To celebrate Episode 250 of The Menace Podcast, host Dennis James had a packed panel consisting of Milos Sarcev, Jose Raymond and the winning team of Olympia bound bodybuilder Urs Kalecinski and his coach, Stefan Kienzl. During the show, “The Miracle Bear” explained how becoming more muscular for the Open division was a natural fit for the German bodybuilder.

Kalecinski had taken third place in the Olympia Classic division for the last three years, and was a favorite to potentially wear the crown after Chris Bumstead’s retirement from the sport, but rather than cut his weight once again, “The Miracle Bear” announced that he would attempt to qualify for the Open division instead, hoping that it would restore his love of bodybuilding. That love was returned by the judges at the 2025 Promuscle show in Italy,when Kalecinski was awarded the top spot, punching his ticket to the Olympia Open division final this coming October.

Urs Kalecinski explains his more muscular look on TMP

It seemed like “The Miracle Bear” made the switch to Open in rapid fashion, so some observers were surprised at the more muscular look that Kalecinski displayed in Milan. But not having to worry about the constraints of the Classic division seems to have paid dividends. “Urs, what do you attribute to your arm size growing so much?” asked Jose Raymond.

“I mean Stefan and I, we always laugh about it,” explained Kalecinski, noting that his arm size had been limited because he had to make weight for the Classic division. As he progressed with his cuts for Classic, “The Miracle Bear” says his muscularity suffered. “The last six KGs just like burned off my triceps, especially my triceps, my biceps, and my lats,” he reflected. “And a little bit off my legs.” Kalecinski commented recently that he was around 17 kilograms heavier than he would usually be at this time of year when readying for the Classic stage. This number has likely gone down a little to get shredded for Open competition, but the extra mass certainly suits him. Kalecinski told TMP that shedding weight for Classic had always caused him to lose fullness in his physique, and he went to predict that in a matter of weeks, he’ll come somewhere around sixth place. When quizzed, Kalecinski told the panel that the only bodybuilders he sees beating him on the night are Samson Dauda, Hadi Choopan, Derek Lunsford, Martin Fitzwater, and Nick Walker. No doubt, it’s going to be a fierce competition when the biggest names gather for the 2025 Olympia, taking place in Las Vegas between October 9 and 12. For tickets, click here. https://mrolympia.com/

To watch the full episode of the latest TMP where the panel further discussed the Olympia qualifiers, predictions for the final, and other topical bodybuilding news, see below: