A bodybuilders the chest is your business card. There may be more impressive muscles individually – they say physical shows are won from behindfor example, but when you see a bodybuilder walking under the lights, his pecs draw attention like no other muscle.
Four-time Mr. Olympia winner jay cutler knew, and knows, a thing or two about training chest. In fact, his approach to everyone’s favorite international gym vacation might be what his workouts were missing.
This is one of Cutler’s basic chest workouts, posted by the same man on YouTube. He’ll also discover how to modify it to suit his needs, plus learn a thing or two about optimal chest workout.
Before starting
Take note: following your favorite bodybuilder’s training to the letter does not guarantee that you will become him. Whether it’s Cutler or another athlete, remember that There is much more going through the physical that they present that the trainings that they carry out.
Also, most bodybuilders don’t train the same way they did when they were starting their own fitness journeys. Copying a pro’s training can be a fun challenge for you, but remember to manage your expectations about what you’ll get from it.
Jay Cutler Chest Workout for Bodybuilding
At 45 years of age (at the time Cutler posted the workout in 2019), Cutler is long in his post-bodybuilding retirement. However, you wouldn’t be able to tell by looking at his training routines.
Although you notice that you no longer need to push your training intensity As hard as he would if he were in the running for a Sandow, Cutler is all about safe, heavy training to build consistency, and a pair of big pecs to boot.
The training
Cutler’s standard chest day it looks a bit different than what you might see in other places. With so many years of training under his belt, he’s not afraid to steer away from the “popular” moves and stick to exercises that are comfortable, reliable, and give him long-term chest improvement.
- Breeding donkey calves: 3×12
- Horizontal toe press: 3×12
- Hammer Strength Chest Press: 2 x 15 as a warm up, then 3 x 10-12
- Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 10-12 as a pyramid with ascending weight
- Nautilus Neutral Grip Chest Press: 3×10-12
- wire flight: 3×12-15
Right off the bat, you’ll notice that Cutler likes to start his chest workouts with a few calf training. This has a dual purpose: it works as a general pre-chest heating to increase core temperature and acclimatize you to the gym environment.
Also, putting the calves ahead of the chest (or any other body part) allows Cutler to prioritize them while he’s fresh, rather than relegating calf work to the background or adding it to the end of already grueling work. . leg day.
How to Modify Jay Cutler’s Chest Workout
To put it plainly, Cutler’s chest workout as written might not work for you. if it contains computer you don’t have access tomore volume than you’re used to, or you prefer to make your pecs explode without so much pressure, don’t worry.
You can still train like Cutler without copying his chest day rep-for-rep. Small modifications your approach can make the training more acceptable for your particular needs.
as a beginner
To say the quiet part out loud, you shouldn’t train like Jay Cutler if you’re new to weightlifting. However, it is great to have a role model or a goal that you aspire to and want to follow in their footsteps.
You can tweak Cutler’s chest day and make it something viable for a beginner while keeping the workout similar enough.
- Dumbbell bench press: 3×6-8
- Machine Chest press: 3×8-10
- Cable either Dumbbell fly: 2×12-15
Two presses and one overhead move align with Cutler’s preferred approach to developing his pecs. However, reduce volume and sticking to lower reps should make things much more suitable for a newcomer.
If you have a different team
cutler likes it mix up your pressing moves with a variety of different machines. Equipment you may not have access to in your own gym (or garage if train at home).
Fortunately, you can make a few substitutions and run a very similar workout even if you can’t get your hands on a Nautilus machine.
- Standing Dumbbell Calf Raise: 5×12
- Machine chest press: 3×10-12
- Dumbbell bench press: 3×10-12
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press: 3 x 10-12 as a pyramid with ascending weight
- Inclined Hex Press: 3×10-12
- Dumbbell fly: 3x 12-15
This Cutler chest day variation can be performed on almost any commercial gymor even at home if you have a good selection of dumbbells to work with.
Barring access to any type of plate or pin loaded machine, you can substitute the machine chest press for I’m asking or eliminate the move altogether.
To reduce the volume
high volume training It’s not for everyone. In fact, it’s not even the preferred training style of each Mr. Olympia competitor. But for Cutler, packing on the presses certainly works wonders.
If you want to try your training for size but can’t handle that many hard, high-rep sets, a little trimming around the edges should do the trick.
- Raising donkey calves: 2×12
- Horizontal toe press: 2×12
- Hammer Strength Chest Press: 1 x 15 as a warm up, then 3 x 10-12
- Dumbbell bench press: 3 x 10-12 as a pyramid with ascending weight
- wire fly: 2×15
By removing one of the three presses and cutting a set here and there, you can execute Cutler’s chest day without punishing yourself too much, and then add volume again as your tolerance builds.
Keep in mind, however, that reducing your exercise volume is not an excuse to take it easy in the gym. If you are doing less general work, make sure your effort is high and you’re not getting sand out of the weights you use.
Chest Training Tips from Jay Cutler
Providing step-by-step training is one thing. In his workout vlog, Cutler goes the extra mile to explain some of the guiding principles behind his approach to breast growth.
Keep in mind that these tips do not constitute Cutler’s entire approach to bodybuilding, nor will they necessarily work for you. They should at least provide some enlightening guide for you to use in your own workouts.
Get rid of the bar
Cutler comments that it’s been a long time since left the bar when it comes to training your chest:
“There is no such thing as a free weight barbell press. [in the workout], just for the safety factor…”, he points out. while there is nothing intrinsically Harmful for working with the bar, some lifters find it uncomfortable in the shoulders or elbows.
As such, Cutler prefers substitute dumbbells or machines instead. Dumbbells allow you to move your arms independently instead of being stuck with a fixed implement. Presses often have angled handles, which can be more comfortable to hold while pressing.
finish with flies
Your training is as good as your warm up, but the way you end your day is a close second. For Cutler, overhead moves are the best way to cap off a chest workout.
He comments that by finishing his session with cable flies, he can completely fatigue each fiber in his pecs due to the extreme range of motion and excessive stretching that comes with flies.
Whether you prefer to use cables or dumbbells, try adding a fly or crossover move to the end of your next chest workout and focus on stretching your pecs as much as possible as you lower the weights.
consistency over intensity
When preparing for a big competition like Mr. Olympia, Cutler was not shy about going hard and heavy during his workouts.
Outside of extreme circumstances, he speaks to the merits of consistency over intensity in the gym. Continuing to lift weights well into his 40s, Cutler knows a thing or two about taking his workouts in stride.
[Related: The Most Aesthetic Bodybuilders to Ever Compete]
Remember that there is a time and a place for maximum intensity. You don’t need to strive for a new bench press personal record every time you step foot in the gym. Rack up a lot of high-quality workouts, even if you have to adjust your weights or take it easy, it will produce better long-term results, says Cutler.
Who is Jay Cutler?
Even if you don’t know his name, you’d probably recognize his physique if you followed the sport of bodybuilding, and for good reason. Born in 1973, Cutler quickly rose to the pinnacle of competitive bodybuilding in the late 1990s and mid-2000s.
Cutler is as pure a rags-to-riches bodybuilding story as it gets. Despite few starting positions in major competitions, his rise from the middle of the pack in competitions such as the Olympia to Sandow himself, a trophy he successfully defended several times:
Jay Cutler at the Mr. Olympia Bodybuilding Competition
- 1999 Mr. Olympia — 14
- 2000 Mr. Olympia — 8
- 2001 Mr. Olympia — 2nd
- 2003 – 2005 Mr. Olympia — 2nd
- 2006, 2007 Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 2008 Mr. Olympia — 2nd
- 2009, 2010 Mr. Olympia — 1st
- 2011 Mr. Olympia — 2nd
- 2013 Mr. Olympia — 6th
Cutler’s rise in the sport was more than most competitors could have asked for. He fought for years to dethrone the eight-time Olympia winner (and arguable bodybuilding GOAT) Ronnie Coleman before finally finding success in 2006.
[Related: Phil Heath vs. Kai Greene + Nine Other Bodybuilding Rivalries That Changed Everything]
His most impressive achievement, however, is probably the fact that Cutler is the only male bodybuilder to successfully regain the Olympia title after losing it to another athlete. its history posing routine at the 2009 Mr. Olympia cemented Cutler as one of the greats.
Chest like Cutler
Most fitness enthusiasts don’t need an excuse to do their chest workout a priority. Even if you’re already obsessed with growing your pecsIt doesn’t hurt to learn from the best in the business.
With four Olympia titles to his name, Cutler definitely knows a thing or two about what it takes to build your chest. Give his training (or a slight variation) a try and see for yourself.
Featured Image: @jaycutler on Instagram
