Bodybuilding legend Jay Cutler did not lose his passion for fitness after moving on from professional competition years ago. During his career, he battled it out with several notable names such as Australian bodybuilding veteran Lee Priest. In a recent episode of RxMuscle, Priest shared his thoughts on potentially facing Jay Cutler on stage in a guest-posing appearance at the 2023 Masters Olympia and called for a ‘Golden Era seminar.’
Jay Cutler made a name for himself with his insane muscle mass, size, and conditioning in the IFBB Pro League Men’s Open class. He won the Arnold Classic title three times and found Olympia glory in 2006 after placing second four times. His last appearance came at the 2013 Mr. Olympia, where he finished sixth and hung up his posing trunks as a four-time champion. He continued to work out regularly and stay in stellar shape post-retirement.
After an 11-year hiatus, the Masters Olympia is set to make a comeback on Aug. 25-27 in Cluj Napoca, Romania. The competition was started in 1994 to provide older bodybuilders an opportunity to showcase their talents in front of fans and vie for the title. Robby Robinson created history by winning the inaugural event whereas Vince Taylor etched his name in the record books with six titles under his belt. The show’s last edition was won by Dexter Jackson in 2012.
Given the impressive package Cutler boasts, there were rumors about his return to action for the upcoming 2023 Masters Olympia. He’s looking to level up his fitness game for his own ‘Fit for 50’ body transformation challenge. He laid out his ambitions in the gym and believes he could achieve them with proper nutrition, diet, and only using TRT (testosterone replacement therapy) last month. However, he later shut the door on competing again.
Lee Priest opened up on the possibility of signing up for the event earlier this year. As much as he would’ve liked to compete, Priest revealed he would not be able to due to his chest atrophy and other health challenges.
Jay Cutler and IFBB head judge Steve Weinberger announced the full roster of all 10 divisions for the contest a few weeks ago. Former 212 Olympia champion Kamal Elgargni goes into the show as the betting favorite to win the Open title. Following the announcement, Priest called on the organizers to revamp the eligibility criteria and raise the qualification age to 50+ instead of 40.
Lee Priest talks about chances of guest-posing against Jay Cutler at the 2023 Masters Olympia
In a recent YouTube video, Lee Priest shared his thoughts on potentially going against Jay Cutler in a guest-posing appearance at the 2023 Masters Olympia.
Priest believes Cutler would rather do a guest-posing showing instead of competing.
“He did say he might take his shirt off, joked around about guest posing that he might take his shirt off but he said he’s definitely not competing,” said Priest. “But he said he could take his shirt off and maybe guest pose or something like that. I’d say it could be more of that than competing again.”
When asked if he would pose next to Cutler, Priest voiced his hesitation and seemed to be against the prospect.
“I don’t get invited to go anywhere. It’s a bit late now I haven’t got much prep time. My birthday’s coming up in July. I’ll be 51.”
Priest calls for a ‘Golden Era seminar’ with Cutler
The 50-year-old suggested hosting a similar event where competitors of yesteryears could pose in front of fans without the pressure of competition.
“I always said, you get a good promoter, if you had like Kevin, Flex, get in shape or like you did back then like you have Jay now, you could probably have Victor, myself, a few who could over 12-16 weeks get in decent shape. I say don’t compete just have them do a golden era seminar where they do a seminar and a bit of posing would be great.”
Lee Priest offered some of his best tips on effectively performing bicep preacher curls to maximize pump using different rep ranges, equipment, and grip variations two months ago. He followed up by revealing the difference in his training and diet from when he was in his 20s to now at the age of 50.
2023 Masters Olympia will feature Michelle Brent, a 65-year-old bodybuilder with over 36 years of experience. Hidetada Yamagishi will also be in attendance as a frontrunner for the title.
Jay Cutler opened up on his ambitions to lower his body fat to six to eight percent for the body transformation challenge earlier this month. He showed off his shredded package in a physique update two weeks ago and provided another jacked update where he weighed 240 pounds days later.
Whether Cutler competes at the show or not, a guest-posing appearance would send fans into a frenzy over witnessing the iconic competitor take to the stage again.