Urs Kalecinski and Jay Cutler teamed up once again. This time, the duo crushed a triceps and shoulder workout in the gym and shared bodybuilding wisdom.
Germany’s Urs Kalecinski is one of the most prominent European competitors in the IFBB Pro League today. A top contender of the Classic Physique division, Kalecinski has achieved podium finishes in the 2022 and 2023 Olympia and has maintained a similar level of success in the Arnold Classic competition.
Recently, Kalecinski joined hands with bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler for a triceps and shoulder workout. Cutler is best known for winning the Mr. Olympia trophy four times (2006 to 2008 and 2010). His rivalry with eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman is considered among the greatest competitive rivalries of all time.
The 50-year-old has transformed into one of the foremost figures in the bodybuilding world. He continues to contribute to the field with social media content, bodybuilding advice, and podcasts. The bodybuilding community honored his contribution with the 2024 Arnold Classic Lifetime Achievement Award.
The video of the duo’s recent training session was posted on Urs Kalecinski’s personal YouTube channel. So let’s explore how the workout unfolded.
Jay Cutler and Urs Kalecinski’s triceps and shoulders workout
Jay Cutler and Urs Kalecinski’s chest and shoulder workout consisted of the following exercises:
- Rope Triceps Pushdowns – Warm-up sets, 2 working sets of 12 to 15 reps and 1 drop set
- Seated Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions – 3 sets of 10 to 12 reps
- Triceps Dips – 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Reverse Pec Deck Flyes – 2 sets of 12 to 15 reps
- Seated Machine Lateral Raises – 3 sets of 12 to 15 reps
Triceps Rope Pushdown
Cutler and Kalecinski chose triceps rope pushdown as the first exercise of the training session. Cutler explained:
“It’s always my first exercise – the triceps Rope pushdowns… Just to warm up the elbows and stuff. I don’t have any elbow pain at my age, whatsoever.”
Cutler, who usually prefers to do straight sets, tried drop sets with Kalecinski in this workout.
Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions
The duo next performed this overhead triceps exercise that stimulated the triceps from the stretched position, emphasizing the long head of the triceps.
Cutler, who used to perform the dumbbell overhead triceps extensions with heavy weights, admitted that he realized the importance of machines later in life. He highlighted the necessity of using cable machines for professional bodybuilders and said:
“I used to have this mentality where I got to do free weights. But I realize now that with the cable, sometimes you get into that space where you get that constant tension. They talk about this constant tension, muscle contraction… I think with cable you’re allowed to do that. Bodybuilding is about sculpting, not about building the biggest mass.”
Triceps Dips
The bodybuilders worked the triceps with this bodyweight movement next. Triceps dips differ from chest dips in upper body posture as the person needs to be more upright to direct the tension toward the triceps.
Cutler, who prefers to face away from the machine while performing this exercise, said:
“I feel like if I face the machine, for some reason [I feel the urge] to lean in for the chest. So I try to keep the legs Straight. I feel that if my legs are under me, it’s better. If you keep your legs back you’re going to lean in, right? So when your legs are more straight down you’re going to focus more on the triceps, right?”
Reverse Pec Deck Flyes
After a posing session, Kalecinski and Cutler switched their focus to the second muscle group and did shoulder exercises. The training partners first performed reverse pec deck flyes to stimulate the posterior delts / rear delts.
Cutler explained the reason for doing triceps exercises before shoulders and said:
“You should always focus [on your weaker muscle]. I always do hamstrings before quads and everyone always says why do you do that. Because my hamstrings are weaker than quads.”
Seated Machine Lateral Raises
This lateral deltoid isolation movement served as the final exercise of the training session. While resting between the sets, Cutler shared an important bodybuilding tip with ‘The Miracle Bear’ about the potential downsides of doing drop sets. He said:
“Even if you’re a drop set guy, you can’t do it every workout. You’ll burn your nervous system. You can’t recover. It’s like doing cardio in the off-season and then trying to do that for the contest. You’ve got to do more of it to get something out of it.”
A few good sets followed and the duo wrapped up the training session.
Cutler, who underwent an astonishing transformation as a part of his ‘fit at 50’ challenge in the 2022-2023 season, has set the goal to learn the German language in 2024-2025 along with his training goals. Meanwhile, Kalecinski remains focused on realizing the Classic Physique Olympia dream. Stay tuned to get updates on their progress.
Watch the full workout video below, courtesy of Urs Kalecinski’s personal YouTube channel:
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