Do athletes have less incentive to compete than in previous eras? This issue was tackled in a recent Cutler Cast podcast on June 5, 2025, along with why bodybuilders might be skipping the Mr. Olympia.
Recently, bodybuilding legend Lee Haney claimed that the sport lost its way and that it desperately needs a ‘reset.’ Haney has long argued that the sport has shifted to favor size over the foundational principles in bodybuilding, like symmetry and balanced proportions.
Below, four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler and Milos Sarcev dissected his statement and explained why there might be some truth to that. They also weighed the costs associated with competing as an amateur or pro-level bodybuilder.
Jay Cutler Debates if ‘Bigger is Better’ in Men’s Open, Talks Athletes Missing 2025 Olympia: ‘Everyone Wants to be a Social Media Star’
In the recent YouTube video, Sarcev and Cutler discussed Haney’s recent comments surrounding the Men’s Open.
“Lee is a 1980s purist. He was Classic Physique, aesthetic, a guy that became a monster,” shared Sarcev. “We were keeping the lines, keeping the posing, he retired at the age of 31.”
“The guys are too damn big [yes even when I was competing]. He’s just stating in a way that everyone took it as a sideways statement, meaning that he’s discrediting today’s lineup, but he’s looking at Nick Walker winning, massive, size overwhelming,” Cutler explained.
Cutler shared that chasing size has long interfered with the success of noteworthy bodybuilders. He agrees with Haney that bodybuilding needs a reset.
“In the end, we talked about Phil Heath putting on too much size, eventually, it catches up to everyone with the size factor,” Cutler adds.
Wheeler ran into it, Nasser El Sonbaty ran into it, Ronnie Coleman ran into it, he’s just stating the obvious and saying bodybuilding needs a reset, meaning they need to step back and look at how these shows are being judged and awarding bigger is better.”
Cutler believes these are the reasons why Classic Physique continues to grow in popularity.
“There’s a reason Classic Physique is so popular and growing tremendously.”
The ‘Comeback Kid’ also suggested that the sport has gotten too expensive, and partly why athletes are skipping the Mr. Olympia in 2025.
“You got a couple missing factors in there. You got Labrada, he’s out. Nathan, [who’s had visa issues], we don’t assume he’s going to come. Who else is not going to do the show? Krizo’s out. Behrooz is a question mark, we hope he’s coming.
“The cost of competing is a hell of a lot of money so if people want to try to figure out why people aren’t signing up, people aren’t competing, it’s expensive on the amateur side and expensive on the pro side. Listen, this was our passion. A lot of people it’s just a hobby. People aren’t aiming to be pro bodybuilding fitness people. Everyone wants to be a social media star.”
Although Nick Walker is one of the bigger talents shaking up the Men’s Open, Cutler acknowledges that he’s improved the flow of his physique. And many believe these changes could help him carve out a better placing at the Mr. Olympia.
Cutler accepts that there is some truth to Lee Haney’s comments about the direction of the sport. Pursuing size alongside the costs associated with stepping onstage has become too great, which has affected lineups at shows throughout the season.
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