2026 IFBB Pittsburgh Pro winner, Michal “Krizo” Krzanek is known for his vascular presence on the stage, but he is currently harnessing the power in his pins as he prepares for the 2026 Mr. Olympia finals. And, in a recently shared video, the Slovakian bodybuilder showed off the tremendous strength of his legs while leaving everything in the gym.
Three months away from bodybuilding’s most prestigious show, Crizo is putting on a stellar performance in Las Vegas. “Off season leg day,” he explained in a recent Instagram Reel, in which he revealed the epic effort he made on a super-stacked Smith machine.
Executing a deep squat during the negative phase, Krizo was able to crush his quads, glutes, adductors, and core as he powered up multiple weighted plates. “Save some muscle for the rest of us,” wrote one impressed IG follower after Krzanek repeated it.
Michael Krzanek reveals his Olympia prep leg workout
Bodybuilding fans are excited to see Krizo’s progress as he looks to bounce back from his debut performance in the open category at the 2023 Mr. Olympia event, where he earned an impressive seventh place. Since then, the powerhouse has taken top finishes at the British Grand Prix Pro in 2025 and the Pittsburgh Pro in May this year, stamping his ticket to Sin City so he can share the stage with current Mr. Olympia, Derek Lunsford.
Michael “Krizo” Krizanek’s Machine-Based Leg Day
Here is the full session:
- smith machine back squat
- hack squat
- standing leg curl machine
- recumbent hamstring curl machine
How Krizo Builds Huge Quads and Hamstrings
Having previously exhausted his legs with those super heavy Smith machine squats, Krizo continued to use the machines to isolate his muscles and reduce the load on the stabilizer muscles. The typical bodybuilder follows the hack squat for further quad dominance and, to a lesser extent, his calves, while leg curls (both standing and lying) hit the hamstrings, glutes, and calves for an impressive leg workout.
Although the calves are not the target muscle in these exercises, expect them to feel a burn during cumulative use. To effectively complete this session, aim for a weight that you can lift 8 to 12 times and repeat for up to 3 sets to hit hypotrophy.
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