IFBB Professional League Classic Physique competitor Urs Kalecinski has taken his talents beyond the stage. He is setting himself up on the business side of the fitness industry by opening his gym, Aesthetic Atelier. Kalecinski shared a peek behind the door of his new venture:
Kalecinski entered one of his gym’s rooms, which was filled with weight-training machines, and explained why he had chosen them to grace his gym floor.
“I was lucky enough to have traveled the world a lot over the last five to 10 years of my bodybuilding career and to have collected a lot of inspiration so that I could ultimately put together my dream studio,” Kalecinski expressed.
Kalecinski’s new gym was not an overnight decision. He had a goal of owning his own fitness studio for over a decade. He took notes over the last five years that included specific machines he felt would be great to have in his facility.
Multiple companies are represented in Kalecinski’s selections. Some unnamed brands offered to provide equipment in exchange for 100 percent exclusivity, but Kalecinki did not want to do that, opting to buy the pieces he wanted instead.
A lot of money flowed into this studio.
—Urs Kalecinski
The first room Kalecinski showcased was heavy on back and arm equipment, including the Flex Leverage seated row machine and multiple Prime row machines next to each other. The steel plates, which he shook together, make an all-too-familiar noise for many lifters.
You hear that? That’s pure satisfaction.
—Urs Kalecinski
Other manufacturers represented in Kalecinski’s gym include Hammer Strength, Cybex, Panatta, Watson, and Rogers, among others. Some of the equipment, including his dumbbells, have his personal logo on it.
Kalecinski’s chest and leg equipment room features older machines, which he personally felt were superior to newer models.
New doesn’t necessarily mean better.
—Urs Kalecinski
The gym is heavily focused on machines. Research has shown that they are just as reliable for building muscle as free weights (1). Kalecinski is in the muscle-building business onstage and as an entrepreneur. Kalecinski’s gym also includes a posing room, sauna, ice tub, and cardio room.
Kalecinski will use his new gym and equipment over the next several months to prepare for the 2025 Classic Physique Olympia, which will be heldn Oct. 9-12, 2025, in Las Vegas, NV. Kalecinski qualified for that show thanks to his third-place finish at the 2024 Olympia.
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Reference
- Haugen, M. E., Vårvik, F. T., Larsen, S., Haugen, A. S., van den Tillaar, R., & Bjørnsen, T. (2023). Effect of free-weight vs. machine-based strength training on maximal strength, hypertrophy and jump performance – a systematic review and meta-analysis. BMC sports science, medicine & rehabilitation, 15(1), 103. https://doi.org/10.1186/s13102-023-00713-4
Featured Image: @the.miraclebear on Instagram
