The Story Behind Jay Cutler’s Iconic Quad Stomp
Four-time Mr. Olympia champion Jay Cutler is one of the most decorated bodybuilders of all time. His quad stomp pose at the 2009 Olympia is among the most iconic in the sport’s history. Gyms around the world have murals dedicated to the quad stomp.
Competitive bodybuilding is all about physique aesthetics. Judges reward athletes with the best shape, size, conditioning, symmetry, and balance. However, a critical aspect is often overlooked — posing. You could have the best size, separation, and lines, but the chances of winning the gold medal are bleak if you lack the skills to present your physique.
Arnold Schwarzenegger’s three-quartern turn and double straight arm pose, Sergio Oliva’s victory pose, Bob Pari’s kneeling pose, Flex Wheeler’s full splits, and Frank Zane’s vacuum pose are some of the most iconic poses. However, none of these poses are as dominating as the quad stomp.
Cutler’s quad stomp at the 2009 Olympia was much more than a bodybuilding pose; it was a statement from the two-time O champ that he had returned to reclaim what was rightfully his. His message was heard — loud and clear.
Interestingly, the quad stomp was not a planned pose. Plus, it was not as innovative as the other iconic poses mentioned above. Technically, the quad stomp is a variation of the abs and thigh pose. But it isn’t the pose itself that made it so special. The moment, the context, the intensity, and Cutler himself made it one of the most special poses ever.
Jay Cutler’s Success Story
The quad stomp is not just another pose — it is an emotion and a declaration. To understand the quad stomp, you must know Cutler’s story.
Cutler earned his IFBB Pro card by winning the Heavyweight Division at the National Physique Committee (NPC) Nationals in 1996 at the age of 23. The Massachusetts native entered his first pro show in 1997 — Night of Champions. Cutler had placed 12th at his debut pro show, while his future arch-rival Ronnie Coleman claimed the gold medal.
Coleman would place ninth at the 1997 Olympia, a three-place drop from his 1996 performance. However, the upper echelons of pro bodybuilding were up for a major rejig that year as Dorian Yates retired after winning his sixth-consecutive Sandow trophy.
Although most bodybuilding stakeholders expected Flex Wheeler to take the reigns at the 1998 Olympia, Coleman pulled off one of the biggest upsets in bodybuilding history to claim his maiden Sandow trophy. “The King” had placed ninth at the 1997 Olympia.
Cutler qualified for his first Olympia in 1999 and placed 14th out of the 16 contestants, whereas Coleman successfully defended his Olympia throne.
The lackluster performance at the 1999 Olympia didn’t dissuade Cutler. He claimed his maiden pro show win in 2000 — the Night of Champions. Many thought life had come full circle for Cutler, who won the Night of Champions four years after making his pro debut at the same show. However, no one could have imagined it was just the beginning and that the blonde-haired bodybuilder would win the coveted Sandow trophy four times. With the momentum behind him, Cutler entered the 2000 Olympia and jumped to the eighth spot.
First of Many
Cutler’s career took an upward trajectory after 2000. His physique had improved leaps and bounds after the Olympia, and bodybuilding fans expected him to break into the top five at the 2001 Olympia. However, Cutler almost pulled a Coleman on Coleman himself and took home a silver medal, beating bodybuilding veterans like Kevin Levrone and Shawn Ray. Ray would retire after the 2001 O.
Cutler holds an undesirable record. He has the most second-place finishes in Olympia history — six. Levrone comes in second with his four silver medals.
Although Cutler secured a second-place finish in his third Olympia outing, everything didn’t go in his favor. He was disqualified because of a failed diuretics test. The IFBB later dropped the charges after Cutler threatened to sue the organization for tampered results.
Cutler skipped the 2002 Olympia to add size to his frame and upend Coleman’s reign. Most bodybuilding pundits believe sitting out the 2002 O was a mistake on Cutler’s end, as this was the year Coleman was at his most vulnerable and had left the door open for Cutler to walk away with his maiden Sandow trophy.
As promised, Cutler showed up bigger and better at the 2003 Olympia looking to unseat the five-time O champ, Coleman. However, “Big Ron” had done his homework and had fixed all his weaknesses.
Coleman weighed a monstrous 287 pounds at the 2003 Olympia. He didn’t let his size ruin his conditioning and had striated glutes and feathered quads when he stepped on stage. Coleman’s competitors lived in his shadow at the 2003 O while he hoisted his sixth O title. Cutler reclaimed his second-place spot at the show.
Read also: History of Mr. Olympia
Turn of the Tide — Cutler’s First Olympia Victory
Cutler finished second for two more years — 2004 and 2005. However, The King’s quest for size had thrown his proportions and symmetry for a toss, and many bodybuilding gurus had started critiquing his extended gut.
Things weren’t looking great for Cutler either. He was getting older, and it was assumed that he would go down the Levrone, Wheeler, and Ray route and join the ranks of the greatest bodybuilders to never win the Olympia title.
However, Cutler was hell-bent on dethroning Coleman, who was eyeing his ninth Olympia win at the 2006 Olympia. A win at the 2006 O would make him the winningest Olympia champ, beating Lee Haney’s record of eight O victories.
Known for his extravagant hairstyles, Cutler announced he would shave his head if he didn’t dethrone Coleman at the 2006 Olympia. The Massachusetts native turned heads the moment he stepped on stage at the 2006 O and comfortably beat Coleman to claim his first Sandow trophy.
Cutler did a repeat at the 2007 Olympia. However, it is one of the most controversial Olympias of all time. Many bodybuilding fans believe that the runner-up at the show, Victor Martinez, was robbed of the Sandow trophy, as he had a much better shape and conditioning than Cutler.
Veteran bodybuilding journalist Peter McGough later cleared the air about the contest. He opined that although Martinez was tied with Cutler on the first day, the reigning champ beat the challenger with his fuller and more crisp physique on the second day.
That said, Cutler’s physique had started showing the battle scars he endured while catching up to Coleman. His midsection had ballooned considerably, earning him the moniker “The Refridgerator.”
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Losing the Olympia Title
The 2008 competitive season caught the bodybuilding community off guard. Coleman retired after placing fourth at the 2007 Olympia. Plus, the 2007 runner-up, Martinez, sat out the Olympia due to an injury.
With the main challenger out of the equation, Cutler was expected to win his third-consecutive Sandow trophy. However, Dexter “The Blade” Jackson had plans of his own. Although most pro bodybuilders were playing the mass game, Jackson stuck to his guns and capitalized on his conditioning. He had finished fourth at the 2006 Olympia and third in 2007.
Jackson’s razor-sharp conditioning on the 2008 Olympia stage made Cutler look like he was two weeks out of the show and needed more time to get in shape. Although Jackson was much smaller than the reigning O champ, the judges ruled in his favor, ending Cutler’s two-year reign.
Making History with the Quad Stomp
After the 2008 Olympia, most bodybuilding fans believed Cutler should hang his posing trunks while still at the top. The reason for this? No bodybuilder in the 44-year history of the competition had reclaimed the Sandow trophy after losing it. Legends like Oliva, Zane, and Coleman failed to do it; there was no chance that Cutler would become the first bodybuilder to achieve this feat.
Furthermore, no one believed that one year was enough time to fix all the issues that cost Cutler the title. No one except Cutler that is.
With the odds stacked against him, Cutler knew that sitting out for a year would make reclaiming his Olympia title impossible. He began his Olympia campaign right after finishing second at the 2008 Olympia. A young bodybuilder, Phil Heath, had placed third in his freshman year at the Super Bowl of Bodybuilding.
Cutler surprised everyone with the package he brought to the 2009 Olympia. He had improved his conditioning and midline and somehow managed to maintain his overall size. Furthermore, Cutler knew he was in total control of the competition from the moment he set foot on stage.
Besides his leaner, meaner, and bigger physique, Cutler had done his homework on his presentation and was keen on showing off his improvements. The two-time Olympia champ’s legs were one of his biggest assets, and Jackson’s size was no match for Cutler’s.
Moment of the Iconic Quad Stomp
The judges put Cutler and Jackson center stage in the final callout, making them the favorites to win the show. Cutler’s chiseled physique and 40-pound advantage over Jackson puts him in the driver’s seat during the confirmation round.
Cutler had the crowd cheering for him with each pose, and he was visibly more confident during the later half of the final comparison round. The second-to-last mandatory pose is the abdominal and thighs, which was Jackson’s strong suit. However, Cutler knew he had to do something extraordinary to draw attention toward him. What happened next went down in history as the most iconic bodybuilding pose of all time.
Cutler drew everyone’s attention to Jackson’s quads by gently patting them. He immediately started rattling his quads to reveal his insane quad striations. But Cutler didn’t leave it at that. He lifted his left leg off the floor and stomped it down while tensing all his muscles. Cutler finished the pose by pointing toward his quad with both hands while contracting his upper body, almost as if hitting a most-muscular pose.
Muscular Development magazine’s on-site photographer, Per Bernal, took the iconic photo of Cutler’s quad stomp. MD used the photo for its January 2010 cover.
“It wasn’t a planned pose, and now, of course, we kind of have this ‘quad stomp,’ and it sits as probably one of the greatest bodybuilding poses ever,” said Cutler reminiscing the iconic moment at the 2009 Olympia.
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2011 Olympia and Beyond
Not only did Cutler reclaim the Olympia title in 2010, but he also defended it in 2011, taking up his Sandow trophy tally to four, making him the fourth-winningest Mr. Olympia champion of all time. Cutler surrendered his O throne to Health in 2011, who would hold the title for another six-consecutive years, matching Schwarzenegger’s record.
Cutler couldn’t compete at the 2012 Olympia due to a biceps injury and drew the curtains on his glorious bodybuilding career after placing sixth at the 2013 O.
Wrapping Up
Jay Cutler’s quad stomp is much more than a pose — it’s an emotion, a war cry, a kick in the butt of the naysayers. The quad stomp announced Cutler’s return to the top of the roster and helped him reclaim his Olympia throne.
The quad stomp helped Cutler create history by becoming the only bodybuilder to reclaim the Sandow trophy after losing it. Many bodybuilders have copied the quad stomp on the Olympia stage since, but no one can ever replicate the emotions, intent, and chutzpah conveyed by Cutler.
Jay Cutler Competition History
- 1993 NPC Iron Bodies Invitational, Teenage & Men’s Heavyweight, 1st
- 1993 NPC Teen Nationals, 1st
- 1995 NPC U.S. Tournament of Champions, Men’s Heavyweight, 1st and Overall title
- 1996 NPC Nationals, Heavyweight, 1st (Pro Card)
- 1998 IFBB Night of Champions, 12th
- 1999 IFBB Arnold Classic 4th
- 1999 IFBB Ironman Pro Invitational, 3rd
- 2000 IFBB Night of Champions, 1st
- 2000 Grand Prix England, 2nd
- 2000 Joe Weider’s World Pro Cup, 2nd
- 2000 Mr. Olympia 8th
- 2001 Mr. Olympia, 2nd
- 2002 Arnold Classic, 1st
- 2003 Arnold Classic, 1st
- 2003 Mr. Olympia, 2nd
- 2003 Ironman Pro Invitational, 1st
- 2003 San Francisco Pro Invitational, 1st
- 2003 Russian Grand Prix, 2nd
- 2003 GNC Show of Strength, 2nd
- 2003 Dutch Grand Prix, 1st
- 2003 British Grand Prix, 1st
- 2004 Arnold Classic, 1st
- 2004 Mr. Olympia, 2nd
- 2005 Mr. Olympia, 2nd
- 2006 Austrian Grand Prix, 1st
- 2006 Romanian Grand Prix, 1st
- 2006 Dutch Grand Prix, 1st
- 2006 Mr. Olympia, 1st
- 2007 Mr. Olympia, 1st
- 2008 Mr. Olympia, 2nd
- 2009 Mr. Olympia, 1st
- 2010 Mr. Olympia, 1st
- 2011 Mr. Olympia, 2nd
- 2011 Sheru Classic, 2nd
- 2013 Mr. Olympia, 6th
