Jay Cutler is an ambassador for the bodybuilding community, constantly sharing his wisdom and knowledge with athletes and fans alike. In a recent YouTube video, Jay Cutler discussed his physique in 2009, current training routines, and using machines versus free weights.
As a four-time Mr. Olympia winner, Jay Cutler established himself as one of the best Men’s Open talents, courtesy of jaw-dropping mass, epic proportions, and some of the biggest quads in the IFBB Pro League. Aside from dethroning the great Ronnie Coleman in 2001, Cutler emerged as a bodybuilding icon after becoming the only man in history to win back a Mr. Olympia title.
Jay Cutler Talks Underestimating his 2009 Mr. Olympia Physique, Training Changes, & Machines vs Free Weights
This feat was accomplished at the 2009 Mr. Olympia, where he quad-stomped his way to victory against contenders Branch Warren and former champion Dexter ‘The Blade’ Jackson. With time to reflect on his illustrious career, Cutler relived that memorable contest in addition to discussing how his body has changed in retirement and whether he favors free weights or machines most.
Jay Cutler reflected on his 2009 Mr. Olympia success where he and his coach Hany Rambod underestimated just how great his physique truly was.
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“Before this show [2009 Mr. Olympia] this was the first year I worked with Hany and I said listen what do you think? And he said I don’t know, I don’t know what you’re going to look like. You have to see when you get up there. We were pretty confident the package would be enough. We underestimated how spectacular it was though” Jay Cutler said.
He knew he brought something special after the crowd responded to his presence on stage.
“Pretty much when I walked up I kind of knew. You can, usually by the crowd’s response, you can judge where you’re going to be and what the reaction is and when I came out, backstage, they were going bananas when I took my shirt off everybody was like what the hell? I knew I had something special.”
Taking a look at Derek Lunsford’s back shots on Instagram, Cutler said it reminded him of Dorian Yates when he guest posed alongside the legend in 1995.
“It threw me back to the time I was guest posing with Dorian Yates. This was ’95 in Hawaii. I remember I was guest posing and I remember I had to stand behind him when he was walking up to the stage and dude the back was just, you couldn’t even believe it.”
Next, Jay Cutler talked about which body parts have been the most challenging to maintain.
“The arms still have the size. The chest is still kind of there. The shoulders are gone, the back is gone. The legs are definitely I always have a little legs but it’s nothing like it was. I still get a good pump. I gave Neckzilla and Tim a little angle in that picture that I posted on Instagram.”
Jay Cutler shared that back when he competed, he mainly used free weights as machines had yet to become widely available at gyms.
“My training was basic old school, squats, and deadlifts, and t-bar rows, and dumbbell bench press or with barbells or whatever. We didn’t have the fancy machines.”
“I think it can lengthen someone’s career if they stay more to machines. You saw Phil Heath kind of build his physique using more machine work. I feel like a lot of this stuff.”
Though his workouts have changed from his heyday, Cutler is still a volume trainer and doesn’t lift heavy, which could be why he sports such impressive joint health.
“I have this argument with Milos all the time. He thinks machines you can get the best result also it’s just basically about triggering the muscle. Maybe that’s true, but I’m really glad I was in the era where I could really build the base and work on those core movements and really learn my body and learn the exercises that worked for me.”
“This is what I continue to do, I’m still a volume trainer, I don’t train super heavy like I said, it’s not necessarily the goal, but maybe that’s why my joints feel so good.”
When it comes to hitting the gym, no one knows workouts better than Jay Cutler. Even though Cutler is retired, that hasn’t stopped him from maintaining his shredded physique. Just recently he took on the fit-for-50 challenge before his birthday where he completely transformed his body. He unveiled his progress at the 2023 MuscleContest FitExpo guest posing, stunning fans and judges alike.
Jay Cutler shows no signs of slowing down as he continues to kill it inside the gym, offering athletes and fans insights on training and nutrition. With years of personal experience, his expertise is sought after, inspiring individuals to improve their overall well-being and health.
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