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I’m an ageing bodybuilder who is returning to the stage in my 50s – here are my 10 rules for ‘never-ending growth’
A LEGENDARY bodybuilder who has not competed for the past decade is hitting the stage once again now that he is in his 50s.
Jay Cutler, who holds four Mr Olympia titles, may have been out of the spotlight but he has not compromised is fitness and shape and has revealed his 10 rules for “never-ending growth”.
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Rumours swirled last year that he would take part in Master’s Olympia 2023 but he squashed those.
However, in a recent interview on his own channel JayCutler TV he told fans they would see him at the event.
Jay won’t be a participant but will be there as a guest.
Even though he has retired he has still continued to train and stay in shape.
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The 49-year-old said he planned on sharing his “fit in 50s” journey via his YouTube channel and hopes to inspire others to stay fit.
He said: “I think I’m actually going to document this for YouTube, and I’m actually going to show my body in the poses as we lead up, wow… like I want to strip down.”
Jay promised fans he would share glimpses of his body every week.
Master’s Olympia is a prestigious bodybuilding competition that offers another chance to old bodybuilders to compete.
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It is set to return in August 2023 after an 11-year hiatus.
Jay revealed his 10 most fundamental rules for maximising your physical potential to .
Use what works
Don’t bother with exotic exercises or using gimmicky equipment.
Focus on doing a lot of bench presses, squats, rows, pullover, press-downs and preacher curls.
According to Jay, these six movements are almost foolproof mass-gain tools.
To get the best gains, he recommends a rep range of between eight and 12.
Add sets, not reps
Conventional thinking is that larger body parts need 12-16 sets of work in order to grow, but Jay takes a different approach.
Jay often performs 3-4 times that number of sets for a given body part, while never reaching failure.
He says he prefers to go heavy for fewer reps but add more sets.
Rest
It’s important to get proper rest in between workouts and give your body a chance to fully recover.
While Jay insists on getting enough rest between sessions for the same body part, he acknowledges this is different for most people.
What doesn’t change is the importance of getting plenty of sleep.
He said: “I need to make sure I get enough sleep. That’s the most important thing.”
Don’t rest too much when it counts
Jay rarely rests longer than a minute, even on his heaviest sets and believes this helps him stay in shape.
A study from the College of New Jersey found that when men bench pressed with just 30 seconds of rest between sets, they burned more than 50 per cent more calories during the workout than when the rested for three minutes.
Another study from the University of Southern California published in the European Journal of Applied Physiology found that men who rested for one minute between sets built more strength and size than men who rested for four minutes.
Double up where you need it
Jay has often hit a body part twice in a week, if he feels the need.
He is known for committing to twice-per-week back sessions, but with a different focus.
Once focuses on vertical pulls and deadlifts, while other is heavy on horizontal pulls.
Assess, then reassess
Bodybuilders have to ruthlessly critique their physiques.
Jay competed in six Mr Olympia competitions before he finally won and he told bodybuilding that it was what he learned from losing that eventually allowed him to win.
At the time, he realised his back and legs needed more fine-tuning so he adjusted his training to go harder, heavier and more often on those muscle groups.
Jay said bodybuilders need to attack their weaknesses head on.
Trust your machine
There is a mountain of bodybuilding information out there about weight loads, volume, frequency, training times and advanced techniques.
Jay though uses how he feels as his primary guide.
He said: “I train whenever my body feels ready to train,” and ignores the science saying that late-day training yields better results.
Don’t be afraid to improvise
When training you might have planned six sets of squats but after four your legs have turned to jelly – Jay says to do what you have to do and ignore what you’re “supposed” to do.
Although he said it was important to have a plan, he warned not to be consumed with the routine so that you can’t improvise.
His approach is to keep things fun and interesting in the gym, which has ultimately kept him returning over the years.
Eat like a champ
Even if you don’t want to be Mr Olympia you can still get tremendous changes in your body, health and performance by taking a winning approach to your food both at home and work.
Jay said: “I tell people to put as much effort into their diet as they do into their weight training.”
No matter what your goal is, eating the correct amount of calories for your particular goals will give you new and drastic changes to your body.
Quad-centrate
While Jay recommends training for balance he believes there is no substitute for a “monster” set of quads.
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Going through the motions with a few sets of squats, then skipping over to the leg extension machine won’t cut it.
Jay’s quad routine incudes those staples but also adds the leg press, hack squat, front squat and walking lunges.
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