB Romania Muscle Fest Pro - 2nd
- 2021 IFBB EVLS Prague Pro - 1st
- 2021 IFBB KO Egypt Pro - 3rd
- 2021 IFBB Yamamoto Cup Pro - 3rd
- 2022 IFBB Arnold Classic US - 4th
- 2021 IFBB Arnold Classic UK - 2nd
- 2022 IFBB Boston Pro - 4th
- 2022 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 6th
- 2023 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 3rd
- 2023 IFBB EVLS Prague Pro - 1st
- 2024 IFBB Arnold Classic US - 2nd
- 2024 IFBB Arnold Classic UK - 2nd
- 2024 IFBB France Pro - 1st
- 2024 IFBB Mr. Olympia - 1st
Samson’s Mr. Olympia 2024 Triumph
In his previous competitions, he’s always had the best structure on stage. His tall stature combined with his dense muscle maturity makes him a sight to behold. However, his lack of high-quality conditioning is something that has tended to hold him back.
In the run-up to this year’s Mr. Olympia competition, Samson decided to part ways with his long-term coach Milos Sarcev. Instead, he chose to be coached by his wife Marlena Gustowska. Following this, many people wondered whether this was a poor decision or a stroke of genius.
Samson chose to compete at the 2024 IFBB France Pro in the lead-up to the 2024 Olympia. He stated that he wanted to use this as a warm-up event with his new coach and wife. Again, many people wondered whether this was the right decision due to so few athletes ever doing this.
He placed 1st at the event, showing a glimpse of his trademark structure but without many obvious improvements in conditioning. This further fueled the fire as to how he would perform at this year’s Olympia.
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As soon as Samson came out on stage, we immediately knew what he was talking about. He made clear improvements to his back and legs. His conditioning was much better than his previous 2023 Mr. Olympia showing. Even his posing routine was better than last time around.
Hadi Choopan brought an amazing package to the stage. He may even have been more conditioned than last year. However, he is a smaller athlete and doesn’t quite have the same structure as Samson.
Derek Lunsford definitely had the structure to win but couldn’t quite bring the same conditioning. His legs, especially at the front, took away from his overall appeal meaning he dropped down to third.
The scary thing is, this isn’t Samson’s best physique. He still has a lot of potential improvements he can make. His legs could definitely be more separated and his conditioning could be even better. This poses even more exciting questions for future events to come!
Samson Dauda's Workout Routine
Becoming a Mr. Olympia champion isn’t without sacrifice. It requires years of intense training, pushing the human body to its limits. If you want to become a champion, you need to train like a champion. So, how does Samson train?
His primary training principle utilizes high-volume work using basic compound movements for each major body part. He uses supersets in each session to increase the training volume and intensity.
His weekly workout routine uses a bro-type split, focusing on one large muscle group for each session. In each session, he typically tends to perform three to five main exercises for each muscle group. Most of his training sessions can be found on the Hosstile YouTube channel, one of his main sponsors. This is an example of his typical weekly split:
- Monday - Legs
- Tuesday - Back
- Wednesday - Arms
- Thursday - Shoulders And Abs
- Friday - Chest And Calves
- Saturday - Rest
- Sunday - Rest
It’s important to note that this is an example of Samson’s routine taken from the Hosstile and his social media channels. This may change depending on his coaching instructions and monthly schedule.
Day 1: Legs
Samson starts his week with a leg workout. The goal of these exercises is to promote more training volume using multiple muscle groups. The primary muscle groups used include the quads, hamstrings, and glutes. Following this, he uses leg extensions and seated leg curls to isolate his quads and hamstrings. Both of these use simple movement patterns that can be performed by all ability levels.
To end his session, he performs two supersets. In one of his supersets, he combines the hack squat machine with more leg extensions. For his other superset, he performs two leg curl variations to focus on his hamstrings.
Day 2: Back
Day two of Samson’s training routine is a designated back session. The goal of this workout day is to build back depth and width to add to his V-taper look. At the start of his session, he performs some compound rack pulls. These target the trapezius, latissimus dorsi, and erector spinae muscles.
Following this, Samson performs a wide-grip pulldown variation and two rowing movements. The wide grip pulldown develops back width while the row variations improve back depth. To finish his session, he supersets a pulldown and pullover variation. This adds extra volume and ends the session with some higher-intensity work.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|
| Rack Pulls | 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps | 60-90 seconds |
| Wide-Grip Neutral Pulldowns | 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps | 60-90 seconds |
| Cable Rows | 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps | 60-90 seconds |
| Low Row Machine | 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps | 60-90 seconds |
| Superset 1 - Narrow-Grip Pulldowns + Rope Pullovers | 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps | 60-90 seconds between each superset |
Day 3: Arms
Day three is Samson’s designated arm day. The main goal of this session is to build his upper arms, specifically his biceps brachii and triceps brachii muscles. During this, he starts with three supersets. Each one uses a bicep and tricep movement, performing each of them using higher repetition ranges. These use a range of grip styles to target each of the smaller muscle groups.
His first superset uses the traditional pushdown movement with some preacher curls to provide targeted bicep isolation. His second superset is a pushdown variation with neutral-grip hammer curls to target his brachialis muscles. His final superset performs some tricep extensions in an overhead position with some normal EZ-bar bicep curls. His session ends with some cable shrugs for some designated trap work.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|
| Superset 1: Cable Triceps Pushdowns + Biceps Preacher Curls | 2 sets x 15 reps for both exercises | 60-90 seconds between each superset |
| Superset 2: Cable Pushdown Machine + Biceps Hammer Curls | 3 sets x 15 reps + 3 sets x 10-12 reps | 60-90 seconds between each superset |
| Superset 3: Cable Tricep Extensions + EZ Bar Bicep Curls | 3 sets x 12 repetitions for both exercises | 60-90 seconds between each superset |
| Cable Shrugs | 3 sets x 15 reps | 60-90 seconds |
Day 4: Shoulders and Abs
Day four is Samson’s shoulders and abs day. The main aim of this session is to develop the three deltoid heads. To accomplish this, he performs a couple of normal compound movements before ending with some high-volume supersets.
His session starts with the front delt machine press, specifically focusing on his front deltoids. Next, he performs shrugs for some upper-back work, with the shoulders performing secondary roles. The rest of his shoulder session is split into two supersets that target all three deltoid heads. To end his session, he performs an abdominal superset that consists of hanging leg raises and machine ab crunches.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|
| Front Delt Machine Press | 3 sets x 15 reps | 60-90 seconds |
| Shrugs | 3 sets x 8-10 reps | 60-90 seconds |
| Superset 1: Machine Shoulder Press + Machine Lateral Raise | 2-3 sets x 6-8 reps for both exercises | 60-90 seconds between each superset |
| Superset 2: Cable Cross + Rear Delt Fly | 4 sets x 10 reps for both exercises | 60-90 seconds between each superset |
| Superset 3: Hanging Leg Raise + Machine Ab Crunch | 3 sets x 10 reps for both exercises | 60-90 seconds between each superset |
Day 5: Chest and Calves
Samson ends his week with a chest and calf workout. He keeps things simple by starting with a high-volume calf superset. This uses a seated and standing calf raise variation to target the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles.
Next, he performs his main compound pressing movement, the incline bench press. This targets the clavicular heads of the pectoralis major muscles. He uses the standard hypertrophy repetition range and rest periods. To end his session, he performs a chest superset. This combines the incline chest press and lower chest fly to target the upper and lower chest areas.
As he rounds his weekly training off, he keeps things simple with a lower volume session. He uses two calf movements and three chest movements before taking a well-deserved two-day rest.
| Exercise | Sets x Reps | Rest (between sets) |
|---|---|---|
| Superset 1: Seated Calf Raises + Standing Calf Raises | 3 sets x 10-12 reps for both exercises | 60-90 seconds between each superset |
| Bench Press Machine | 3-4 sets x 8-10 reps | 60-90 seconds |
| Superset 2: Incline Chest Press + Lower Chest Flys | 4 sets x 10-12 reps for both exercises | 60-90 seconds between each superset |
Samson Dauda Training Philosophy
The workouts detailed above give you one piece of a much wider training puzzle. The information below allows you to bring it all together, using Samson’s fundamental training principles. Each of these should be applied to your own training routine. Use the workouts above and tailor them to your ability level. Use the main points below to form the backbone of your programming.
Progressive Overload
One of the main principles that Samson employs in his training is progressive overload. This requires you to intentionally change the main resistance training variables. This is usually done by altering the training volume (amount of work) and training intensity (difficulty of exercise). The principal aim is to promote the body’s adaptive responses to gain muscle and grow stronger. As you can imagine, both of these are very important to Samson when his main goal is to become Mr. Olympia.
As mentioned above, he uses high-volume training. In this, he changes the amount of work performed for his main compound movements. With volume being a key determinant of muscular hypertrophy, this is an important part of his training philosophy.
Form and Technique
Samson talks openly about performing the basics well. As part of this, he makes sure to follow the correct technique cues with the help of his coaching team.
Using the correct form and technique cues for each of the exercises above is vital. This is especially true when looking to gain that extra percentage over the other high-level competitors. Alongside this, it can reduce the possible injury risks associated with heavy resistance training. Working each muscle group as needed makes all the difference when developing a well-rounded, symmetrical physique.
Intensity Techniques
As we briefly mentioned above, Samson uses progressive overload as his main training principle. In this, he changes the intensity and volume. To increase the intensity, he uses two main methods.
The first and primary method he employs is supersets. These involve performing two exercises in quick succession with no rest in between. The aim of this is to increase the training volume and training intensity using less time.
As you can see in the workouts above, he uses supersets in each of his training sessions. These are usually done using isolation-type exercises towards the end of his sessions. Alongside this, he employs forced reps at the end of some sets. This means that he’ll get help from his coach or trainer to complete the last repetitions. This may help to further increase his training intensity.
Nutrition and Recovery
The foods that Samson eats fuel him for his training and help grow the large muscle mass on Samson’s frame. His recovery periods help him to replenish his energy and promote the body’s adaptive responses to training.
Samson focuses on eating the main three macronutrients in the correct amounts for his training routine and goals. He eats a large amount of protein for muscle growth and recovery. His carbohydrate intake focuses on providing enough energy for his training. His healthy fat intake tends to be included in smaller amounts.
His daily meal plan tends to be organized into six smaller meals. In this, he eats a high-quality protein source with different proportions of carbohydrates and fats. He also consumes several Hosstile supplements around and during his training routines. Adequate rest and recovery form a vital part of Samson’s training, especially when he pushes his body to the limits.
He tends to take two days off each week to allow his body to grow and recover. Alongside this, he ensures he gets enough sleep between his training sessions.
During off-season, Samson Dauda’s day starts with a wholesome breakfast consisting of oats, eggs and protein shake. The rest of the day, Dauda typically eats four steak meals and one chicken meal. The choice of protein is accompanied by rice or pasta along with other foods like sweet potato, smoothies or yoghourt drinks. He eats a total of six small meals spread across the day.
Dauda’s competition prep diet is similar to the off-season diet with some changes in the portion sizes. He strips the diet of toppings and flavoring substances like sauces from most of his meals to meet the dietary requirements.
Legacy and Impact on the Bodybuilding Community
This year’s win marks several firsts in bodybuilding history. Samson is the first Nigerian champion and the first person to take the Sandow to the UK since Dorian Yates.
This marks a change in judging focus from conditioning to overall structure and flow. Samson was not the most conditioned on stage, but he had the best structure and overall stage presence. His improved conditioning was enough to win his year’s Mr. Olympia 2024 title.
His ten-year competitive journey means a lot of things for the wider community. It shows the next generation that they should listen to the judge’s feedback and never give up. Throughout adversity, they should keep doing what they love in order to succeed.
