Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler’s goals have shifted in retirement, and his workouts don’t look like they used to. In a YouTube video shared on July 9, 2025, he broke down his current training split at 51 years old.
Jay Cutler‘s high-volume, high-intensity training style delivered results. In 2006, he dethroned Ronnie Coleman and cemented himself as the next dominant Mr. Olympia. However, his reign wouldn’t last nearly as long after Dexter Jackson took the title in 2008.
This was the catalyst that led to one of the sport’s most impressive comebacks. Despite being counted out, Cutler showcased more size and quality, allowing him to win back his title. This feat has yet to be replicated in the Men’s Open.
In retirement, Cutler still hits the gym seven days a week. As one of the sport’s most notable ambassadors, balancing travel, training, diet, and sleep has become part of his routine schedule, leading him to discuss his latest gym approach.
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4x Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler Shares His ‘Simplified’ Training Split at 51 Years Old
In the YouTube video, Cutler outlined his training split and shared that he no longer trains traps.
- Day 1: Chest and Calves
- Day 2: Biceps and Triceps
- Day 3: Shoulders
- Day 4: Back
- Day 5: Rest
- Day 6: Legs
- Day 7: Rest
“I train seven days a week, but I’m going to tell you at least the groupings of my body parts. One day, I do chest and calves. Everyone always knows I do calves before chest. Second day, I’ll do arms, biceps, and triceps. Third day, I do shoulders. I do shoulders on its own. I don’t do any trap work anymore.”
He emphasized that if you’re chasing size to take the day off after back and leg training.
“Another day I do back. Back on its own day. And then, of course, legs.
Now, what I suggest is having a day off after back training and leg training, especially if you’re really trying to put on mass and you’re really trying to get a little bigger. You do need the days off though if you are training to the extreme, pushing yourself, training to failure.”
Cutler still makes recovery a top priority, driving home the importance of eating and sleeping around a training schedule:
“I don’t train hard, and I hate to say that, because people look at me as, of course, an Olympia winner. I’ve been retired now for quite some time but I pretty much stay on that schedule and sometimes I take days in between, especially when I travel on a plane or whatnot.
Remember, you have to eat around the training, you have to sleep around the training. You have to recover but I do train on those splits, whether it’s back, legs, chest, shoulders, arms. That’s pretty simplified,” he shared.
Cutler has also taken a deep dive into his supplement use. He recently laid out the supplement stack he sticks to year-round to help boost his workout performance and health. Typically, he takes his supplements in the morning or during a workout for optimal results.
At 51 years old, Cutler still approaches his training routine with care and precision. He credits this workout split for helping him remain in top shape as he gets older.
RELATED: Jay Cutler Reveals His Top 3 Chest Exercises for Building Size and Upper Pecs
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