Men’s Open bodybuilding star Jay Cutler maintains a strict diet in retirement. On Sept. 12, 2025, he revealed how he approached meal timing throughout his career to optimize muscle growth.
Cutler led one of the most successful careers in the Open and rose to power in 2006 after dethroning Ronnie Coleman. Before ending his competitive journey, he amassed four Mr. Olympia titles. He also became the only Open Pro to win back the Olympia crown, a feat he achieved in 2009 against runner-up Branch Warren and Dexter Jackson.
It’s been over a decade since Cutler competed, yet you couldn’t tell by looking at his physique. Between fasted cardio and resistance training, he still works out seven days a week. And in light of Coleman’s health struggles, Cutler’s focus on longevity and health is outweighing his desire to walk around at 250 pounds. Even today, his meal timing system helps him stay in tremendous shape.
Bodybuilding Legend Jay Cutler Shares Keys to Meal Timing for Optimal Muscle Growth
In the YouTube video, Cutler explained that he spaced his meals out every three hours to optimize muscle growth. He said eating one hour before training and one hour after are the most ideal times to maximize gains.
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“How important is your pre-workout nutrition? I always wanted to build muscle, so I always paid attention to eating portioned meals every three hours.
I always ate one hour prior to training and one hour after training. Those are the most perfect times to get in your nutrients, carbohydrates, and protein.”
He shared that consuming his largest meals around training or when he wakes up has helped him build quality size.
“I try to have my largest meals and most calorie-dense meals around the training or first thing in the mornings. If you’re looking to do something in the bodybuilding arena, or you’re just trying to get some more weight on you, build muscle — you have to get your meals in. You have to time everything perfect.”
“So ideally, wake up in the morning, eat your breakfast, follow with something three hours after that and continue it through the day but make sure the pre-workout meal is one hour prior, and your post-workout meal within one hour after training. Those three meals are the most important meals of the day for gains,” shared Cutler.
Cutler hasn’t been the only high-profile bodybuilder to discuss meal timing. Open Pro Hunter Labrada recently shared his two golden rules of meal timing:
“The big things with meal timing and frequency, there’s a couple golden rules that I never ever want to break. First, I never want to go longer than four hours without eating.
I also never want to stack another meal on top of a meal any closer than two hours. This comes down to digestion and maintaining a good balance of nutrients in your body,” Labrada said.
Meal timing can make-or-break your results. Cutler believes it’s most important to eat around your training schedule to meaningfully impact muscle growth.
RELATED: Exercise Scientist Reveals How to Craft an Optimal Pre-Workout Meal to ‘Unlock More Gains’
Watch the full video from the JayCutlerTV YouTube channel below:
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