Jay Cutler Talks Mike Mentzer Quitting After losing to Arnold Schwarzenegger at 1980 Mr. Olympia
Bodybuilding icon Jay Cutler enjoyed one of the most successful careers in the sport before stepping away years ago. In a recent YouTube video, Cutler explored the history of bodybuilding, discussing the controversial 1980 Mr. Olympia that resulted in Mike Mentzer quitting the sport after Arnold Schwarzenegger took gold.
Jay Cutler first rose to prominence for his freakish muscle mass and size in the IFBB Pro League Men’s Open class in the late 90s and early 2000s. He won the 2002 Arnold Classic and racked up two successful title defenses to become a three-time champion. Between 2001 and 2005, Cutler placed runner-up at the Mr. Olympia competitions four times, falling short of the eight-time winner Ronnie Coleman on each occasion.
The pair developed a fierce rivalry and Cutler finally managed to knock Coleman off the top in 2006 to secure his maiden Sandow trophy. After getting dethroned by Dexter Jackson in 2008, Cutler pulled off a triumphant comeback and retired with four Mr. Olympia titles under his belt.
Cutler is celebrated for his insane longevity. He’s one of the few competitors to have retired without any major injuries and maintains a high level of fitness. Two months ago, Cutler shared his expertise on how to optimize rest time for building muscle. He suggested giving muscles at least 72 hours to recover when training with volume.
Jay Cutler laid out two of his favorite workouts for biceps and forearms last month. The training routine was focused on building the size of the forearms and the long head of the biceps. Then, he gave fans a look into his strenous chest workout plan that he used back in his prime.
Jay Cutler deep dives into bodybuilding history- Mike Mentzer quits due to Arnold Schwarzenegger
In a recent YouTube video, Jay Cutler explored the story of Mike Mentzer, who quit bodybuilding after losing the 1980 Mr. Olympia to Arnold Schwarzenegger.
“Mike Mentzer claims he should have won the 1980 Mr. Olympia in Sydney and Arnold won. They were talking about how controversial it was and he was saying how he quit bodybuilding after because he got fifth at that show and I did hear from people that were there that Mike should’ve won,” continued Cutler.
“He got into bodybuilding at 11, picked up a magazine, saw a photo, and he was hooked after that. He bodybuild for a while, he was great, competed for his first show at 18, did really well as a teenager but then he got injured. So, he stepped away from competition. Then, he ended up competing and did the Mr. America. Robbie Robinson was second and some Roy was first. Eventually, he leads to the Olympia stage. Back then they had over 200 and under. I believe he might have won the division but didn’t win the overall and the overall winner is the one that carried the title. It was Franco that year. So he may have won one of those.”
Cutler shed light on Mentzer’s brother Ray and opened up about the training methods he used in competition.
“I don’t know much about Ray Mentzer, his brother but unfortunately they passed away a year apart which is sad. I think Arnold was just so ahead of his time. I always wonder now, of course, I did the volume training, I’m healthy and I feel good but sometimes I’m like should I have tried different types of training? Because everyone’s body is a little different. I think sometimes I overtrained but nothing you can really do.”
Cutler talks about Sergio Oliva’s ban & loss to Schwarzenegger
Jay Cutler talked about the lack of elite competition Arnold faced at one of the Olympias in the early 70s after the banning of three-time Mr. Olympia Sergio Oliva.
“They were talking about Arnold and how he wasn’t contested in the early 70s, I forget what year it was, he had no one in the competition because Sergio got disqualified because they competed in some show like Bill Pearl and he wanted to go against him.
“He said after that politics were it but he was talking about his heavy duty training, how Lee Labrada endorsed it, David Dearth, Aaron Baker also said was an advocate of it.”
“He lost in 80 and then in 81, Franco won but Arnold promoted the show that year so Arnold was the actual promoter of the Olympia. So that was a different thing. I knew he promoted but he didn’t obviously continue so what does that tell you about promotions.”
“I was watching something else on Sergio Oliva and how he really should’ve won one year and Arnold actually admitted it. I think it was one of the early 70s show.”
Renowned bodybuilding guru Chris Aceto lauded Jay Cutler for his jacked physique even in his later years. However, Aceto doesn’t believe Cutler would be interested in making a comeback.
RELATED: Legendary Bodybuilder Mike Mentzer Talks Steroid Use In Recently Surfaced Video
Mike Mentzer might have retired, but will always be remembered in the sport for his incredible conditioning and work ethic. As for Cutler, he’s eying an appearance at the upcoming Masters Olympia this August.
You can watch the full video below.
