Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler is still processing the epic results of the 2024 Mr. Olympia in between training sessions. In a recent video shared via YouTube on October 23, 2024, Cutler recapped the memorable event and gave his workout blueprint for growing huge shoulders.
History was made at the annual Joe Weider’s Olympia Fitness & Performance Weekend. Despite Derek Lunsford and Hadi Choopan entering the prestigious event as on-paper favorites, it was Samson Dauda who prevailed with an all-time best look. In the end, Dauda won a staggering $600,000 in prize money, the biggest pot awarded in the sport’s history.
Choopan and Lunsford took spots two and three. With that in mind, the Men’s Open landscape underwent massive changes. Some competitors like Andrew Jacked, believe Dauda’s triumph ushered in a new era of bodybuilding, where taller athletes now have the advantage on the sport’s greatest stage. Having held the Mr. Olympia title for four years, Cutler is now recapping the dramatic event but first, walked fans through his shoulder-building workout.
Jay’s Thoughts on Athletes Jumping Into 2025 Arnold Classic Post-Olympia for Life-Changing Prize Money
Cutler recapped Samson Dauda’s career-defining 2024 Mr. Olympia victory, touching on Hadi Choopan and Derek Lunsford falling to second and third place.
“Samson won. Samson was the best guy that day. Derek Lunsford was not at his best. Hadi was not at his best. It all comes down to that day. Shows are judged according to how you look on that stage. Samson looked tremendous. He’s been knocking at the door, this is no slouch,” explains Cutler.
In addition, Cutler was impressed with the physiques presented by Andrew Jacked and Hunter Labrada.
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Andrew Jacked finished fifth, he’s great. Hunter Labrada man, he looked a little sharper at prejudging Friday night. Saturday he came back, maybe other guys improved but I think he has the ability,” he shared.
He also discussed bodybuilders turning around to perform at the 2025 Arnold Classic, which is offering $500,000 to its Open winner.
“A lot of them are rolling right into the Arnold. The Arnold is giving away $500,000 for first place. For you guys that don’t recall, I won $100,000 when I was winning my three Arnold Classics and an H2 Hummer those three years. And I thought those were great prizes, the watches and everything else, let’s just call it $200,000.
It’s $500 grand up for grabs! $500 grand is life-changing, $500 grand in one paycheck. You can do so much with that even with how the world is today with inflation and everything else, that check can change people’s lives.”
Jay Cutler Shares Workout Blueprint for Building Huge Shoulders
Find his exercise selections below:
- Shoulder Press
- Side Laterals with Dumbbells
- Front Raise Incline Bench
- Rear Cable Fly
- Reverse Pec Deck
Shoulder Press
Cutler used his time shoulder pressing to share insight into how to master form and execution.
“We all have our style. This is not to say this is the exact form you’re supposed to use but I like to show what’s real, how I train. If you look at all my videos, you see the consistency,” says Cutler.
Side Laterals with Dumbbells
Cutler built his side delts with dumbbell side lateral raises and mentioned that he used a little body English.
“A little swing to the body, I’m not going to lie. I’m going to roll through these. I’m going to do one more set of 40s and probably going to work my way up, probably do 45s. I’m being conscious of who’s behind me right now at the gym I train at, like I said it’s pretty quiet. I’m really just trying to feel that side delt right now.”
Front Raise Incline Bench
Keeping the chest up, Cutler performed front raises on the incline bench using 45-pound dumbbells.
“This is going to be a front raise on the incline bench. So, I’m going to do something different, you guys have seen me do a bunch of barbells but I’m actually going to use dumbbells again. I’m going to maybe do 45s.”
“Chest up,” advises Cutler.
Rear Cable Fly
If your goal is wide shoulders, Cutler believes the rear cable fly is one of the best movements for growth.
“We always talk about the side movements, people talk about their delts but what you don’t realize is when you stand to the front, yeah the sides, the development is there, but you don’t realize that rear. I’m going to accentuate, if those rear delts are popping it’s going to give you that much more width.”
Reverse Pec Deck
He prefers to use the reverse pec deck last, advocating for constant tension throughout the movement.
“I think a lot of times when I actually do this, I’ll do these last. There’s a couple different variations of this in there. I’m going to stick to the same weight. Remember, I’m coming back to here really just keeping that constant tension. You’ll see me pause on a couple reps because I’m locking myself back in, engaging the muscle. I’m not afraid to do that.”
All eyes are on the next Arnold Classic event in Columbus, Ohio. The Men’s Open roster is slowly materializing. As of this writing, Samson Dauda, Andrew Jacked, and Nathan De Asha have all announced plans to enter the second biggest bodybuilding gathering of the year.
At 51 years old, Jay Cutler’s longevity and workout demonstrations continue to serve the bodybuilding community. While the Men’s Open has changed significantly since he last competed, his insights into the sport are second to none.
Watch the full video from the JayCutlerTV YouTube channel below:
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