Michal Krizo is all set to dominate the 2023 competitive season with a massively improved physique. The Slovakian mass monster recently tackled a shoulder and chest workout. Interestingly, he also named the show he will next compete in.
Michal Krizo grabbed the imagination of the bodybuilding community because of his muscular physique and insane size. After dominating the competition in the IFBB Elite Pro League for years, he decided to switch over to the NPC in late 2021 to kick start the Olympia campaign. He soon turned into a hot prospect as bodybuilding experts like4-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler spoke highly about his chances in the Men’s Open division.
Krizo earned the IFBB Pro Card with a clean victory at the 2022 Amateur Olympia Italy. He returned after a few weeks to compete at the 2022 EVLS Prague Pro and emerged victorious, earning a direct qualification to the 2022 Mr. Olympia.
In spite of a win, the 32-year-old was heavily scrutinized for the lackluster conditioning. However, he continued to push himself day after day. Although he brought a much improved physique to the Olympia contest, Krizo failed to break into the top tier of the division and had to be content with the 12th place finish on the grandest stage of bodybuilding.
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Having gained the experience and knowledge of his own limitations, Krizo is busy sculpting his physique the right way for taking on the big names in 2023. His recent chest and shoulder workout was a part of this effort and Krizo went through some heavy exercises with grit and determination of a champion six weeks out of the show. So let’s take a closer look at the proceedings of this training session and hear from Krizo about his next show.
Michal Krizo’s Chest and Shoulder Workout
Incline Barbell Bench Press
The Slovak’s training began with incline barbell bench press. This compound movement works all the pushing muscles in the upper body. However, the incline position puts more emphasis on the clavicular head of the pectoral muscles or simply put, the upper pecs. Krizo did a few solid sets of the exercise using the progressive overload principle and took up a shoulder exercise next.
Cable Front Raises
This anterior deltoid movement followed next and the 2022 EVLS Prague Pro winner used a rope attachment to do it. Cable machine variations of exercises keep the muscles under tension for a longer duration and help bring about hypertrophy. After doing a few sets with slow and controlled motion, the Slovakian bodybuilder jumped into a free weight exercise next.
Flat Bench Dumbbell Chest Flyes
Building the adduction strength of the upper body muscles is as important as building the pushing strength. This is where chest flyes come into play. The next exercise in Krizo’s training session was the flat bench dumbbell fly. He cranked out some meaningful sets of the exercise using incrementally heavier dumbbells.
Dumbbell Lateral Raises
The 32-year-old bodybuilder continued the work in the dumbbell segment and got a few sets of dumbbell lateral raises under his belt. This exercise focuses on the lateral/medial deltoid muscles.
Machine Chest Press
After working the chest and shoulders with free weight movements for the most part, the rising contender called a stop to the workout with the machine chest press. He did the exercise on a plate-loaded machine. After cranking out a few sets with controlled movements, the 2022 EVLS Prague Pro winner wrapped up the training session.
Overall, the workout consisted of following exercises:
- Incline Barbell Bench Press
- Cable Front Raises
- Flat Bench Dumbbell Flyes
- Dumbbell Lateral Raises
- Machine Chest Press
2023 Empro Classic Pro Spain to Mark his Return
In a physique update a couple of weeks ago, Michal Krizo had hinted at competing at a surprise contest in eight weeks. However, he had not revealed the details of the contest. At the end of his chest and shoulders workout, the Slovak stated that he will return to the stage at the 2023 IFBB Pro League Empro Classic Pro Spain.
“Michal Krizo, when are you competing next?” The videographer asked Krizo.
“In Spain… Empro Classic…” Krizo replied.
The event is an Olympia qualifier and it will take place on June 18, 2023. While the 2022 edition of the show did not have the Men’s Open competition, this year will be a different story. Competitors from Men’s Open, Classic Physique, Women’s Physique, Figure, Bikini, and Wellness categories will attempt to take home the Empro Classic trophy.
Krizo’s rise in the Men’s Open division has been quick as he made his Olympia debut within six months of earning the IFBB Pro card. If he wins the Empro Classic Pro and secures a direct qualification to the 2023 Olympia, he can dedicate sufficient time to improve his physique and break into the top echelons of the division this competitive season.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Michal Krizo’s personal YouTube channel: