Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler still trains seven days a week, and smart exercise selections keep him from getting injured. On Sept. 14, 2025, he broke down his training blueprint to grow massive delts.
Jay Cutler‘s mastery of training and diet led to him winning four Mr. Olympia titles. He’s one of the most recognizable figures in the sport today, and has leveraged that popularity to great effect — he boasts millions of followers across YouTube and Instagram, relaying his proven strategies for staying fit, healthy, and athletic.
Cutler doesn’t just bank on the old-school tricks he picked up during his career; he’s carefully redesigned his workout plan to accommodate joint health and strength. This approach is why he’s maintained such incredible muscle density and conditioning into his 50s.
Jay Cutler’s Delt Training Blueprint
Find his exercise selections from the YouTube video below:
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- Lateral Raise Machine
- Reverse Shoulder Press Machine
- Seated Side Lateral Raise Machine
- Reverse Pec Deck
- Face Pulls
Lateral Raise Machine
Cutler talked about why he pre-exhausts the shoulders when he starts a workout. It helps him avoid shoulder injuries, one of the most common mishaps that sidelines lifters from the gym.
“A little pre-exhaust, when I talk about pre-exhaust, it’s about getting blood in the muscle, getting the muscle activated, nutrient flow, not anything that’s heavy and compound, because sometimes it can be a little brutal on the shoulders. It seems like everyone that trained in my era had shoulder issues, and we’re trying to avoid that.”
Reverse Shoulder Press Machine
He proceeded with the reverse shoulder presses as the only compound movement of the workout.
Seated Side Lateral Raise Machine
Cutler changes up his side lateral training with a seated variation, which results in less body momentum, allowing Cutler to focus on perfect form.
“What I really like about a seated side lateral — a little different — there’s less swing. As you guys know, I train pretty loosely. If you watch any of my videos, whether it’s curls or pulldowns, I have a lot of body motion.
It’s a good and bad thing. Because I developed a lot of dense muscle mass and hit certain fibers, it worked for me.”
Reverse Pec Deck
The reverse pec deck is a go-to exercise for Cutler’s rear delts. Common mistake to avoid? Going too heavy.
“I usually do two different movements for rears. But I feel like a lot of people do not. Number one, they go too heavy; they use their traps in the first exercise. Ideally, pick a weight that you can focus on locking in with the shoulders. I keep the seat actually a little high on this.”
Face Pulls
Cutler stressed that foot positioning can make-or-break results with performing face pulls before ending the session with cardio.
“Get a little rhomboids and stuff in there, too. Just going to try to step back, good foot position, and lock it,” explains Cutler.
Avoiding injuries while simultaneously growing rear delts is a common goal among bodybuilders. Lee Priest, an icon of 1980s and 90s bodybuilding, emphasized that he always started workouts with rear delts and said it helped him avoid nagging shoulder injuries.
At 52 years old, Cutler still sports healthy shoulders. He believes it’s best to be wary of heavy compound movements for growing delts because they boost injury potential.
RELATED: Charles Glass Reveals Game-Changing Tip to Grow Bigger Rear Delts
Watch the full video from the JayCutlerTV YouTube channel below:
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