Bodybuilder Michal ‘Krizo’ Krizanek is pushing his limits to bring home the 2023 IFBB Empro Classic Pro Spain trophy. The event is an Olympia qualifier, and Krizo will look forward to securing the direct invitation to the 2023 Olympia with a statement win at the show.
Krizo is a Slovakian bodybuilder that has captured the imagination of bodybuilding fans and emerged as a hot prospect in the Men’s Open division of the IFBB Pro League. After making a name for himself with a series of dominant performances in the IFBB Elite Pro League, Krizo switched to NPC to kick off his Olympia campaign. He became an instant sensation due to his massive and aesthetically appealing physique, musculature, and insane vascularity.
Krizo earned his IFBB Pro card with a thumping victory at the 2022 Amateur Olympia Italy and returned to the stage a few weeks later to compete at the 2022 EVLS Prague Pro. Although he won the pro debut and secured a direct qualification to the 2022 Olympia, the Slovak’s conditioning was heavily criticized.
He returned to the drawing board and worked hard to perform on the grandest stage of bodybuilding. Krizo finished 12th at the 2022 Olympia and admittedly failed to beat the most elite competitors the Men’s Open division had to offer.
However, he is now training hard to secure the second Olympia qualification of his Pro career within a year of turning pro. Under bodybuilding coach Alexander Hlobik’s watchful eye, Krizo performed an intense back workout to build his back. So without further delay, let’s see how the coach guided Krizo through the training session.
Michal Krizo goes through a back workout
Assisted Pull-Up
Krizo started the training session with this machine exercise. The pull-up is an excellent compound movement that helps improve upper body strength and muscle mass. While it is an advanced movement, a professional athlete like Krizo is expected to perform the exercise unassisted. However, the application of assisted pull-ups goes beyond just the inability to perform them unassisted.
Assisted pull-ups take the momentum out of play and help focus more on the back muscles. The two-time 212 Olympia champion Shaun Clarida is one of the huge proponents of performing assisted pull-ups over regular bodyweight pull-ups.
Krizo performed a few sets of assisted pull-ups under coach Hlobik’s guidance and got the blood flowing into the muscles for the heavy workout that followed.
Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown
The 2022 EVLS Prague Pro winner performed the reverse-grip lat pulldown as the next compound exercise of the day. A reverse grip engages the lower lats more since the arms are closer to the body. Additionally, you tend to pull the weight using your biceps, which allows you to lift more weight.
Krizo got a few sets of reverse-grip lat pulldowns under his belt and followed his coach to the next exercise.
Seated Row
Coach Hlobik instructed Krizo to perform the seated rows next, and he did this exercise to work the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and erector spinae muscles. After doing some solid sets of rows, Krizo moved on to the next exercise.
Hammer Strength Plate-Loaded Low Row
Krizo took to the low rows on an iso-lateral plate-loaded machine next. Low rows work the rhomboid, lower trapezius, and latissimus dorsi muscles in the back. Focusing on these muscles is important not only for athletes but also for an average person who spends long hours at his work desk every day. (1) Together, the target muscles of low rows are important for maintaining a good upper body posture.
The mass monster performed a few unilateral sets of this exercise and jumped into the next exercise.
Reverse Pec Deck Fly
Posterior deltoids, or rear delts, are a small muscle group on your back. It is one of the most difficult muscles to activate as there is always a possibility that more dominant muscles like lats and rhomboids might take over the movement. Reverse pec deck flyes are one exercise that can target the rear delts effectively. Krizo got a few sets of this movement under the belt and went on to perform the next exercise.
Neutral-Grip Unilateral Lat Pulldown
This lat movement on a plate-loaded machine followed next. The close grip heavily stimulates the upper back muscles and rhomboids and also emphasizes arms and biceps brachii.
After pushing through some heavy sets of the movement to fatigue the lats and upper back muscles, the Slovakian bodybuilder moved on to the day’s final exercise.
Bent-Over Straight Arm Pulldown
Krizo put an end to his workout with this lat-building exercise. In addition to building the lat strength and size, straight arm pulldowns also increase scapular strength and stability. It is essential to maintain a safe lifting posture. (2) Apart from the lats, this exercise also works the posterior deltoid, teres major, and triceps muscles.
The 2022 EVLS Prague Pro winner annihilated some sets of bent-over straight-arm pulldowns with rope attachment to add the last bit of stimulus to the back muscles. Following this, he called it a day in the gym.
Overall, the workout included:
- Assisted Pull-up
- Reverse-Grip Lat Pulldown
- Seated Row
- Hammer Strength Plate-Loaded Low Rows
- Reverse Pec Deck Fly
- Neutral-Grip Unilateral Lat Pulldown
- Bent-Over Straight Arm Pulldown
Krizo will look forward to elevating his career to the next level in the 2023 competitive season. Empro Classic Pro Spain will take place on June 18th. It will be interesting to see how he paves the way to the top of the Men’s Open division.
You can watch the full workout video below, courtesy of Michal Krizo’s YouTube channel:
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