Michal Krizo Reveals 2023 Olympia Prep Training, Reps, Sets, and Pyramid Techniques

"Breaks Are Shorter Now. It's More Intense" - Krizo discussed training six times a week in preparation for his second Mr. Olympia competition.

Written by Doug Murray

Last Updated onSeptember 1, 2023

Bodybuilder Michal Krizo is determined to leave an impact on the sport’s greatest stage later this year. In a recent YouTube Q and A, Krizo discussed his prep and detailed the training split he’s using to bring his best package possible at the 2023 Mr. Olympia competition, taking place Nov. 2-5, in Orlando, Florida.

“9.5 weeks out. I am tired already. And I will be even more. I started prepping about 2-3 weeks ago. We’ll see if this prep is any different throughout the hard diet itself. Whether anything would change or not. Every prep is difficult and specific,” explained Krizo.

Krizo was one of the most talked-about bodybuilders of 2022, but he didn’t get there by chance. It started with his switch from the IFBB Elite Pro League to the NPC. Having earned his Pro card at the 2022 Amateur Olympia Italy event, Krizo proceeded to the EVLS Prague Pro and dominantly won his IFBB Pro League debut.

Upon his arrival into the new league, he made a legends tour to North America, where he met with Milos Sarcev and Jay Cutler, both of whom were blown away by the Slovakian’s physique. Cutler even compared his muscle striations to former seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath’s. Months later, Krizo proved himself on the Olympia stage in 12th place.

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A post shared by Michal Križo Križánek (@ifbb_pro_michalkrizokrizanek)

The 32-year-old kept his foot on the gas this year. He participated in the recent 2023 Empro Classic Pro, showcasing significant improvements to his posing and conditioning. Given his ambitions to one day become a Mr. Olympia, Krizo opened up about his training routine and split below.

Michal Krizo Reveals ‘Intense’ Training Split Used for 2023 Mr. Olympia

According to Krizo, he’s training six days a week during this contest prep. He added that ‘breaks are shorter now’ and said he typically performs four exercises per body part but trains the areas multiple times a week.

“Definitely. I train six times a week now. I train 3-4 times in the off-season. Breaks are shorter now. It’s more intense now. In the off-season, it’s more just around the gym and doing a set after five minutes of walking around. And I train for more strength but not so much now.”

“Yes, I am doing more reps now. Same, I do 4 sets [per body part]. Depends, if it’s a smaller or bigger muscle group. For example, biceps, it’s only two exercises for biceps, three exercises for triceps. For chest, I have 3-4 exercise, I think. Four exercises four back, but I train back twice a week. Three exercises for chest, but I train it tiwce a week. Three exercises for shoulders, but I train them twice a week. I do four exercises for quads, three exercises for hamstrings, two exercises for calves.”

Krizo’s 2023 Olympia Training Split

Monday – Back and chest
Tuesday – Triceps and shoulders
Wednesday – Quads
Thursday – Back and biceps
Friday – Chest and delts
Saturday – Hamstrings, glutes, calves
Sunday – Rest day

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A post shared by Beďo Horník | Fitness coach (@bedo_hornik)

“Today’s Monday, I am training back and chest. Triceps and shoulders tomorrow. Quads solo on Wednesday. Back and biceps on Thursday. Chest and delts on Friday. And hamstrings, glutes, calves on Saturday,” added Krizo.

“Now I do [train glutes]. I try to, yes [use pyramid sets].”

This wasn’t Michal Krizo’s first update ahead of his sophomore Olympia appearance. On August 29, the Open bodybuilder showed off a vascular and striated progress photo 10 weeks before taking to the stage. Fans were taken aback by his improvements online and look forward to seeing him compete against other stars of the category.

Aside from his latest update, Krizo has offered fans a look into several of his training sessions. From his burning quad-dominant leg day to a strenuous triceps and shoulders workout, Krizo is aiming to look more complete than ever.

Despite having just turned Pro last year, Michal Krizo is undoubtedly a dark horse heading into this year’s Olympia. Considering the amount of mass and freaky fullness he brings to the table, Krizo is setting the bar high heading into his next outing.