4x Mr. Olympia Champion Jay Cutler’s Updated Arm Training Is Worth Trying
After a few days at the Mega Fit Meals headquarters in Benton, Kentucky, four-time Mr. Olympia champion Jay Cutler returned home to Las Vegas for the holidays. He laid out his Mega Fit meal collection there and outlined his arm training in a new vlog.
Cutler stirred up a “Thavage” bowl, named by six-time, reigning Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead, for his pre-workout meal. It features lean ground bison and roasted sweet potatoes. Cutler rotates that with his namesake cuisines, the “Jay Cutler Signature” and “Sloppy Jay’s.” They fuel his workouts like his updated arm training that his Mr. Olympia successor.
Jay Cutler’s Mr. “O” Arm Workout
- Machine Preacher Curl
- One-Arm Reverse Cable Pressdown: 2 sets, 14 reps
- Machine Triceps Pressdown: 15 reps
- Cable two-arm Pressdown: 3 sets, 10+ reps
- Dumbbell Overhead Triceps Extension: 3 sets, 12 reps
- Alternating Biceps Curl: 12 reps
- Spider Curl: 12 reps
- Machine Preacher Curl
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Triceps Pressdowns Like “The Gift”
Cutler credited seven-time Mr. Olympia champ Phil “The Gift” Heath for inspiring his inclusion of one-arm reverse-grip cable pushdowns. “Try this to tighten up the triceps,” Cutler recommended. Using lighter weights, he bent forward and flexed fully by extending his arms through his full range of motion.
Best Triceps Movements for Mass
Cutler swapped to long bar pressdowns, his primary mass-builder; using the unconventional form of leaning over the bar with a wide grip and flaring his elbows in a split stance. “Critics say it’s wrong, but these arms speak for themselves,” the legend asserted.
- Pro tip: Keep the head forward to press symmetrically.
A key variation involves leaning back on a slightly inclined bench while standing with a pair of dumbbells overhead. This achieves a better triceps stretch during overhead extensions, and maximizing the stretch grows the triceps significantly. (1)
Cutler’s Favorite Curl & Spiders for the Win
Cutler replicated the growth stimulus with alternating dumbbell curls slightly reclined — his go-to biceps movement. “I focus on the contraction; it’s a very short motion to get the pump,” he demonstrated, not curling to the top to maintain tension.
“This is one of the main exercises when training for the Olympia. From day one, I preferred dumbbells.” Cutler uses momentum and full arm extension. Avoiding long pauses with minimal to no tension on a muscle optimizes gains. (2)
Cutler recommends spider curls with Fat Gripz thicker and wider arms. The thicker handle stimulates the brachialis — the separate upper arm muscle beneath and alongside the biceps and the anterior-lateral forearms. “In 2009, this was a major exercise. I brought that balance back to hit a front double biceps pose,” Cutler shared.
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References
- Maeo, S., Wu, Y., Huang, M., Sakurai, H., Kusagawa, Y., Sugiyama, T., Kanehisa, H., & Isaka, T. (2023). Triceps brachii hypertrophy is substantially greater after elbow extension training performed in the overhead versus neutral arm position. European journal of sport science, 23(7), 1240–1250. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2022.2100279
- Goto, K., Ishii, N., Kizuka, T., & Takamatsu, K. (2005). The impact of metabolic stress on hormonal responses and muscular adaptations. Medicine and science in sports and exercise, 37(6), 955–963.
Featured image: @jaycutler on Instagram
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