It’s back and abs day for bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler. In a recent YouTube video shared on Nov. 15, 2025, he broke down his latest workout, imparting tips to lifters along the way.
A six-time Olympia runner-up, Jay Cutler paid his dues before reaching the top of the sport. In 2006, he dethroned former eight-time titleholder Ronnie Coleman. Cutler’s first reign was short-lived; he surrendered the Sandow trophy to Dexter Jackson in 2008. However, this laid the foundation for one of the sport’s most impressive comebacks.
A counted-out Cutler returned in 2009, quad-stomping his way to victory against Branch Warren and Jackson. He later retired in 2013 after finishing sixth at his final Mr. Olympia contest. Despite his time away from the stage, the 52-year-old Massachusetts native hasn’t slowed down.
Jay Cutler’s Current Back & Abs Workout at 52
Find his exercises from the video below:
- Hammer rows
- Dumbbell rows
- Cable pullovers
- Seated cable row
- Lat pulldown (hammer machine with the inside grip handle)
- Deadlifts
- Decline bench sit-ups
- Hanging leg raises (straight leg)
- Rope crunches
Hammer rows
Cutler credited hammer rows as a go-to exercise, especially because he rarely sees this piece of equipment at gyms.
“Any gym that has the high row, it’s always my go-to exercise because I don’t get to use it that much. A lot of gyms don’t carry it,” said Cutler.
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“I always warm up with a couple plates, get a good stretch going.”
Dumbbell rows
He moved on with dumbbell rows, bracing his arm against the bench for stability.
“We’ll start with a decent weight, 70-80, and go up to 90, so I’m going to try to focus on this, really trying to lean on the rack and just bring it to the hip a little bit. Sometimes I row a little bit more out, sometimes more straight up.”
Cable pullovers
For a deep lat stretch, he progressed with cable pullovers using a straight bar.
“I hate to call these hyperextensions; everything has changed now with all the bro science. This kind of mimics a pullover. I’m really just trying to get a stretch on my lats. For some reason, I always felt a longer straight bar.”
Seated cable row
The seated cable row has long remained a staple for Cutler, who said it’s helped him pack on density to his frame.
“Standard seated cable row. You want to talk about the density. We have width movements like standing front-forward and then our side, so you want to work on that density and to get that naughtiness in the back, especially the back double,” he explained.
Lat pulldown
Keeping the weight moderate, Cutler contracts his lats at the bottom of lat pulldowns and utilizes a brief pause for added intensity.
“Just trying to get 10 reps. The weight is not super heavy. I’m just really trying to pull the lats and I’m trying to contract at the bottom, where there’s a slight resistance of me going back up for that full contraction.”
“I do a slight, slight pause, it’s very minimal, but I am actually contracting the lats at the very bottom.”
Deadlifts
The deadlift is one of the lowest rep exercises in Cutler’s regimen, which is intentional to avoid over-fatigue.
“It’s probably one of the lowest rep exercises that I do. Just because I don’t want to over-fatigue. I get a really good pump in my lats from this.”
Before wrapping up for the day, the former four-time Mr. O torched his abs with decline sit-ups, hanging leg raises, and rope crunches.
Cutler also has useful tips for building a bigger chest. He prefers the standing cross-body dumbbell fly, a movement that’s allowed him to achieve more growth in the outer and lower portions of the pecs. While he doesn’t include them in every workout, he splashes them in when he sees fit.
At 52 years old, Cutler remains in spectacular shape. His back and abs days are packed with significant volume, so he limits fatigue with rep ranges around 10-12.
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Watch the full video from the JayCutlerTV YouTube channel below:
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