Episode 249 of The Menace Podcast saw host Dennis James joined by Milos Sarcev, Chris Cormier, and special guest Stefan Kienzl, who is coach to the Open division’s newest standout, Urs Kalecinski. And, while the German bodybuilder put it all on the line to transition from the Classic Physique category, there was a moment that Keinzl knew his protégé was in the right place, as he revealed to the panel.
Urs Kalecinski surprised the bodybuilding world when he opted out of the Classic Physique division sighting a wish to stop dropping so much weight and focus on his full potential. It was a risk, not least because Chris Bumstead retired ahead of this year’s Olympia, meaning that the odds of “The Miracle Bear” winning in Classic greatly improved. Still, Kalecinski explained that he was struggling to maintain a lighter physique for Classic and hoped that even if the road to an Open category win would take some time, it would help him to “fall in love with the sport again.”
The move to being more muscular was supported by coach Stefan Kienzl, and so Kalecinski entered September’s 2025 Promuscle Show in Milan, Italy, to see how he would fair out in the Open. Incredibly, “The Miracle Bear” lived up to his name and did the seemingly impossible, winning the show outright. So, still basking in the glory of a 2025 Olympia qualification in the Open division, coach Kienzl joined TMP to share the moment that he knew Kalecinski could win.
Stefan Kienzl Explains When He Knew Kalecinski Could Win in the Open Division
“You had to be more nervous than anybody,” suggested host Dennis James to Kienzl, who is a decorated coach with a formidable reputation for Olympia success. “I have been much more nervous in the past,” he shared. “This time (it was calmer).” In fact, Kienzl revealed that he knew his student could win even before the day of the competition. “So, for me, the crucial moment when I stopped being nervous was two weeks ago when I saw him in person, at his home gym. Because, you know? Until that point, I was always a little bit ‘can he be that heavy?’”
Before their meeting, Kienzl had regularly checked in remotely with Kalecinski. “All the check ins were so brilliant that it really was too good to be true,” he acknowledged, pin-pointing the exact moment he saw The Miracle Bear’s full potential on display. “And I flew to him, and he dropped the clothes, and I knew that’s gonna be great!” Kalecinski went on to explain that from there, Kalecinski’s physique only continued to improve. “That small waist, that balloon-ish quads, it was just so much balance and volume, and muscle there, that I was quite sure that he will be very, very hard to beat on that day.”
Of course, Kalecinski will now have to tread the boards with the greatest athletes in bodybuilding. How will he fair against the likes of champion, Samson Duada? Or hot contenders like Derek Lunsford, Hadi Choopan, and Nick Walker? The Mr Olympia event takes place between October 9 and 12, 2025.
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To watch the full episode of the latest TMP where the panel also discussed the remaining Olympia qualifiers, predictions for the final, and other topical bodybuilding news, see below:
