Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler had to make arms a training priority throughout his tenure to keep up with Ronnie Coleman. In a recent YouTube video shared on August 27, 2025, he broke down his training philosophy for achieving massive arms.
Cutler utilized a high-volume approach to reach the top of the sport. He mimicked training principles from Coleman, often emulating his late-night workouts. Ultimately, Cutler pulled off the upset in 2006, and though he lost the title in 2008, he won it back a year later, etching his name in bodybuilding history.
Cutler’s last Mr. Olympia performance came in 2013 (sixth place) before announcing his retirement. Despite his time away from the stage, Cutler’s passion for training and muscle-building still drives his daily goals and aspirations.
At 52 years old, Cutler continues to train seven days a week, stressing that the gym has become an outlet for relieving stress. Between fasted cardio, resistance training, and dialing in his nutrition, the four-time Mr. Olympia champion is focused on longevity heading into the next chapter of his life.
Jay Cutler’s Secret to Building Massive Arms
In the YouTube video, Cutler reflected on his arm training philosophy. He emphasized that arms are not a two, three, or four-rep movement. Instead, he said to focus on 8-20 repetitions and sometimes more, ensuring that lifters fully engorge the muscles with blood.
“Remember, the arms are not like a two or three or four-rep movement bicep-building exercise.
You want to focus on 8, 10, 12, 15, sometimes 20, sometimes burnout sets, really engorge the muscle with blood and follow through, but really focus on that isolation,” shared Jay Cutler.
Cutler always made sure his triceps were never overshadowed by his biceps. To do so, he implemented dumbbell kickbacks — a forgotten old-school exercise that helps build the long head of the triceps. In addition to squeezing the triceps at peak contraction, he recommended sticking with a rep scheme of 10 to 12 reps.
Training has definitely changed since Cutler’s time onstage. Having witnessed eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman’s health scares, Cutler has adjusted how he approaches weights and nutrition. While a 100-gram protein breakfast was the norm for the bodybuilding legend, he’s steered away from such a heavy meal to start the day. Now, Cutler breaks his morning fast with two eggs and a protein shake.
Despite stepping away from the sport, Cutler still boasts an impressive level of muscle density and conditioning. He believes training arms with this rep scheme helped him lead one of the most impressive careers in the Men’s Open.
RELATED: Jay Cutler Reveals How He Built 20-Inch Calves in His Prime
Watch the full video from the JayCutlerTV YouTube channel below:
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