With summer kicking off in less than two weeks, bodybuilding star Jay Cutler wants to make sure you look your best when strolling the beach. In a recent YouTube video, Cutler explained how to build a quality physique with the use of cardio training and proper nutrition.
Cutler has a firm grasp of what it takes to transform his body. In addition to claiming four Sandow trophies at the height of his bodybuilding tenure, he cemented his status as an all-time great when he dethroned former eight-time Olympia titleholder Ronnie Coleman in 2006. He remains the only IFBB Pro in the sport’s history to win back the coveted crown, a feat he accomplished in 2009 against Branch Warren and Dexter Jackson.
Although he has accepted life in retirement, Cutler’s physique is still on display, having recently transformed for his ‘Fit-for-50’ challenge. This year, he plans to embark on a similar journey, but took time out of his schedule to share he how goes about sculpting a next-level summer body.
Jay Cutler Offers Tips To Help You Achieve a Beach Body for Summer
According to Jay Cutler, a ‘rigid’ diet is essential for trimming body fat and maintaining muscle. He emphasizes that breakfast, pre, and post-workout meals are the most important of the day.
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“Here in the US, we’re heading into summer and a lot of people ask me about cutting tips on how they can cut cravings but also trim the body fat down but of course, maintain the muscle.
Now, it’s a lot of tricky form to do this. You have to come on with a rigid diet. I always say your most important meals of the day are your first meal, the meal before you train, and the meal after you train. Those meals are the most beneficial.”
While he often advocates for fasted cardio in the morning, Cutler believes it’s vital to eat a large meal at the beginning of the day to fuel workouts.
“Now what people don’t understand is when you wake up in the morning, I know a lot of you guys are training fasted but my suggestion is to fuel your workouts. You want to get up, hit your body with probably the biggest meal of the day that way you can really put food into your body and really get that energy set for the day. It kind of sets the standard.”
“With my bodybuilding routine, I always stayed on at least six meals a day and all my meals were spaced out two and a half hours apart. Some of you guys like to spread it three hours apart.”
Cutler specified that bodybuilders tend to eliminate dairy products from their meals as well as simple sugars and fruits. He favors ‘slower-burning foods’ like potatoes and rice. As for protein, Cutler says to stick with fish, egg whites, turkey breast, lean chicken, and lean beef.
“I believe that a lot of bodybuilders cut out a lot of the dairy products. I know simple sugars are cut out. A lot of the fruits are cut out. I think you really have to fall into a rigid diet in order to get the best results. It’s more slower-burning foods, when you’re eating your potatoes or rice, some people prefer brown rice. Low-fat sources. I would stick to more fish, egg whites, turkey breast, lean chicken, obviously some of you guys like lean beef, protein powders, things like that will really be most beneficial.”
Although physiologist Dr. Mike Israetel doesn’t believe diet soda will cause fat gain, Cutler maintains that it confuses the body.
“Diet sodas… I don’t ever suggest putting diet sodas, your body still gets a lot of confusion even with the artificial sweeteners so if we can kind of cut that out a little bit. I know some of it is necessary, so limit that. If it’s one a day, diet soda, you can slowly, like I said, break into a specific diet, you don’t have to go all-in.”
The former four-time Mr. Olympia stresses that if the diet is too strict, people are less likely to follow it long-term.
“That’s why diets don’t work. Everyone just kind of jumps on board and they start their New Year’s Resolution for example and all of a sudden, they just quit because it’s just too difficult on the body. The thing is ease the body in. Don’t shock the body too much. Get on that meal plan.”
To accelerate your fat-burning goals, Cutler says cardio training is key. He lists examples such as the step mill, stair mill, elliptical, assault bike, swimming, and basketball.
“Everyone’s dreaded exercise is some sort of cardio. Now, bodybuilders use cardio to get in the best shape, especially getting ready for a competition. We all know it’s good for your cardiovascular system.”
“For me, I like to switch the cardio around. So, we can either do bike, we can do step mill, we can do treadmill, you can do assault bike, you can do elliptical, some of you guys are swimming. Any kind of cardio, playing basketball, there’s a lot of different variations that you can use for your cardio,” says Jay Cutler.
For bodybuilders, Cutler explained that elevating the heart rate isn’t the top priority, instead, he goes for a ‘slow burn.’
“As a bodybuilder, we’re not really trying to get the heart rate through the roof, we’re really just trying to do a slow burn right? Keep the metabolism going. Keep the body in function.”
This wasn’t Cutler’s first time breaking down how to effectively diet to lose weight and gain muscle. He credited a high-protein diet for helping him stay strong and energized at 51 years old.
“My appetite is really good. That was my biggest fear is when you get a little older, people’s problem is, when they’re trying to get bigger, even these young kids; they don’t eat enough. Even you know, you have to eat a ton to stay at it right? So, I’m hoping that continues because if you remember and a lot of our viewers don’t actually know this, my biggest obstacle was the food when I was really big.”
Summer is just days away in the US, making Cutler’s latest contribution a great resource for anyone aiming to get in shape. Above all else, he favors a rigid nutrition plan complemented by some form of cardiovascular training.
Watch the full video from the Cutler Nutrition YouTube channel below:
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