Michal Križánek, also known as Michal Križo, is a professional bodybuilder from Slovakia. Krizo started lifting weights at 15. He started his pro career in the IFBB Elite Pro (different from Mr. Olympia organizers — IFBB Pro League) and won 13 of the 14 contests he entered. Winning the WFF Pro Mr. Universe is Krizo’s biggest professional achievement.
After staying at the pinnacle of the IFBB Elite Pro for multiple years, Krizo started picking beef with IFBB Pro League titans like Ian Valliere, Nick Walker, and Blessing Awodibu, who also switched from the IFBB Elite Pro to the IFBB Pro League.
In Jul. 2022, Krizo switched to the IFBB Pro League, intending to win the coveted Sandow trophy and the bragging rights of being the number one bodybuilder in the world. This article covers his life story and training and diet program.
| Full Name: Michal Križánek (Michal Krizo) | ||
| Weight | Height | Nationality |
| 290 pounds | 6’1” | Slovak |
| Year of Birth | Profession | Era |
| 1990 | Bodybuilder | 2010, 2020 |
Who is Michal Krizo?
Born in Bojnice, Slovakia, Krizo played football growing up. He joined a gym at the age of 15 with his friends. After a few months of training, Krizo recognized his bodybuilding potential and decided to pursue the sport professionally.
The 6-foot-1-inch bodybuilder started training under coach Alexander Hlobik in 2016. He competed in his first bodybuilding competition in 2017, where he took home gold. Krizo competed in his maiden international competition the same year and made his presence felt by securing second place.
The Slovakian bodybuilder’s ginormous size and full and round muscle bellies put him in the spotlight from the moment he stepped on stage. He is especially popular for his sleeve-ripping pythons and tea-trunk legs. Krizo is picture-perfect from the front. He has a great X-frame — broad shoulders, barrel chest, a tight waist, and sprawling quad sweeps.
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Krizo turned pro in the IFBB Elite Pro league, which is more prominent in Europe than the IFBB Pro League. He became the face of the organization by winning one show after the other and decimating his competition.
Things, however, started becoming stale for Krizo as he was out of competitors to beat in the IFBB Elite Pro league. He then turned toward the IFBB Pro League, the most prominent bodybuilding organization that attracts the best talent, and started firing shots at the leading bodybuilders in the federation.
After it was clear that no IFBB Pro League bodybuilder would switch to the IFBB Elite Pro league, Krizo jumped ships and earned his IFBB Pro League pro card by winning the 2022 Amateur Olympia Italy in Oct. 2022.
Start of the Mr. Olympia Campaign
Bodybuilders turn Pro in hopes of winning the Mr. Olympia crown. Krizo is no different. The Slovak wasted no time after turning pro in the IFBB Pro League. He qualified for his maiden Mr. Olympia by winning the 2022 EVLS Prague Pro.
Notably, Krizo is an EVLS-sponsored athlete, and the company put him and his coach on a flight to the US to introduce the bodybuilder to the Mr. Olympia homeland. The IFBB Pro League welcomed the Slovak with open arms.
Furthermore, bodybuilding veterans like the four-time Mr. Olympia champ Jay Cutler, seven-time 212 Olympia champ Flex Lewis, 1983 Mr. Olympia champ Samir Bannout, and Milos Sarcev cautioned his competition against writing off Krizo.
The 2022 season was the most exciting year for the IFBB Pro League in a long time. The federation rolled out the carpet for a new crop of bodybuilders at the 58th edition of Joe Weider’s Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend. The 2021 212 Olympia champ Derek Lunsford, Blessing Awodibu, Rafael Brando, Samson Dauda, Andrew Jacked, and Michal Krizo were among the elite bodybuilders who debuted at the 2022 Mr. Olympia open division.
Although many expected Krizo to rock the boat at his Mr. Olympia debut, the show didn’t go as planned for him as he finished 12th at the 2022 O. The Slovak couldn’t hang with the upper echelons of the 2022 Mr. Olympia line-up in the back and conditioning departments.
Going Forward
After an underwhelming performance at the 2022 O, Krizo announced that he’d compete at the 2023 Arnold Classic UK in September. The Slovakian bodybuilder has taken the 2022 Olympia feedback in stride and has promised a better back, conditioning, and posing routine when he steps on stage in 2023.
Michal Krizo Workout Split
Krizo follows a six-day-a-week training program. Below is the training split he used to prep for the 2022 Mr.Olympia:
- Monday: Chest
- Tuesday: Back
- Wednesday: Shoulders
- Thursday: Arms
- Friday: Quads
- Saturday: Hamstrings, Calves, and Abs
The Slovak is incredibly strong and goes heavy in his workouts. He uses a high-volume, high-intensity training regimen to build thick, big, and dense muscles. Krizo does at least 10 reps in each exercise. He stays away from going super heavy and performing 4-5 reps. Instead, he uses moderate weights and focuses on achieving a pump.
Michal Krizo Workout Program
Check out the former Mr. Universe’s training regimen:
Michal Krizo Chest Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Incline Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 10-15 |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 12-15 |
| High-to-Low Cable Fly | 3 | 12-15 |
| Machine Neutral-Grip Chest Press | 3 | 15-20 |
| High-to-Low Cable Fly | 2 | 15-20 |
Michal Krizo Back Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Incline Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 10-15 |
| Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 12-15 |
| High-to-Low Cable Fly | 3 | 12-15 |
| Machine Neutral-Grip Chest Press | 3 | 15-20 |
| High-to-Low Cable Fly | 2 | 15-20 |
Michal Krizo Shoulders Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Smith Machine Shoulder Press | 4 | 12-15 |
| Dumbbell Side Lateral Raise | 4 | 12-15 |
| Bent-Over Dumbbell Rear Delt Fly | 4 | 12-15 |
| Barbell Upright Row | 4 | 12-15 |
Michal Krizo Arms Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Cable Rope Triceps Pushdown | 4 | 12-15 |
| Close-Grip Bench Press | 4 | 12-15 |
| Dumbbell Skullcrusher | 4 | 12-15 |
| Single-Arm Rope Cable Pushdown | 4 | 12-15 |
| Single-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curl | 4 | 12-15 |
| EZ-Bar Cable Curl | 4 | 12-15 |
| Dumbbell Hammer Curl | 4 | 12-15 |
Michal Krizo Quads Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 10-15 |
| Smith Machine Squat | 3 | 10-15 |
| Leg Press | 3 | 10-15 |
| Machine Hack Squat | 3 | 10-15 |
| Lunge | 3 | 10-15 |
Michal Krizo Hamstrings, Calves, and Abs Workout
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
| Seated Leg Curl | 3 | 10-15 |
| Lying Leg Curl | 3 | 10-15 |
| Standing Leg Curl | 3 | 10-15 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 3 | 10-15 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 10-15 |
| Machine Crunch | 3 | 15-20 |
Michal Krizo Off-Season Workout Program
The Slovak bodybuilder follows a five-day training split in the off-season. He takes the weekends off when he is not prepping for a show. During his bulking period, Krizo trains two muscle groups daily and foregoes training his abs.
I train more often as it gets closer to a contest. I train six days a week instead of just five. I do one or two more exercises per body part… I also start training abs before a contest. I don’t train abs in the off-season. Only in the contest prep when there’s not so much food.
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Below is Krizo’s off-season training split:
- Monday: Quads
- Tuesday: Chest and biceps
- Wednesday: Hamstring and calves
- Thursday: Back
- Friday: Chest and shoulders
When asked about his rest days, Krizo says he spends them “on a couch.” We cannot blame the Slovak for his sedentary weekends. Maintaining a 290-pound, 6-foot-1-inch frame is no joke, after all. You need all the calories you can save.
Michal Krizo PRs
Krizo is a big dude and routinely has “how much do you bench?” thrown at him on social media platforms.
Lucky for you, you won’t have to DM him this question, as we have the answers.
The Slovak bodybuilder doesn’t perform the squat, bench press, and deadlift anymore. His last one-rep max on the bench press was 250 kilograms (551 pounds), which he hit sometime in 2020. His personal best for the squat and deadlift is 270 kilograms (595 pounds). The deadlift PR was hit in 2016.
Must Read: What Does PR Mean in Gym?
Michal Krizo Diet Program
During prep, Krizo eats six meals a day. Eating frequent meals helps boosts muscle repair and growth. The Slovak bodybuilder is meticulous with his meals and weighs his food to ensure he gets the required macros.
Since Krizo is 6-feet-1-inches tall and weighs around 290 pounds on competition day, he eats relatively large meals to maintain his size.
Meal 1
- 120 grams rice porridge
- 75 grams protein powder
Meal 2
- 10 whole eggs
- 50 grams ham
Meal 3
- 300 grams cod
- 120 grams rice porridge
- 30 grams protein powder
Meal 4
- 300 grams cod
- 120 grams rice porridge
- 30 grams protein powder
Meal 5
- 300 grams cod
- 120 grams buckwheat porridge
- 30 grams protein powder
Meal 6
- Low-fat curd cheese
- 40 grams peanut butter
or
- Low-fat curd cheese
- Flavored protein milk
In the lead-up to a contest, the 2022 EVLS Prague Pro champ starts his days with 120g of rice porridge and 75g of protein powder. For his second meal, Krizo downs 10 whole eggs and 50g of ham.
The Slovak’s third meal is his pre-training meal, where he eats 300g of cod, 120g of rice porridge, and 30g of protein powder. Krizo trains after two hours of eating this meal and devours the same food for his fourth meal of the day.
The mass monster eats his last round of cod in his fifth meal and combines it with 120g of buckwheat porridge and 30g of protein powder.
For the last meal of the day, Krizo downs two quark portions (low-fat curd cheese) and mixes 40g of peanut butter with each portion. He sometimes swaps the peanut butter with flavored protein milk.
Krizo consumes 165 grams of protein through protein powders alone. 165g of protein is enough for most lifters, but the Slovakian mass monster is different. He doubles down on the muscle-building macronutrient through cod, eggs, and quark.
Although Krizo eats six meals daily, his diet plan is easy to dissect and replicate since he eats almost the same foods throughout the day. Budding bodybuilders can try out the Slovak bodybuilder’s diet plan by reducing the quantity of each meal.
Cheat Meals
No bodybuilding diet plan can be deemed complete without discussing cheat meals. Although Krizo eats cheat meals occasionally, he only indulges in planned cheat meals on his coach’s orders. When asked if he eats cheat meals, the Slovak replied:
Yes. If it’s necessary. If my coach sends me to have one. If I’m too conditioned ahead of time and I should eat something, then I go. So yes, it’s planned. Me personally, I don’t eat it. I don’t crave it. I only go when I’m ordered to go.
Michal Krizo Supplements
Supplements are integral to a pro bodybuilder’s routine. Since competitive bodybuilders follow a strict and calculated dieting regimen, it is hard to meet their daily nutrition needs through whole foods. Supplements help fill the void. Krizo uses the following supplements in his daily routine:
- Whey Protein: It is the building block of muscles. Protein powders help build bigger and stronger muscles. [1]
- BCAA: Sipping BCAAs during a workout helps kickstart your muscle recovery by supplying your muscles with amino acids.
- Dextrose: It can deliver an immediate energy boost before a workout. Post-workout, dextrose provides your muscles with recovery carbs and helps facilitate protein absorption.
- Multivitamins: Micronutrients are as crucial as macros. Most bodybuilders, however, overlook them. A multivitamin supplement helps fill your nutritional gaps. It ensures you don’t develop micronutrient deficiencies.
- Ashwagandha: It might help increase muscle strength and improve athletic performance. Ashwagandha is also known to boost testosterone levels and reduce muscle inflammation. It is a superfood for bodybuilders. [2]
- Creatine (off-season): It is one of the most-studied sports supplements that can increase muscle mass, strength, and exercise performance. [3]
Wrapping Up
Michal Krizo is an elite bodybuilder, and many bodybuilding experts and fans consider him a future Mr. Olympia champion. Now that the Slovakian bodybuilder knows his weaknesses, he is working hard to bring a better package to the stage in the 2023 competitive season.
Beginners and intermediate lifters can adopt Krizo’s training and diet program by scaling back the training volume and intensity and reducing meal serving sizes. Best of luck!
References
- Paddon-Jones D, Rasmussen BB. Dietary protein recommendations and the prevention of sarcopenia. Curr Opin Clin Nutr Metab Care. 2009 Jan;12(1):86-90. doi: 10.1097/MCO.0b013e32831cef8b. PMID: 19057193; PMCID: PMC2760315.
- Wankhede S, Langade D, Joshi K, Sinha SR, Bhattacharyya S. Examining the effect of Withania somnifera supplementation on muscle strength and recovery: a randomized controlled trial. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2015 Nov 25;12:43. doi: 10.1186/s12970-015-0104-9. PMID: 26609282; PMCID: PMC4658772.
- Kreider RB, Kalman DS, Antonio J, Ziegenfuss TN, Wildman R, Collins R, Candow DG, Kleiner SM, Almada AL, Lopez HL. International Society of Sports Nutrition position stand: safety and efficacy of creatine supplementation in exercise, sport, and medicine. J Int Soc Sports Nutr. 2017 Jun 13;14:18. doi: 10.1186/s12970-017-0173-z. PMID: 28615996; PMCID: PMC5469049.
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