Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler recently discussed what an ideal training split for beginners should look like.
Jay Cutler is one of the most decorated figures in the history of competitive bodybuilding. The 50-year-old did his best work in the 2000s era and delivered some historically significant performances on the grandest stages of bodybuilding.
His rivalry with eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman is considered one of the greatest rivalries in the history of the Men’s Open division. Cutler dethroned Coleman at the 2006 Mr. Olympia after years of trying.
He then went on to win the title three more times – in 2007, 2009 and 2010. The Las Vegas native retired from competing following a sixth-place finish at the 2013 Olympia.
Jay Cutler is one of the few yesteryear bodybuilders who adapted well to the age of social media and continued to retain and grow their fan base after retiring. He often shares insightful bodybuilding content on social media and is also one of the most prominent voices in the sport.
Recently, the 50-year-old famously transformed his physique for the Fit for 50 challenge and set a great example for everyone to follow. Although Cutler has re-asserted that he has no plans to compete again, he continues to inspire the masses by conquering new physique goals.
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In the most recent video posted on his YouTube channel, Jay Cutler analyzed the efficacy of the simplified push-pull-leg training split. This split includes a dedicated training session for pushing muscles like the chest, triceps, and shoulders. Pulling muscles like the back and biceps are tackled in a separate session. Meanwhile, lower body training also has another session dedicated to it.
Jay Cutler discusses the benefits of push-pull-leg training split
Jay Cutler noted that there is a lot of uninformed opinion or unscientific information available about training practices. He admitted that classifying workouts is a matter of individual perception and went on to explain how he organized the training splits:
“I was always grouping body parts, okay? It does work for a lot of people – especially those that are lifestyle trainers not necessarily chasing bodybuilding. I was always focused on stage. So for me, I was always focused on, ‘Okay, I’m going to group, you know, shoulders and triceps, or back with biceps or just do legs on their own.’”
The four-time Mr. Olympia believes that most gym-goers should put minimum effort into customizing their training routines. He suggests focussing extensively on choosing the right exercises to work all the body parts:
“They can kind of focus on, ‘Okay, I’m just going to do the movements where I’m doing push movements and then of course pull movements where there’s back movements, focus on your leg training.”
Getting maximum benefits from training should be the focus of the training journey. Cutler feels that push-pull-leg is a more simplified routine, especially for beginners. He opined that they can incorporate more complex patterns as they progress:
“I think ideally, for anyone that’s trying to get into training, it’s a more simplified routine. And then as you advance, I would look at the more complex routines that I talk about… Grouping body parts, having a two-on and one-off day… Really kind of scheduling your workouts based on the body parts that you’re training.”
Watch Jay Cutler discuss the training method:
Featured image via @Jaycutler on Instagram
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