Urs Kalecinski Performs Alternating DB Curls in Arm Workout During Olympia Prep

“The Miracle Bear” likes to superset alternating db curls for max arm hypertrophy. 

Urs Kalecinski, a professional German bodybuilder, embarked on his bodybuilding journey at 16 in 2014. Since then, he’s made significant strides, securing podium finishes in competitions such as Mr. Olympia, the Arnold Classic, and multiple IFBB pro shows. Recently, Urs Kalecinski uploaded an arm workout to his audience. Let’s delve into how he effectively employs alternating dumbbell curls to cultivate impressive muscle mass.

Although relatively young, Urs Kalecinski is a model of hard work and improvement in bodybuilding. After earning his pro card in 2019, we’ve watched him continually improve his physique through training protocols to increase rankings. 2021 is when he broke into the top five on the Mr. Olympia Classic Physique stage, coming in fourth place.

By 2022, Urs Kalecinski, also known as “The Miracle Bear,” had improved again. This time, he came third despite having a busy schedule that nearly didn’t allow him to make targetted gains. He was only surpassed by three-time reigning champion (as of then) Chris Bumstead and fellow young blood Ramon Rocha Queiroz. 

Urs Kalecinski’s arm workout is part of his training for the upcoming 2023 Olympia. He also gives a prep report in the video uploaded on his YouTube channel eight weeks out. Now, it’s time to look at how Urs Kalencinski uses alternating db curls and other exercises to build his arms.

Urs Kalecinski’s Arm Workout 

 

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Before starting this arm workout, Urs Kalecinski announces that he has dropped his weight to 239.2 lbs and takes a pre-workout supplement to fuel his workout. Kalecinski also talks about working with coach Stefan Kienzl and how he tends to change things up every prep. Research supports adding variety to your routines to prevent training monotony and breaking through a plateau (1). 

Urs Kalecinski uses a mix of machines and free weights for this arm workout to encourage muscle hypertrophy. He works through each exercise, doing multiple sets before a superset to round up his training. Here are the exercises that Urs Kalecinski does for this arm workout.

Cable Triceps Pushdowns

Cable triceps pushdowns isolate and work on your tricep muscles. Urs Kalecinski starts his arm workout by doing a few sets of this routine before moving to an compound movement. 

Smith Machine Bench Presses

The Smith machine bench press is a safe way to lift and build your triceps alongside your shoulders and chest muscles. Doing bench presses on this machine removes the need for stabilization, allowing you to lift heavier weights. When doing them, you can alter your grip to change the primary muscles that this exercise builds. 

Urs Kalecinski did the Smith machine bench press with a close grip, which targets the triceps more. He started with warm-up sets and talked about slightly adjusting his technique to ensure that this exercise activates the triceps more instead of the delts. Kalecinski works his way up to a top set before going for a bicep-building move next.

Single Arm Dumbbell Preacher Curls

The single arm dumbbell preacher curl is a routine that targets your biceps, especially the peak. This exercise also works on the brachialis and brachioradialis and offers more isolation of your biceps than any other curl variation. This is because the preacher bench keeps you in proper form and removes body momentum, ensuring your biceps work harder. Kalecinski did multiple sets of unilateral exercise before heading back to the cable machine. 

Seated Cable Curls

The seated cable curl is another biceps-building routine and activates your forearms. Using a cable machine helps to keep tension on your biceps throughout the rep and research shows that it’s just as effective at inducing hypertrophy as the free weight version (2). Urs Kalecinski performed multiple sets slowly to increase his muscle’s time under tension.

Seated Overhead Cable Tricep Extensions

The seated overhead cable tricep extension targets all three heads of your tricep, emphasizing the long head. It also recruits your rhomboids, delts, and forearms. The Miracle Bear did multiple sets of this exercise slowly before heading to a free weight routine next.

Dumbbell Concentration Curls

The dumbbell concentration curl is an exercise that builds both heads of your bicep muscle. It also targets the brachialis, which you can use to build muscular strength. Urs Kalecinski did multiple sets slowly before heading to the next exercise for arm day.

Banded Cable Triceps Extensions

Banded cable triceps extensions are like the tricep extensions above but are done using resistance bands. Kalecinski did them to add more volume to his triceps workout and did some sets unilaterally. Using a resistance band for this exercise also removes the need for grip and forearm strength. Plus, he did it at neutral and horizontal arm positions to hit the muscles from different angles. 

Superset Crossbody Dumbbell Hammer Curls and Alternating DB Curls

Urs Kalecinski did a superset of crossbody dumbbell hammer curls and alternating db curls to round up his arm workout. Hammer curls work on the biceps, brachioradialis, and brachialis muscles while alternating db curls target your biceps, brachialis, and arm flexors (3). However, alternating db curls one arm at a time improves your stability and bicep curl form. Urs Kalecinski did both exercises to failure in a superset to conclude this arm workout. 

Watch the full arm workout below:

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References

1. Krzysztofik, M., Wilk, M., Wojdała, G., & Gołaś, A. (2019). Maximizing Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review of Advanced Resistance Training Techniques and Methods. International journal of environmental research and public health, 16(24), 4897. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph16244897 
2. Nunes, J. P., Jacinto, J. L., Ribeiro, A. S., Mayhew, J. L., Nakamura, M., Capel, D. M. G., Santos, L. R., Santos, L., Cyrino, E. S., & Aguiar, A. F. (2020). Placing Greater Torque at Shorter or Longer Muscle Lengths? Effects of Cable vs. Barbell Preacher Curl Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy in Young Adults. International journal of environmental research and public health, 17(16), 5859. https://doi.org/10.3390/ijerph17165859 
3. Marcolin, G., Panizzolo, F. A., Petrone, N., Moro, T., Grigoletto, D., Piccolo, D., & Paoli, A. (2018). Differences in electromyographic activity of biceps brachii and brachioradialis while performing three variants of curl. PeerJ, 6, e5165. https://doi.org/10.7717/peerj.5165