Kai Greene still gives back to the bodybuilding community years after taking to the stage. In a recent training session broadcasted on YouTube, Greene joined influencer Mike Thurston for a demanding arms workout, offering the influencer tips and tricks for muscle building.
“I feel good. It’s going to be an absolute honor training with you. I know I’m going to be put to my absolute limits with some very heavy training so I’m looking forward to it,” said Thurston.
During the 1990s and 2000s, Kai Greene made a name for himself in the IFBB Pro League with cartoonish muscle volume and adept posing skills. Even though he never captured the prestigious Mr. Olympia title, Greene was an Open mainstay and three-time Arnold Classic champion, who was known for pushing icons such as Jay Cutler, Dexter Jackson, and especially, former seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath.
To this day, Heath’s and Greene’s rivalry is considered the greatest and most intense the sport has seen. While Greene hasn’t competed in years, he remains committed to training and spreading the workout wisdom he harvested over his lifetime. The latest person he offered guidance to was fitness model and influencer Mike Thurston.
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Kai Greene and Mike Thurston Join Hands for Brutal Arms Workout
Before starting the training session, Greene laid out what he hoped to accomplish by the time they finished.
“It won’t be too crazy. I assure you I do want to have a good time with you I think that hopefully we will be able to give something of wisdom to the fans and people at home that get a chance to check this out and maybe check something off on their notebook and list of things to do to improve themselves in their journey with arm training,” Kai Greene shared.
Check out the workout below:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Tricep Extension Superset w/ Push-up | 4 | 20 triceps extension, 10-20 push-ups |
| Concentration Curls | 4 | 10 |
| Reverse Triceps Extensions | 4 | 20 |
| Preacher Cable Curls | 4 | 20 |
| Incline Dumbbell Curls | 4 | 15-20 |
| Cable Crossovers | 4 | 18-20 |
Overhead tricep extension superset w/ push-ups
Greene and Thurston began with overhead triceps extension supersetted with a set of push-ups.
“This form is awesome. I’m surprised you actually started with this. I would have done the push-up first,” said Greene. “Don’t be scared to get down on the floor.”
“This was a good way to check my elbows and start to warm up,” Kai Green shared. “Here’s the thing, I’m not trying to question whether or not I can get to 20 and I’m not trying to compete with you, and more importantly, we’re not trying to impress the camera now, right?”
“Those two exercises as I’m standing here talking to you, I can still feel it pulsing inside. So there’s a conversation that I also feel like I’m having with my body in myself right now. With those feelings, I’ve learned to identify it as a checklist of saying yeah man we’re doing the right thing.”
Concentration curls
Moving on to concentration curls, Greene underlined the importance of letting go of unrealistic expectations.
“I should see you do 100-pound dumbbells for sets of 20 and you should make it look like that. That’s not my reality.
But here’s the thing more importantly, for me to train, and to get a great result, you know, sometimes part of doing that is being able to let go of unrealistic expectations and identify was it worth it to me to do my best right now. That competition if there is one, it’s really you versus you.”
Reverse triceps extensions
Known for boasting a legendary mind-muscle connection, Greene offered some nuggets of wisdom while performing reps of reverse triceps extensions.
“A lot of people call it a biceps shot but what you have to be able to do is not just flex your bicep, you have to be able to flex your tricep right and be conscious enough to make that tilt, so I’m able to see [all the details].”
“When you flex your tricep, this flexor in your tricep from doing those takes this down, it pulls it down. It pulls it down so stretches the circumference of your entire arm by developing the long head of your tricep right.”
“This helps with the development but also the contraction,” adds Thurston.
“Try to keep your elbows together,” Greene said. “Using your instrument. You know your instrument, you get me? Yeah, but this is about connection now. It’s about using your instrument and connecting with it. Those poses are what you’re sculpting to. They are a part of the sculpting tool.”
Preacher cable curls
Greene discussed the importance of elbow positioning during their preacher cable curl sets.
“Eblows in the front, using the peak head to your biceps. That’s the number one way to address your peaks, you know for that person that says hey I want to improve the peak on my bicep.
Then, it’s really really important I believe when addressing, anytime I take my elbows from back here and move them, if you imagine like turning to the side, and imagining a straight line right, anytime your elbow is in front of that line, there’s not any activation in your front delt but the peak of your bicep. Anytime that elbow is allowed to go back, then it’s the longer head.”
Incline Dumbbell curl
Greene favored incline dumbbell curls, especially with a hammer grip for better brachioradialis activation.
“You can do a cable, a bar, an incline dumbbell curl, love it,” said Greene.
“I tried to do hammers to start my routine usually because that is an area on my physique that always has to be addressed you know what I mean. The brachioradialis, this thing, so yeah, in the opening, I do three exercises for that.”
Cable crossovers
Greene and Thurston finished the workout performing sets of cable crossovers.
“Believe it or not, the most uncomfortable seat at the show is never out in the audience, it’s standing in a relaxed pose on stage watching the show, the comparison with the other athletes that are in the top five and you’re behind them standing there and you’re not even being compared. You’re just watching the show.”
Although Kai Greene hasn’t graced the stage in years, he wants to make it clear that retirement is not on his agenda. Fans remain impressed by Greene’s remarkable ability to maintain professional-level muscle mass while showcasing outstanding conditioning, evident thanks to his low body fat percentages. Addressing the speculation about a potential comeback, Greene expressed uncertainty, stating, “You never know.”
Mike Thurston has pumped iron alongside former six-time Mr. Olympia Dorian Yates and now can add “The Predator” to the list. Given how unique and insightful Greene was, these training sessions always offer fans differing perspectives for getting fit.
Watch the full video from Kai Greene’s YouTube channel below:
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