Bodybuilder Urs Kalecinski is working relentlessly to become the champion at the 2023 Olympia. His competition prep is intensifying with each passing day and he recently went through a rigorous arms workout.
A young and dynamic bodybuilder from Germany, Urs Kalecinski has emerged as a top contender in the Classic Physique division of the IFBB Pro League. His entry into the top five at the 2021 Olympia came as a surprise to the bodybuilding community. However, the 25-year-old has only made progress since then and carved a niche for himself in the upper echelons of the division.
The 2022 competitive season saw Kalecinski present a solid physique en route to a podium finish at the Arnold Classic. He followed it up with back-to-back wins at the 2022 Boston Pro and the 2022 Kuwait Classic Pro. The busy schedule in 2021-2022 had not allowed the German bodybuilder to focus on making targeted gains.
He utilized the time before the 2022 Olympia prep to develop the weakest part of his physique – the back. Under coach Stefan Kienzl’s guidance, Urs Kalecinski brought a complete package to the 2022 Olympia stage and went home with a podium finish. A quick turnaround at the 2023 Arnold Classic resulted in a runner-up finish for the 25-year-old. However, he was hospitalized due to food poisoning a few days before the show which may have affected the performance.
Kalecinski’s 2023 Olympia prep is going on full throttle. He weighed nearly 275 lbs at the peak of his off-season and has trimmed down a substantial amount of weight in the following weeks. ‘The Miracle Bear’ recently showed off ripped physique update while training with 4-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler.
Urs Kalecinski goes through an arm workout
Eight weeks out of the 2023 Olympia, Urs Kalecinski tackled an arms workout in the gym. While giving a progress report for the prep, Kalecinski stated:
“We’re almost back to the lowest weight… So we’re pulling on 108.5 kilos (239.2 lbs) this morning.”
Kalecinski also stated that his head coach Stefan Kienzl tends to change things up in every competition prep. This is bound to make training interesting for Kalecinski. After relaying this information, he jumped right into the arms workout. The video of this session was posted on his YouTube channel. So without further delay, let’s track down the workout and see how Kalecinski got those massive arms.
Cable Triceps Pushdowns
The 2022 Boston Pro winner enthusiastically commenced the training session with cable triceps pushdowns. Apart from working the triceps, this isolation movement is an excellent way to warm up the elbows. Kalecinski got a few sets of the exercise under his belt before taking up a compound movement.
Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press
Slight variations in technique and position can make a huge difference in the outcome of an exercise and close-grip bench press is the classic example of this. While bench press is a certified chest-builder, using a close grip makes it more triceps oriented. Kalecinski stated that it was difficult for him to activate the triceps with bench press. But with slight adjustments in technique, he was able to direct all the tension to the triceps and reduce the emphasis on pectoral muscles.
Kalecinski used a Smith machine for this exercise and did a couple of warm-up sets before working his way up to the top set with three plates on each side. He then switched things up and did a biceps movement next.
Dumbbell Preacher Curls
This is regarded by many as the best bicep isolation exercise due to the mechanics. The triceps are firmly pressed against the pad during the dumbbell preacher curls and the shoulder is neatly tucked against the edge of the pad. This isolates the biceps to a far greater degree and stops triceps or shoulders from assisting in the movement. Kalecinski adhered to the old-school way and executed the sets of this exercise unilaterally using dumbbells. Following this, he took to a cable machine exercise.
Seated Cable Curls
The German bodybuilder continued to stimulate the biceps with this next exercise. Cable machines keep the muscles under tension throughout the range of motion. As a result, they are extremely effective in inducing hypertrophy. Kalecinski performed slow reps of the seated cable curls to increase the time under tension and jumped into the next exercise.
Seated Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions
Overhead triceps movements put more emphasis on the long head of triceps. Therefore It is essential to incorporate such variations to achieve complete development of muscles and to build functional strength as well. Similar to the previous exercise, ‘The Miracle Bear’ pushed through a few sets of the overhead triceps extensions with extremely slow movements before taking up a free weight exercise.
Dumbbell Concentration Curls
Achieving peak contraction of target muscles is one of the key aspects of the muscle-building process. Dumbbell concentration curls are an excellent bicep isolation movement to maximize mind-muscle connection and biceps contraction. Urs Kalecinski executed a few perfect sets of dumbbell concentration curls next and went back to working with triceps next.
Banded Cable Triceps Extensions
Stability in the shoulder joint and full elbow flexion is the prerequisite to full stimulation of the triceps muscles. Cable triceps extensions achieve both, which makes them one of the best triceps isolation movements.
Kalecinski performed a few sets of the exercise unilaterally and used neutral as well as horizontal (at shoulder level, parallel to the ground) arm position to hit the muscles from different angles. He used band attachment for the exercise to eliminate the grip and forearm strength from the equation.
Crossbody Dumbbell Hammer Curls and Standing Dumbbell Curls
Urs Kalecinski’s arms workout reached its conclusion with a few sets of crossbody dumbbell hammer curls followed by standing dumbbell curls. Hammer curls target the biceps brachii, brachialis and the brachioradialis muscles in the arms. The brachialis muscle lies beneath the biceps and adds girth to the arms when fully developed. Kalecinski did heavy sets of the movement to failure and spent the last bit of his energy in cranking out biceps curls to failure.
Overall, the workout composed of these exercises:
- Cable Triceps Pushdown
- Smith Machine Close-Grip Bench Press
- Dumbbell Preacher Curls
- Seated Cable Curls
- Seated Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions
- Dumbbell Concentration Curls
- Banded Cable Triceps Extensions
- Crossbody Dumbbell Hammer Curls
- Standing Dumbbell Curls
Chris Bumstead and Ramon Rocha Queiroz are the main challenges that Kalecinski has to get past to win the 2023 Classic Physique Olympia title. However, he is more pumped for the showdown against Queiroz. given their proximity in the rankings in the last four Olympia and Arnold Classic appearances. Queiroz narrowly edged past the German bodybuilder at the 2023 Arnold Classic and it will be interesting to see if Urs Kalecinski can exact revenge on the 2023 Olympia stage.
Watch the full arms workout video below, courtesy of Urs Kalecinski’s personal YouTube channel:
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Published: 21 September, 2023 | 9:12 AM EDT
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