Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler is an open book in retirement. On May 7, 2025, he discussed whether he experienced side effects from using steroids and defended Dana Linn Bailey as natural.
Throughout his bodybuilding tenure, Jay Cutler thrived off being counted out. After taking second place behind Ronnie Coleman several times, he finally took home the Sandow trophy in 2006. Defending the honor would prove difficult though, as Dexter Jackson managed to dethrone him in 2008.
This set the stage for bodybuilding’s most impressive comeback. Cutler quad-stomped his way to victory in 2009, cementing his legacy as one of the best talents to compete in the IFBB Pro League. With time on his hands in retirement, Cutler sat down with influencer Kenny KO to reflect on his career, along with Dana Linn Bailey’s ‘natty or not’ status.
Jay Cutler Reveals Whether Steroid Use Impacted His Training, Says Dana Linn Bailey Is Natural
In a recent YouTube video, Cutler defended Linn Bailey as natural, citing her dedication to training throughout the years.
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“She’s very dedicated,” shared Cutler. “We have Doucette on here recently and he said, ‘Nah, Dana Linn is not natural.’ We didn’t really say — but I have to say, she’s natural.”
Cutler mentioned that he’s known individuals who trained harder while they used performance-enhancing drugs.
“Does it really matter? What bothers me the most is well I can’t train like you because I’m natural. I know a lot of guys and women that train really hard that are natural no matter what. It’s like the guy that says I’m juicing so I’m going to train harder, and when they stop juicing, they don’t train hard at all.”
For the four-time Mr. Olympia, he never took steroids during breaks from contests. He shared that whether he was on or off steroids, it never impacted the quality or intensity of his training.
“My whole thing, and I was on and off, granted, the stuff lingers in your body for a long time. I still didn’t take anything during my breaks.
No TRT, there was no such thing as TRT. But I still trained exactly the same. I never took tren, but I took parabolan or whatever. But I never got like, oh I’m so strong, compared to what I used to be.”
Cutler explained that he never experienced significant side effects from using steroids.
“I never had the swings if that makes sense. I never had ups and downs, oh my gosh I’m getting smaller. I was a guy that trained in a tank top every day. For me, I just had the accolades. I was great, and only for a short time I wasn’t great. When I turned Pro I got spanked a little bit but within a couple of years I was second to Ronnie and after that it was consistent winning or getting second at shows. I never had that downswing,” he shared.
However, he revealed that after he retired and scaled back on steroids, he noticed that his training sessions weren’t as explosive as they once were.
“When I retired at 40, I never really look in the mirror and think man I used to be this. Sometimes you get in the gym, I don’t have that explosive feel that I had.
I would get in the gym, do a couple of sets, and I would just explode. I just don’t have that anymore but you have to realize, you wake up and you’re 50 years old. Before you know it, it’ll happen and you have to embrace it.”
Former seven-time Olympia champion Phil Heath has also been candid about steroids. He recently warned up-and-comers about the ‘dark side’ of bodybuilding, revealing that younger people are now taking health risks by using different compounds, including steroids and insulin.
Using an on-and-off approach, Cutler experienced minimal side effects from PEDs. Although his training has changed since stepping away from the sport, he emphasized why it’s important to embrace these changes as he’s gotten older.
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Watch the full video from the Cutler Cast YouTube channel below:
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