Jay Cutler may have stepped away from bodybuilding, but he remains committed to seeing the sport evolve. In a recent video, Jay Cutler named his top five greatest bodybuilders of all time.
During his reign as Mr. Olympia, Cutler managed to earn the prestigious title on four occasions. In 2006, Cutler dethroned Ronnie Coleman and won his first Olympia. He is revered for the intense rivalry he shared with Coleman, who acquired eight Olympia victories during his respective reign (tied for the most with fellow legend Lee Haney‘s eight).
Cutler has spoken before about how difficult it was to keep up with Coleman’s work ethic. He said he was forced to separate himself from society and go to a ‘dark place’ to push Coleman at Olympia contests. While Cutler was ultimately dethroned by Dexter Jackson in 2008, he earned himself the nickname ‘Comeback Kid’ at 2009 Olympia after getting his title back from Jackson.
If you asked Mr. Olympia President Dan Solomon who his favorite bodybuilder is, he would point to Cutler as one of the most influential of this generation. Given the rich history of the sport, Cutler sat down to discuss who he believes should be regarded as an all-time great.
Jay Cutler Lists His Top 5 Bodybuilders of All-Time
In a recent video shared on YouTube, Cutler shared his top-five list of bodybuilders. He credited Ronnie Coleman, Dorian Yates, Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lee Haney, and Sergio Oliva with the honorable distinction.
“Someone asked me who are the top five bodybuilders and why — of all time. Which, listen, I’m going to say [Ronnie] Coleman just because he put the body past whatever we thought. I think Dorian Yates because he changed the game. He definitely changed what it was all about. You have to put Lee Haney in there. That’s the third — he set the first record.
For sure Arnold [Schwarzenegger] right. Arnold is in there 100 percent. So we have Lee Haney, Dorian Yates, Ronnie Coleman, Arnold Schwarzenegger — and there’s one more that I would say — as one of the greatest bodybuilders… I would almost have to say Sergio Oliva. Sergio was way ahead of his time and that’s why,” says Jay Cutler.
Cutler believes Arnold Schwarzenegger, Ronnie Coleman, and Lee Haney were all “ahead of their times.”
“Arnold — I think obviously he was ahead of his time. You know seven-time champ. Lee [Haney], a six-time champ. Ronnie and Lee are both eight times. Listen, Dexter could be in that also. Phil Heath could be in there. There’s a lot of great guys. I [don’t] want to take anything away from those two guys because I think people will question that — I’d love peoples’ opinions on it.”
The bodybuilding legend acknowledged that Dorian Yates changed the game and ushered in a new era of size instead of aesthetics. He added that three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva merited a top spot on his list as well.
“Definitely Dorian changed the game. He was like the mystery to everyone. Ronnie Coleman just pushed the body — I don’t think anyone will duplicate that physique. Lee Haney is the original record-setter broke Arnold’s record. Arnold, whose won seven, came back to win it. And also, I think Sergio dude. I think Sergio. Looking at those early 60s pictures when he was winning Olympia — that was wild dude. He was unbelievable.”
Before concluding the discussion, Cutler also named Dexter Jackson and Phil Heath as honorable mentions.
“Honorable mention would be Dexter [Jackson] — he’s the winningest bodybuilder ever. Phil Heath dude, Phil Heath had crazy tie ins. I think he had a lot of detail. One call-out in 2013, the year I came back and competed, I think that was pretty outstanding,” says Cutler.
While he’s long stepped away from the sport, Cutler still attacks his training sessions with the same vigor he had during his prime years in the sport. He recently shared a volume-focused back day workout and stressed that he now uses training as a form of meditation.
The four-time Mr. Olympia’s vocal nature and knowledge surrounding the sport helped shape the next generation of bodybuilders. Cutler didn’t include himself on the list of greatest bodybuilders of all time, but there are many who believe he’s definitely earned a spot.
