Phil Heath and Jay Cutler, who boast 11 Mr. Olympia titles combined, joined hands for a pump-inducing workout. On April 21, 2025, they pushed each other through a chest and triceps training session, offering tips and insights along the way.
During the 2000s, Cutler was a trailblazer in the Open category. He dethroned Ronnie Coleman in 2006, setting the table for a dominant dynasty. However, in 2008, he fell short of gold to Dexter Jackson. In the ultimate act of vengeance, Cutler returned with his all-time best physique in ’09 to recapture Olympia gold.
Heath routinely squared off against Cutler in his prime. By 2011, he picked up the sport’s ultimate crown, thanks to his cartoonish muscle volume. Before calling it a career, he collected seven Mr. Olympia titles. With both men in perfect health in retirement, they rejoined each other for an intense workout.
Phil Heath and Jay Cutler Team Up to Build Monstrous Chests and Triceps
These were the exercise selections featured in Heath’s recent YouTube video:
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- Incline Chest Press Machine
- Vertical Chest Press Machine
- Cable Fly
- Rope Triceps Pushdown
- Triceps Extension Machine
Incline Chest Press Machine
Heath revealed that growing his chest took time and became one of his best body parts years into his career.
“I’m working on Panatta for the first time,” shared Cutler. “I’ve never used this before.”
“You think chest was one of your best body parts?” asks Cutler.
“Later on,” replied Heath. “Yeah, that’s why I used those different grips. That inner grip, it didn’t affect it [triceps stimulation]. I think so [different variations help].”
Vertical Chest Press Machine
They discussed ideal resting periods next. Cutler shared that he doesn’t perform as many chest workout sets as Heath, but can finish up sessions in around 20 minutes.
“How long do you rest in between?” asks Heath.
“I rest 45-60 seconds in between when I’m not training that heavy. So I can do a chest workout in probably 20 minutes, depending on how many I do,” shares Cutler. “I don’t do as many [sets], but I still like to do four variations.”
Cable Fly
Cutler explained that they stuck with the pulleys at forehead height for cable flyes.
“We’re going to do some cable flys. A lot of people have different theories on how we’re going to adjust these. We’re going to do them at probably forehead height, step in. I feel a really good pump right now. I’m just following your lead, you’re Mr. Olympia seven times, I’m a four-time Mr. Olympia, so it doesn’t matter.”
Rope Triceps Pushdown
Heath revealed that he hasn’t gotten a pump with Cutler in about 10 years.
“We haven’t been in this environment actually with a pump in almost what, 10 years,” shares Heath.
“We’re actually looking around right now and we don’t have a whole bunch of people staring and watching, unless they are behind us watching,” laughs Cutler.
Triceps Extension Machine
Before hitting their final movement, Cutler and Heath discussed the value of partials in their routines.
“I was always more explosive, and I don’t want to call it sloppy training, but to trigger those certain fibers I felt like the tempo determines the fibers that you hit. I see so many theories on training now that didn’t exist when we were doing it. It was just okay, move the weight. It’s just like doing partials. Is there science to prove partials do anything? But we did them.”
Heath agreed that they helped him throughout his career.
“I think they do for certain movements like the different degrees of leg extensions, for instance. You can target this part upper, lower, or this part, so that makes sense. Same with arms, that’s why people do 21s.”
Since Heath’s retirement, many bodybuilders, including Jay Cutler, have suggested that Derek Lunsford has replicated his ‘3D’ look. Interestingly, Lunsford, at the time, was guided by Heath’s former bodybuilding coach, Hany Rambod, who no longer trains top-tier IFBB Pros in his spare time.
It’s been over 10 years since Heath and Cutler got a pump together. Even with their posing trunks hung on each of their mantles, it’s clear their competitive rivalry still exists.
RELATED: 7x Mr. Olympia Phil Heath Shares Best Strategy for Building Cartoonish 3D Delts
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