Urs Kalecinski is a special talent in the bodybuilding community. For most people around the world, elite professional bodybuilding is synonymous with the American fitness industry. However, the European bodybuilding culture has contributed greatly to the growth of this industry. The continent has produced legendary talent like Arnold Schwarzenegger, Dorian Yates and Franco Columbu over the last several decades.
A new wave of young, talented and dynamic European competitors is keeping the tradition alive. Classic Physique competitor Urs Kalecinski is the foremost talent that belongs to this generation. In this article, we’ll take a deep dive into the German bodybuilder’s Biography, accomplishments, diet, and training routine to understand the factors that shaped him into an elite IFBB Pro competitor.
Urs Kalecinski Statistics
Full Name: Urs Kalecinski – Classic Physique Bodybuilder | ||
Weight | Height | Age |
200 – 210 lbs (91 – 95 kg) | 5’9″ (175 cm) | 26 years |
Date of Birth | Era | Nationality |
April 30, 1998 | 2020 | German |
Urs Kalecinski Biography
Early Life
Urs Kalecinski was born in 1998 in Germany. He had an ambition to become a professional skier as a kid and started taking his first first steps into the sport. But as time went by, the young boy understood the difficulties in pursuing the career of his choice. First of all, Urs Kalecinski lived in an urban environment that did not have ideal conditions for skiing. The commute to practise this craft started affecting his school studies. At age 18, ‘The Miracle Bear’ let go of his dream to become a skiier. But his journey in the world of fitness and bodybuilding had started way before that.
Career and Competition
Urs Kalecinski had started weight training as a teenager and made significant progress in terms of strength and muscle gain in a couple of years. His genetically gifted physique responded in a staggeringly positive way and he started competing as a bodybuilder in 2016. He continued to make progress and improved his competitive showings every time he stepped on stage.
In 2019, the 21-year-old Urs Kalecinski achieved the first major milestone of his bodybuilding career and earned the IFBB Pro card. His professional bodybuilding debut came in the same year as Kalecinski competed at the 2019 IFBB Pro League Dennis James Classic Pro.
In spite of being one of the least experienced pros on stage, ‘The Miracle Bear’ surged into the top seven and pulled off a sixth-place finish at the show. The COVID-19 pandemic brought the world to a standstill in the year 2020 and Kalecinski was not untouched. He could not compete professionally the entire year but continued to work in silence and honed his physique to make a positive transformation.
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Return to competition and initial success
Kalecinski returned to competition at the 2021 Extreme Bodybuilding and Fitness Pro and achieved a runner-up finish. The impressive performance helped him gain momentum as the German bodybuilder then went on to win the 2021 Tampa Pro. The show was a 2021 Olympia qualifier and Kalecinski won his first ticket to the grandest stage of bodybuilding.
For the first time in his career, Urs Kalecinski went up against the most elite competition that the sport had to offer. In hindsight, there was a lot of uncertainty surrounding his chances in a division that boasted talent like Chris Bumstead, Breon Ansley, and Terrence Ruffin. However, ‘The Miracle Bear’ shocked the bodybuilding community by securing a fourth-place finish in his maiden Olympia appearance in 2021.
Urs Kalecinski carried the momentum into 2022 and kicked off the competitive season with a third-place finish at the 2022 Arnold Classic behind the winner Terrence Ruffin and runner-up Ramon Rocha Queiroz, defeating the likes of Breon Ansley (fourth) and Michael Daboul (fifth). Making a quick turnaround, the German bodybuilder competed at the 2022 Boston Pro and bagged a victory, which also secured a direct qualification to the 2022 Olympia. He then extended his dominance at the 2022 Kuwait Classic Pro, snatching a win there as well.
Surging into the top three at the 2022 Olympia
Heading into the 2022 Olympia, Urs Kalecinski made significant improvements in his physique, particularly back, which was the weakest part of his physique at the 2021 Olympia. He travelled to the USA to learn from the more experienced bodybuilders and enhance his own knowledge. He partnered with the likes of Nick Walker, Chris Bumstead, and Terrence Ruffin during his stay which helped him push the limits and train harder.
But being in a familiar setting added a layer of comfort in a stressful competition prep. Therefore, Kalecinski returned to Germany for the final phase of his 2022 Olympia prep. He was confident that the efforts taken to elevate his career to the next level would bear fruit.
“I’m definitely going to pull ahead of my previous year’s standing. I don’t know, I trained with Chris Bumstead, I trained with Terrence Ruffin, I trained with Ramon Rocha Queiroz,” Urs Kalecinski told on an episode of the Bro Chat podcast.
Urs Kalecinski dominated the stage along with Chris Bumstead and Ramon Rocha Queiroz at the 2022 Olympia, scoring a third place finish at the show.
Rivalry with Ramon Rocha Queiroz and 2023 competitive season
The 2022 Olympia was the second time in his professional bodybuilding career that Kalecinski could not get past Ramon Rocha Queiroz. He vowed to beat the Brazilian at the 2023 Arnold Classic and get a step closer to dethroning Chris Bumstead at the 2023 Olympia.
“Honestly, that’s the biggest mission for me to beat Ramon Rocha Queiroz. In my opinion, Chris Bumstead looked outstanding this year, so he was clearly the number one. So, I wish for myself, a comparison with Ramon because I think we are the both who can battle it out and Chris was just too far away this year. So, looking up for another battle with Ramon Rocha Queiroz, Kalecinski said in an interview before the show.
While many experts opined that Queiroz would probably defeat Kalecinski at the 2023 Arnold Classic, the 25-year-old was confident about a win. But Ramon Rocha Queiroz edged past Kalecinski at the show and took home the Arnold Classic trophy.
2023 Arnold Classic and goal for the 2023 Olympia
‘The Miracle Bear’ later revealed that he suffered from a severe case of food poisoning five days before the 2023 Arnold Classic and had to be hospitalized. But he still managed to pull off a runner-up finish at the show, proving once again that nothing can stop his ascension to the top of Classic Physique division.
Urs Kalecinski revealed the information about his health trouble in an Instagram post. He wrote:
“Strength isn’t just about the muscles you build, it’s about the willpower you have to keep pushing forward. Even when I was in the hospital just 5 days before my competition because of food poisoning I got, I never lost sight of my goals.”
Kalecinski’s runner-up finish at the show is truly an inspirational story that proves his dedication to the craft. Urs Kalecinski continues to improve before the eyes of fans. At the 2023 Olympia, he earned third place before finishing first at the 2023 Texas State Pro. In 2024, he competed and took third place at the Arnold Classic Ohio and UK competitions. Then, at the latest Olympia contest, he again placed third in a showcase of consistency.
Competition History
2019
- NPC Worldwide Amateur Olympia UK – Men’s Classic Physique (Class C) – 4th place (Earned the IFBB Pro Card)
- Dennis James Classic Pro – Men’s Classic Physique – 6th place
2021
2022
- Arnold Classic – 3rd place
- Boston Pro – 1st place
- Kuwait Classic Pro – 1st place
- Olympia – 3rd place
2023
- Arnold Classic – 2nd place
- Texas State Pro – 1st place
- Mr. Olympia – 3rd place
2024
- Arnold Classic – 3rd place
- Arnold Classic UK – 3rd place
- Mr. Olympia – 3rd place
Urs Kalecinski Workout
Urs Kalecinski is one of the hardest workers in the room and trains with furious intensity during the off-season and competition prep. He generally adheres to the push-pull-leg day training split and has a separate day dedicated to build the arms. However, ‘The Miracle Bear’ also incorporates different training splits if so advised by his coach.
He does not follow any extreme training methods and adheres to compound and isolation exercises using machines as well as free weights. The fruits of his labour are visible in the form of an impeccable physique he carries. So let’s see what Kalecinski’s training week looks like.
Push Day
Kalecinski’s push day workout consists of several pressing and flying movements for complete development. While presses help develop the pushing strength, flyes are great for building adduction strength. He relies on both machine was well as free weight exercises to fuel the growth and a typical push day workout in Urs Kalecinski’s training routine looks like this:
- Dumbbell Bench Press
- Smith Machine Incline Bench Press
- Machine Overhead Press
- Cable Machine Seated Chest Flyes
- Seated Overhead Side Cable Crossover Triceps Extensions
- Unilateral Machine Chest Press
- Seated Cable Lateral Raises
- Triceps Dips
- Wide-Grip Triceps Pushdowns
- Chest Supported Dumbbell Lateral Raises
Pull Day
Urs Kalecinski’s back was the weakest part of his physique at the time of 2021 Olympia. While he made some improvements in this area during his subsequent appearances at the 2022 Arnold Classic and Boston Pro, the busy competitive schedule did not allow him to make targeted gains and bring the back at par with other muscles.
But following his win at the 2022 Kuwait Classic Pro, ‘The Miracle Bear’ worked extensively to bring up his back under coach Stefan Kienzl’s guidance. Under the coach’s watchful eye, Kalecinski was able to make significant improvements in his back and this is the workout that helped him achieve it:
- Cable pullovers (Straight-Arm Pulldown)
- High rows on the plate loaded machine
- Machine Iso-Lateral Front Lat Pulldown
- Seated Cable row
- Pull-ups
- Standing Iso-Lateral Row
Leg Day
Kalecinski often partners with elite and more experienced bodybuilders to learn from them and enrich his own knowledge about the craft. Back in 2022, the German bodybuilder collaborated with 2020 Arnold Classic winner William Bonac to do a leg workout and walked away with some insider tips on getting tree-trunk legs. His leg workout includes:
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- Superset: Seated/Lying Leg Curls
- Hip Thrusts
- Machine Kickbacks
- Superset: Abductor/Adductor Machine
- Vertical Leg Press (Smith Machine Squats)
- Superset: Leg Press Wide/Narrow Foot Placement
- Squat Belt Machine (Goblet Squats)
Arms Day
While Kalecinski’s arms have always been one of the better developed parts of his physique, there is always room for improvement. Coach Stefan Kienzl drafted an arms training routine that enabled the 25-year-old to make further improvements. While the coach often makes adjustments in the training plan based on the progress, this is what Kalecinski’s arms workout looks like:
Biceps
- Machine preacher curls
- Machine high concentration curls
- Barbell curls – 21s set
Triceps
- Seated overhead cable triceps extension
- Crossover cable triceps extension
- Reverse grip and regular grip triceps pushdown
Back and Hamstrings Workout
Sometimes, the German bodybuilder takes a different approach to his training routine and does something different from the routine push-pull-legs-arms training split. An entire posterior chain workout is one such split where Kalecinski primarily focuses on building the back, hamstrings and glutes through various isolation and compound movements.
Overall, the workout consists of following exercises:
- Seated Leg Curls
- Barbell Romanian Deadlifts
- One Arm Seated Rows
- Seated High Rows
- Chest-Supported T-Bar Rows
- Lat Pulldowns
- Cable Lat Pulldowns with Band Attachment
- Standing Cable Pullovers
Shoulder and Arms Workout
This is another training split that Urs Kalecinski follows to put in targeted efforts. The shoulder and arms workout consists of:
- Lying Cuffed Cable Lateral Raises
- Machine Overhead Press
- Cable Triceps Pushdown
- Incline Bench French Press
- Seated Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extensions
- Triceps Dips
- Chin-Ups
- Seated Cable Curls
- One-Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls
- EZ Bar Curls
- Cable Hammer Curls
Urs Kalecinski Diet
Urs Kalecinski follows a fairly similar diet pattern in off-season as well as competition prep. He relies on a seven-meals-per-day diet plan. While high-quality sources like whey protein isolate, egg whites, chicken, fish and lean cuts of beef provide the necessary protein, avocados and egg yolk provide the necessary fats. He includes ample amounts of fruits, berries and vegetables in the diet to get sufficient micronutrients and vitamins while sticking to rice flakes, oats and rice for carbohydrate intake.
Olympia Prep Diet
Urs Kalecinski’s Olympia prep diet varies according to the phase. The caloric intake for the first few weeks of his Olympia prep is relatively high – usually in the 3500-calorie per day range. However, he gradually cuts it down to 1800 calories per day as he gets deeper into the prep.
Kalecinski does not compartmentalize different aspects of bodybuilding like training, diet and recovery. Instead, he has a holistic approach that strikes a perfect balance between them.
“It’s also important for the food (to get absorbed) that you get up and go to bed at fixed times. This is a game changer, especially getting enough sleep. This is important not only for regeneration during muscle building but also during the diet. If you sleep too little, you will not lose fat,” Kalecinski said about his approach to diet and recovery in a YouTube video.
Apart from sleep, ‘The Miracle Bear’ is extremely careful with hydration as well. He drinks approximately 700ml water upon waking up in the morning and consumes a couple of litres in total before eating the first meal of the day. His daily water consumption is over five litres.
“During a full day, you should be drinking a litre for every 20 kilograms of body weight. That’s a good rule of thumb,” Kalecinski opines.
Kalecinski’s diet in the early stages of competition prep is as follows:
Meal 1
‘The Miracle Bear’ starts his day with a simple and balanced meal of Oatmeal, eggs and berries. He sometimes switches the berries with apples. Artificial sweeteners and flavoring agents are a big no-no during the competition prep. But he uses cinnamon powder to make the food that much enjoyable.
Overall, the meal consists of:
- Oats: 80 grams (9.6 grams Protein, 52.8 grams Carbohydrates, 7.92 grams Fats) – 319.2 Calories
- An egg white omelet: 8 no.s (27.68 grams Protein, 1.60 grams Carbohydrates, 0.0 grams Fats) – 125.28 Calories and whole eggs: 2 no.s (13.4 grams Protein, 0.80 grams Carbohydrates, 11.80 grams Fats) – 162 calories
- Blueberries and raspberries: 120 grams (0.33 grams Protein, 13.2 grams Carbohydrates, 0.696 grams Fats) – 66 Calories
Total macronutrient and caloric intake: 51 grams Protein; 68.4 grams Carbohydrates; 20.4 grams Fats; Energy – 672.48 Calories
Kalecinski admits to getting ‘carb sleepiness’ after eating the meal and usually takes a short nap after consuming it.
Meal 2
The second meal of the day is the pre-workout meal that is made from a few humble ingredients like rice flakes, raspberries and Whey protein isolate. It is the right mix of ingredients to fuel the German bodybuilder’s intense training regimen and consists of:
- Rice flakes: 80 grams (5.92 grams Protein, 60 grams Carbohydrates, 1.76 grams Fats) – 280.80 Calories
- Raspberries: 150 grams (1.65 grams Protein, 10.8 grams Carbohydrates, 1.35 grams Fats) – 72 Calories
- Whey protein isolate: 50 grams (40.65 grams Protein, 1.15 grams Carbohydrates, 1.15 grams Fats) – 177.5 Calories
Total macronutrient and caloric intake: 48.22 grams Protein; 71.95 grams Carbohydrates; 4.26 grams Fats; Energy – 530.3 Calories
Meal 3
Urs Kalecinski has a god-like physique because he trains hard and spends a lot of energy in his workouts. So the post-workout meal has to be simple enough to prepare while being completely exhausted from the workout but nutritious enough to help the body recover from the stress of an arduous training session. It typically includes:
- Corn flakes: 100 grams (7.40 grams Protein, 75 grams Carbohydrates, 2.20 grams Fats) – 351 Calories
- Whey protein isolate: 50 grams (40.65 grams Protein, 1.15 grams Carbohydrates, 1.15 grams Fats) – 177.5 Calories
Total macronutrient and caloric intake: Protein – 48.05 grams; Carbohydrates – 76.15 grams; Fats – 3.35 grams Fats; Energy 528.5 Calories
Meal 4, 5 and 6
The next three meals in Urs Kalecinski’s day are meat, rice and vegetable based meals. He switches between Beef, chicken and fish for protein to add more variety to the food. Similarly he does not stick to one particular type of vegetables but makes sure to eat the vegetables that have less than five grams of carbohydrates in them.
All three meals compose of:
- Rice: 70 grams (5.18 grams Protein, 52.50 grams Carbohydrates, 1.54 grams Fat) – 245.70 Calories
- Chicken/Beef/Fish: 150 grams (33 grams Protein, 0 grams Carbohydrates, 1.5 grams Fats) – 153 Calories
- Vegetables: 100 grams (3.5 grams Protein, 4.3 grams Carbohydrates, 0.2 grams Fats) – 33 Calories
Total macronutrient and caloric intake: Protein – 41.68 grams; Carbohydrates – 56.8 grams; Fats – 3.24 grams Fats; Energy – 431.7 Calories
Kalecinski consumes the fourth meal before heading over to do his office work and consumes the next meal upon returning home.
He typically goes for long walks after the fifth meal as they help him de-stress and calm down. The 2022 Boston Pro winner recommends walking after meals to improve digestion and overall health. It’s time to consume the sixth meal after returning from the walk.
Meal 7
The German bodybuilder eliminates Carbohydrates completely from the last meal of the day which is high in fat and protein. The fat keeps late night hunger pangs at bay and also helps with inducing sleep. But it is essential to consume fats from good quality sources like avocados or nut butters.
The seventh and final meal of Kalecinski’s day consists of:
- An egg white omelet: 8 no.s (27.68 grams Protein, 1.60 grams Carbohydrates, 0.00 grams Fats) – 125.28 Calories and whole egg – 1 No.s (6.70 grams Protein, 0.40 grams Carbohydrates, 5.90 grams Fats) – 81 Calories
- Avocado: 100 grams (2 grams Protein, 9 grams Carbohydrates, 15 grams Fats) – 160 Calories
Total macronutrient and caloric intake: Protein – 306 grams; Carbohydrates – 11 grams; Fats – 20.9 grams; Energy – 366.28 Calories
Total macronutrient and caloric intake for the day:
- Protein – 306 grams
- Carbohydrates – 396 grams
- Fats – 58 grams
- Energy – 3389 Calories
Personal Life
Urs Kalecinski does not allow the glitter and glamor of his public life to penetrate into his persoal life. Most of his public appearances and discussions on public platforms revolve around the professional life. However, we know that Kalecinski is in relationship with his partner Alisha. She forms a significant portion of ‘The Miracle Bear’s support system and helps him stay focused on the goal to achieve he Olympia dream. Kalecinski feels unstoppable with Alisha on his side and works hard to justify her faith in his abilities.
To Conclude…
Urs Kalecinski is the future of the Classic Physique division and many believe him to be a future Olympia title holder. The progress he has made in a short span of time speaks volume about his ability to climb to the absolute top of the bodybuilding world.
Recent Highlights & News on Urs Kalecinski
- Urs Kalecinski, Sam Sulek Hit Chest Workout, Trade Training Tips, and Share Beastly Physique Updates
- Branch Warren Says Urs Kalecinski Can Make Top 10 at Open Mr. Olympia; Dennis Wolf Disagrees: “He’s Still Too Small”
- Chris Bumstead WINS the 2024 Classic Physique Olympia; Retires at the Top
- 2024 Classic Physique Olympia Preview
- Bodybuilder Terence Ruffin Shares His Top 5 Classic Physique Picks for 2024 Mr. Olympia