Jay Cutler is a well known American professional bodybuilder who is considered one of the most successful professional bodybuilders in the world.
In this article we will discuss exactly how much dedication it takes to become one of the true greats in bodybuilding. It will include Jay Cutler’s Workout Program, his diet plan and what supplementation he used to separate him from the rest of the field.
Before I dive into training programs and diet plans I am going to tell you some background information about the man himself.
Introduction to Jay Cutler: The Comeback Kid
Jay cutler was born on August 3, 1973, in Sterling, Massachusetts and has dedicated his entire adult life to bodybuilding.
Cutler began his bodybuilding career in the 1990s and quickly rose through the ranks, eventually becoming one of the top bodybuilders in the world. He earned his IFBB (International Federation of Bodybuilding & Fitness) professional card in 1996.
His dedication to the sport won him four Mr. Olympia titles during his career, in 2006, 2007, 2009, and 2010. This made him one of the few individuals to have held this prestigious title multiple times.
He was well known for his impressive muscle size and symmetry. He was a consistent presence in bodybuilding competitions, and his rivalry with other top bodybuilders, such as Ronnie Coleman and Dexter Jackson, remains one of the greatest moments in the sport.
Outside of bodybuilding, Cutler has been involved in various business ventures related to fitness and nutrition. He has worked as a personal trainer and fitness consultant and has also written books about bodybuilding and fitness.
In 2013, Cutler officially announced his retirement from professional bodybuilding, after having a successful and influential career that lasted for over a decade. Despite retiring from bodybuilding competition, Cutler remains part of the bodybuilding scene and has his own range of bodybuilding supplements ‘Cutler Nutrition.’
So, what does it take to get to the top of the bodybuilding industry? Let’s take a look at Jay Cutler’s workout program and find out.
Breaking Down the Jay Cutler’s Workout Program
Jay Cutler used many different workout programs throughout his long career and changed his workouts to suit his competitive schedule.
Before competition he would focus on what areas of his physique he needed to improve and work his training around it. Despite changing his workouts throughout his career, he primarily trained using high volume, meaning he did lots of sets of multiple muscle groups per workout.
High volume training was popularized by one of the greatest and well known bodybuilders of all time, Arnold Schwarzenegger. It is a widely used method for building muscle mass and is referred to as the body part (BRO) split.
Here is what a body part split looks like:
- Day 1: Chest
- Day 2: Back
- Day 3: Arms
- Day 4: Rest and Recovery
- Day 5: Shoulders
- Day 6: Legs
- Day 7: Rest and Recovery
Dedicating one session to each muscle group, meant that Cutler could train with huge volume and allow plenty of time for recovery, as each muscle group was only worked once per week.
Jay Cutler Workout Program
Monday: Chest
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscles Worked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Incline Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 | Chest, Shoulders, Triceps |
| Incline Dumbbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 | Chest, Shoulders, Triceps |
| Machine Pec Deck | 3 | 8-12 | Chest, Front Shoulders |
| Dumbbell Fly | 3 | 8-12 | Chest, Shoulders |
| Barbell Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 | Chest, Shoulders, Triceps |
| Cable Crossover | 3 | 8-12 | Chest, Front Shoulders |
| Dumbbell Pullover | 3 | 8-12 | Chest, Back, Shoulders |
Tuesday: Back
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscles Worked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Nautilus Pullover | 3 | 8-12 | Latissimus Dorsi, Upper Back |
| Lat Pulldown (Wide Grip) | 3 | 8-12 | Latissimus Dorsi, Upper Back |
| Hammer Strength Low Row | 3 | 8-12 | Middle and Lower Back, Biceps |
| Lat Pulldown (Underhand Grip) | 3 | 8-12 | Latissimus Dorsi, Biceps |
| Barbell Bent-Over Row | 3 | 8-12 | Middle and Lower Back, Biceps |
| Seated Cable Row (Neutral Grip) | 3 | 8-12 | Middle and Lower Back, Biceps |
| Seated Cable Row (Overhand Grip) | 3 | 8-12 | Middle and Lower Back, Biceps |
| 45-Degree Back Extension | 3 | 8-12 | Lower Back, Glutes, Hamstrings |
Wednesday: Arms
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscles Worked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Rope Pushdown | 3 | 8-12 | Triceps |
| Close Grip Bench Press | 3 | 8-12 | Triceps, Chest, Shoulders |
| Triceps Pushdown (Straight Bar) | 3 | 8-12 | Triceps |
| Overhead Dumbbell Triceps Extension | 3 | 8-12 | Triceps, Shoulders |
| Single-Arm Cable Pushdown (Underhand Grip) | 3 | 8-12 | Triceps |
| Barbell Biceps Curl | 3 | 8-12 | Biceps |
| Alternating Hammer Curls | 3 | 8-12 | Biceps, Forearms |
| Single-Arm Machine Preacher Curls | 3 | 8-12 | Biceps |
| Alternating Dumbbell Curls | 3 | 8-12 | Biceps, Forearms |
| Reverse Curl | 3 | 8-12 | Forearms, Biceps (Secondary) |
Thursday: Rest and Recovery
Friday: Shoulders and Calves
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscles Worked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Seated Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 3 | 8-12 | Shoulders, Lateral Deltoids |
| Seated Dumbbell Overhead Press | 3 | 8-12 | Shoulders, Front Deltoids |
| Cable Lateral Raise | 3 | 8-12 | Shoulders, Lateral Deltoids |
| Alternating Dumbbell Front Raise | 3 | 8-12 | Shoulders, Front Deltoids |
| Reverse Peck Deck | 3 | 8-12 | Rear Deltoids |
| Bent-Over Rear Delt Fly | 3 | 8-12 | Rear Deltoids, Upper Back |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 8-12 | Calves (Gastrocnemius) |
| Donkey Calf Raise | 3 | 8-12 | Calves (Gastrocnemius) |
| Seated Calf Raise | 3 | 8-12 | Calves (Soleus) |
Saturday: Quads and Hamstrings
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscles Worked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Leg Extension | 3 | 8-12 | Quadriceps (Front Thigh) |
| Leg Press | 3 | 8-12 | Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes |
| Machine Hack Squat | 3 | 8-12 | Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes |
| Barbell Lunges | 3 | 8-12 | Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes |
| Smith Machine Front Squat | 3 | 8-12 | Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes |
| Seated Leg Curl (Machine) | 3 | 8-12 | Hamstrings |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 3 | 8-12 | Hamstrings |
| Supine Leg Curl (Machine) | 3 | 8-12 | Hamstrings |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 8-12 | Hamstrings, Lower Back, Glutes |
| Kneeling Leg Curl (Machine) | 3 | 8-12 | Hamstrings |
Sunday: Rest and Recovery
In addition to the workouts above, Cutler also trained his abs 2-3 times a week, usually after his early morning cardio session.
Jay Cutler’s ab workout looked like this:
| Exercise | Sets | Reps | Muscles Worked |
|---|---|---|---|
| Crunch Machine | 3 | 12-20 | Rectus Abdominis (Upper and Middle) |
| Cable Crunch | 3 | 12-20 | Rectus Abdominis (Upper and Middle) |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3 | 12-20 | Lower Abs, Rectus Abdominis |
| Leg Lifts | 3 | 12-20 | Lower Abs, Rectus Abdominis |
So, what does Cutler eat to fuel such an intense workout program? Let’s have a look into Jay Cutler’s meal plan and find out.
The Jay Cutler’s Meal Plan: Fuelling the Machine
Jay Cutler’s meal plan consists of 9 meals. He plans his meals into regular intervals so that he can cover his large daily calorie intake of 4700 calories.
| Meal | Food and Quantity |
|---|---|
| 1 | 2 Whole Eggs, 1 Scoop of Whey Protein Powder, 2 Cups of Egg Whites, 2 Slices of Ezekiel Bread, 2 Packs of Oatmeal |
| 2 | 2 Cups of Brown Rice, 12 Ounces Chicken |
| 3 | 1 Scoop of Pre-Workout Muscle Building Powder, 1 Scoop of Amino Acid Powder |
| 4 | 1 Scoop of Muscle Enhancing Powder |
| 5 | 1 Scoop of Post-Workout Muscle Building Powder, 2 Scoops of BCAA for Muscle Recovery |
| 6 | 3 Scoops of Whey Protein Powder, 60 ounces of Gatorade |
| 7 | 14 Ounces Chicken, 12 Ounces of Sweet Potato |
| 8 | 12 Ounces of Chicken, 2 Cups of Brown Rice |
| 9 | 6 Ounces Beef Filet, 2 Cups of Broccoli |
Jay Cutler’s diet plan is tailored to his specific nutritional needs and training regimen. He is a huge man weighing around 290lbs meaning he requires a large amount of food to maintain and build muscle. This amount of food is not suitable for an average bodybuilder.
Jay Cutler’s Supplements
Jay Cutler is very particular about his supplement regime and only trusts tested supplements.
Here are the supplements Cutler uses:
Whey Protein: All professional body builders use whey protein in their bodybuilding regimen. It aids in building lean muscles and muscle recovery.
Pre-Workout: A pre-workout is a way to boost your energy and increase performance during your workout by boosting energy, strength and stamina.
BCAA’S: Branched chain amino acids (BCAA’s) are made up of three essential amino acids: leucine, isoleucine, and valine. They help increase muscle growth and enhance exercise performance.
Creatine: Creatine is widely used in the bodybuilding industry. It is one of the most popular and effective supplements for enhancing exercise performance.
Amino Acids: Our body can produce 10 out of the 20 amino acids required to build muscle. We can get the remaining 10 amino acids from supplements.
I don’s know the exact brand of the supplements that Cutler used but I have some recommendations for you. I have done a lot of research and testing on some of the supplements that Cutler used and written a review on the best product for each supplement.
Here are the best products based on my studies:
Best Whey Protein: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre Workout Powder
Best Pre-Workout: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard Pre Workout Powder
Best BCAA’s: Optimum Nutrition Gold Standard BCAA Train + Sustain
Best Creatine: Warrior Micronized Creatine Monohydrate Powder
Best Amino Acids: Bulk Pure L-Glutamine Powder
Conclusion: Cutler’s Impact on Bodybuilding
Jay Cutler is a well known American professional bodybuilder who is considered one of the most successful professional bodybuilders in the world, after winning 4 Mr Olympia’s.
He primarily trained using the body part (BRO) split, using extremely high volume and allowing plenty of time for muscle recovery. To aid recovery he consumes a large daily calorie intake of 4700 calories, which he splits into 9 meals.
Cutler’s training volume, would be very hard to match but his training approach could be just what you need if things like working to failure and other high-intensity methods leave you feeling sore or injured.
If you have any question, leave a comment in the comments section below and I will reply as soon as possible.