Bodybuilder Michal Krizo is busy adding muscle to his already impressive frame this off-season. As a part of the bulking phase, Krizo recently annihilated a back and arms workout in the gym.
Slovakian professional bodybuilder Michal Krizo rose to fame as a prominent IFBB Elite Pro League competitor during the initial years of his bodybuilding career. Krizo transitioned to the NPC to kickstart his Olympia campaign. Following a dominant win at the 2022 Amateur Olympia Italy that earned him the IFBB Pro card, the 32-year-old bodybuilder returned to the stage at the 2022 EVLS Prague Pro. A win at the show earned the new IFBB Pro a direct qualification to the 2022 Mr. Olympia. Krizo’s impressive physique had created a lot of hype around his name in the few months leading up to the show. However, his conditioning at the Prague Pro received a lot of criticism.
The Slovakian bodybuilder was not disheartened and continued to work hard toward Olympia. He finished 12th at the 2022 Mr. Olympia and gained the necessary experience of competing at the highest level. Krizo is now getting ready to compete at the 2023 Arnold Classic UK. Recently, he went through a bulking back and arms workout in the gym. The video of this workout was posted on Krizo’s personal YouTube channel. Without any additional delay, let us examine the comprehensive rundown of this training session.
Michal Krizo goes through back and arms workout
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown
Michal Krizo started the training session with the reverse grip lat pulldown. This movement targets the latissimus dorsi muscles in the back. However, the reverse grip emphasizes the lower lats more as the arms are a little closer to the body. Additionally, you tend to pull the weight down with your biceps which enables lifting heavier loads compared to the standard lat pulldown. Michal Krizo cranked out a few solid sets of reverse grip lat pulldowns to set the tone of the workout and took to the next exercise.
Seated Rows
While vertical pulls like lat pulldowns help you build a wide back, horizontal pulls / rows impart thickness to the back. Therefore it is essential to incorporate both types of movements in the back training routine for complete development of the back. This movement can be done by everyone regardless of their training experience. Seated rows work almost all major muscles in the back which includes the latissimus dorsi, rhomboids, trapezius, and spinal erectors. Also, seated rows are an excellent movement to improve the upper body posture. Krizo pushed through a few heavy sets of seated rows before taking up to the next exercise.
Underhand Grip Bent Over Barbell Rows
As the old bodybuilding saying goes – If you want to grow, you gotta row. Krizo totally understands this and took to the second rowing movement of the day next. The underhand grip barbell row is a compound exercise that has benefits not only for the back but also to improve overall upper body strength. This movement works the latissimus dorsi, traps, rhomboids, deltoids, biceps brachii as well as core muscles in the upper body. This served as the final back exercise of the day as Krizo annihilated a few good sets of this movement and jumped into the arms exercises next.
Seated EZ Bar Curls
Krizo started the arms training with seated EZ bar curls. This biceps curl variation provides a variety of benefits due to the curved shape of the bar. It enables a more natural wrist position which elevates wrist pain and discomfort that may arise with a straight barbell.
Krizo took to this movement to work the biceps, brachialis, and Brachioradialis muscles in the arm and performed a few sets.
Alternating Cable Curls
The 2022 EVLS Prague Pro winner then jumped into another biceps curls variation and performed the alternating cable curls. Unlike free weights, cable machines keep the muscles under tension throughout the full range of motion and help bring about hypertrophy more effectively. Krizo did a few sets of alternating cable curls with slow and controlled movements and took to a traps-focused exercise to cap the training session.
Dumbbell Shrugs
Dumbbell shrugs are the ultimate trap-builder exercise. It works the upper and lower trapezius muscles that are crucial for scapula (shoulder blade) functions and also helps against neck injury as well. Krizo pushed through some heavy sets of exercises to finish the training session.
Overall, the workout included:
- Reverse Grip Lat Pulldown
- Seated Rows
- Underhand Grip Bent Over Barbell Rows
- Seated EZ Bar Curls
- Alternating Cable Curls
- Dumbbell Shrugs
Michal Krizo went from an amateur bodybuilder to becoming the top 15 Mr. Olympia competitor in less than a year’s time. With the experience of competing at a high level during the 2022 season, his confidence is sure to be bolstered as he progresses. He must remain focused in order to be successful when competing against the top bodybuilders in the Men’s Open division.
You can watch the full workout video here, courtesy of Michal Krizo’s personal YouTube channel:
Published: 1 April, 2023 | 9:01 AM EDT
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