Bodybuilding icon Jay Cutler’s legs were some of the strongest of his era. On Nov. 26, 2025, he revealed his three leg press secrets to sculpt championship legs.
After taking runner-up behind Ronnie Coleman a record six times, Cutler finally caught up with ‘The King’ at the 2006 Mr. Olympia. It wasn’t by accident; he mimicked Coleman’s high-intensity workout style and trained late at night when there were little to no distractions.
Though a long reign seemed inevitable for Cutler, Dexter Jackson caught him slipping in 2008. However, the Massachusetts native bounced back with a legendary comeback. At the 2009 Mr. Olympia, he won back the Sandow trophy in a showdown against Branch Warren and Jackson.
Cutler last competed at the 2013 Mr. Olympia in sixth place. Since then, he’s transitioned into retirement, still dead set on maintaining the fitness and strength he carried onstage. At 52 years old, he hasn’t slowed down and continues to train seven days a week. Legs were by far his greatest strength, leading him to break down how to build them with the leg press.
Jay Cutler’s 3 Leg Press Secrets to Sculpt Championship Legs
Find a quick overview of Cutler’s secrets below:
- Lower Foot Placement on the Platform
- Depth
- Tempo
In the video, Cutler discussed how the leg press machine helped him sculpt shapely and detailed legs.
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“How I built my championship legs. On the Olympia stage, I had some of the best legs, detail, size, the shape. And one of the exercises I performed most of the time was the leg press. There’s a difference between the variations of the leg press. There’s foot placement. There’s the depth that you do it, and of course, the tempo that you do the repetitions.”
To effectively build the frontal quads, he emphasized that lower foot placement is optimal.
“To build the frontal quads, you want to have lower foot placement on the platform.
Put your feet usually at shoulder width, sometimes a little closer, sometimes a little wider if you want to target the hamstrings, but when we’re focusing on the quads, you really want to have that lower foot placement on the platform.”
The four-time Mr. Olympia also explained why depth is critical for leg press gains. It allows lifters enough range of motion for a full contraction, helping hit the deepest fibers.
“Your depth, remember, you have to go down enough to get the full contraction to hit the deepest fibers. Everything is done with 12 repetitions. That is very, very important.”
His final secret was to focus on tempo, adding, “You want it to work just like a piston.” Cutler said to be explosive from the bottom and deliberate on the descent, which can help engage the fibers best.
“Lastly, you want to make sure that you have a great tempo. You want it to work just like a piston, you want to have explosive out of the bottom, and then obviously, on the descent, you want to be able to engage the fibers and feel it, not power through too much. Do not put too much pressure on the knees and remember: every repetition counts,” said Jay Cutler.
Cutler isn’t the only high-profile bodybuilder from the 2000s offering leg-building advice. Branch Warren also tackled the challenge. He noted that the classic barbell squat was the best exercise for achieving ‘world-class’ quad growth.
Cutler made history onstage with his leg size and definition. Years following his career, he still credits the leg press as crucial to his bodybuilding success.
RELATED: Jay Cutler Shares Six Top Exercises To Get Massive Legs
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