Urs Kalecinski wasted no time after the 2023 Arnold Classic and went back to the gym. The 24-year-old joined hands with Chris Bumstead for an intense arms workout in Columbus, Ohio. Urs Kalecinski is a German professional bodybuilder that competes in the Classic Physique division of the IFBB Pro league while Canada’s own Chris Bumstead is the reigning king of the division. Bumstead snatched the Classic Physique Olympia title from Breon Ansley in 2019. He has held it with a firm grip with successful defenses at 2020, 2021, and the 2022 Olympia. Kalecinski crossed paths with CBum for the first time at his 2021 Olympia debut and finished fourth in the division. He has been a top contender in the division ever since.
While Bumstead is looking at retiring from the sport after a few more defenses of his Classic Physique Olympia title, Kalecinski has remained active outside of Olympia and won Pro shows like the 2022 Boston Pro and the 2022 Kuwait Classic Pro. The Miracle Bear is also a two-time Arnold Classic Physique participant and secured third place at the 2022 Arnold Classic. He suffered from food poisoning five days before the 2023 Arnold Classic and had to be hospitalized. However, he still managed to secure a runner-up finish.
Kalecinski and Bumstead are enemies on stage but share a respectful relationship off-stage. The duo has trained together during Kalecinski’s visit to the USA amid the 2022 Olympia prep. They teamed up once again two days after the 2023 Arnold Classic for an arms training session. The video of this workout was posted on Chris Bumstead’s personal YouTube channel. So without further delay, let’s take a closer look at the detailed account of this training session.
Chris Bumstead and Urs Kalecinski go through an arms workout
Crossover Cable Triceps Extensions
Chris Bumstead and Urs Kalecinski focused on triceps first and started the arms training session with this triceps isolation movement. The crossover cable triceps extension provides excellent shoulder stability and full elbow flexion for contracting the triceps. Hence it is considered among one of the most effective movements to develop the pushing muscles in the arm as it works the entire triceps muscle.
After pushing through a few solid sets of this exercise to warm up the arms and elbow joints, the duo took to the biceps movement next.
Machine Preacher Curls
The training partners started the biceps work with preacher curls. Triceps are firmly pressed against the pad and the shoulder joint is neatly tucked at the edge of the pad during preacher curls. This does not allow the shoulders or triceps to assist or take over the movement from biceps. Therefore preacher curl isolates the biceps to a far greater degree compared to most other biceps movements.
CBum and The Miracle Bear did this exercise on a selectorized machine. Cable machines keep the muscles under tension throughout the duration of the movement and therefore help bring about hypertrophy more effectively. The duo cranked out a few solid sets of preacher curls and went back to do a triceps exercise next. This would be a recurring theme of this training session. Bumstead and Kalecinski altered between triceps and biceps exercises to give the muscles some time to recover during the workout.
Smith Machine Close Grip Bench Press
While bench press is a compound movement that works all the pushing muscles in the upper body, it can be made more triceps focused by adjusting the grip. The close grip variation of bench press activates the triceps to a greater extent and CBum and Kalecinski performed this movement next on the Smith machine. The close grip does not allow the person to lift as heavy as they can in the standard bench press. Additionally, the exercise can be harsh on the wrists if not done with correct weight and technique. However, its benefits for triceps development are undeniable.
The Classic Physique competitors performed a few solid sets of the close grip bench press and took to the next exercise of the day.
Incline Dumbbell Curls
The duo took to free weights for the first time in this training session and performed incline dumbbell curls to fire up the biceps further. After pushing through some sets with slow and controlled motion, the elite competitors went on to do the final triceps exercises of the day.
Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions and Bent Over Triceps Pushdowns
While it is not possible to work a specific part of muscle, working the muscles from different angles and positions can emphasize different parts of the muscles and help with overall muscle growth. Bumstead and Kalecinski performed the overhead cable triceps extensions next to work the triceps from a stretched position and clubbed the movement with bent-over triceps pushdowns. After starting each set with the first movement, the duo finished with an equal number of reps of the second movement.
The duo performed a few sets of these exercises with this technique to wrap up the triceps exercises and proceed to the final biceps exercise.
Dumbbell Hammer Curls
Hammer curls work the Brachialis and the Brachioradialis muscles in the arms in addition to the biceps brachii. CBum and The Miracle Bear cranked out some solid sets of dumbbell hammer curls and called it a day in the gym.
Overall, the workout included:
- Crossover Cable Triceps Extensions
- Machine Preacher Curls
- Smith Machine Close Grip Bench Press
- Incline Dumbbell Curls
- Overhead Cable Triceps Extensions
- Bent Over Triceps Pushdowns
- Dumbbell Hammer Curls
Chris Bumstead and Urs Kalecinski embody the spirit of competitive bodybuilding and they represent the most elite class of bodybuilders. It will be interesting to see how the year unfolds and culminates into the 2023 Olympia.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Chris Bumstead’s personal YouTube channel:
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