Almost a decade into his retirement (2013), bodybuilding nice Jay Cutler stays a distinguished voice within the energy sports activities sphere. At the time of this writing, the four-time Mr. Olympia Champion (2006-2007, 2009-2010) maintains a YouTube channel with 546,000 subscribers and has over 4.2 million followers on his Instagram profile. With these sizable platforms, Cutler strives to share a number of the information he gained from his achieved profession.
A current YouTube video posted to Cutler’s channel on June 12, 2022, exemplifies how the previous bodybuilder desires to go on knowledge away from the stage whereas concurrently taking good care of his again in retirement.
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Some of the extra notable tidbits embrace Cutler evaluating his present coaching course of to meditation. Plus, whereas he’s nonetheless far bigger than an “common” human being, the 48-year-old doesn’t need to preserve the dimensions that helped catapult him to the higher echelons of bodybuilding.
All in all, it’s an illuminating perception into the thought means of one of many sport’s distinguished names.
A Different Mindset
In the previous, whereas he was nonetheless an energetic competitor, Cutler alludes to how he would push himself to construct mass and muscle. The bodybuilder says he would typically push himself extraordinarily onerous, however he is aware of he doesn’t have to do this anymore.
Cutler doesn’t have to keep up his dimension as a lot as he focuses on merely coaching to remain lean when within the gymnasium.
“When I need to get all the way down to my enterprise and meditate with what I name my ‘coaching meditation’ now,” Cutler says. “… You know the way you used to go to the gymnasium, and you’ll practice and also you’re like, ‘ah, I need to push this a lot weight. I need to get pumps. Oh, I’m doing chest; I need to see how full my chest can get.’ I mentioned okay. What do I’ve to do to keep up an honest physique at my age and keep comparatively lean and never be massive? If that is smart, I simply don’t need to be massive.”
Cutler’s mindset is comprehensible. It takes loads of dedication and energy to keep up the world-class physique of a champion bodybuilder. As he approaches age 50, he may nonetheless need to be in respectable form, however he doesn’t need to pull out all of the stops to satisfy a selected objective or dimension — like his previous competitors physique weight. Instead, he performs it by ear.
“Even although everybody seems at me and says ‘what are you speaking about, you’re already massive,” Cutler explains. “But it’s not akin to the imaginative and prescient I had of being 300-pounds. But that’s not what I need to be anymore. We all have totally different objectives and mindsets for why we go to the gymnasium and practice. And mine proper now, it’s a way of reduction for me. It’s a way of, okay, I had a busy day, and I’m going to go practice. As , it’s a little bit instinctive. I don’t have a time.”
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As far as his method to high quality relaxation away from the stage, Cutler notes that he usually tries to get up naturally now. Even nonetheless, it appears the previous bodybuilding star maintains some semblance of a ordinary morning routine.
“I do sleep, however I don’t like getting up at a pressured time,” Cutler elaborates. “Tomorrow I’ve to rise up at 3:30 a.m. to make the flight. I acquired to depart by 5. So that solely offers me an hour and a half to cook dinner breakfast and do what I have to do … bathe, and odds and ends earlier than I go away.”
Cutler’s Volume Back Workout
Once Cutler explains how he trains in retirement, he outlines a fast set of again workouts centered round quantity. The complete exercise is as follows:
Hammer Strength Front Lat Pulldown Machine
Sets and Reps: 2-3 x 10-12
Before hopping on the Hammer Strength entrance lat pulldown machine, Cutler notes that he doesn’t need to “drag the video on too lengthy” along with his exercise. Cutler says he desires to take it straightforward on his lat muscle mass whereas nonetheless getting the trademark “pull” of the train.
“I actually just like the pull on this,” Cutler says. “We discuss popping the lats for the entrance double bicep. I’m type of duplicating it though my lats are so much smaller proper now.”
Hammer Strength Chest Supported Row
Sets and Reps: 2-3 x 10-12
After working his lat muscle mass, Cutler asserts that maintaining his grip within the heart of the Hammer Strength row machine will give him higher contraction and, in flip, extra of a problem.
“I’m truly going to tug with my lats,” Cutler says. “The movement is to actually get a contraction, and I’m going to grip this within the center. When you grip it a little bit increased, it’s a little bit simpler, to be trustworthy. I’m going to maintain my palms within the useless heart. I’m going to maintain my chest up and simply pull again.”
[Related: Build Back Muscle And Work Up To A Pull-Up With The Lat Pulldown]
Bent-Over Row with Barbell
Sets and Reps: 2-3 x 10-12
Cutler’s bent-over rows with a barbell include a level of endurance throughout this exercise.
Remember that is free weight. Remember, very sluggish.
Machine Lat Pull Down
Sets and Reps: 2-3 x 10-12
Returning to his lats, Cutler retains it easy with the identical goal of high quality quantity on the extra conventional variation of lat pulldowns.
Seated Cable Row
Sets and Reps: 2-3 x 10-12
In a constant hallmark of this routine, Cutler as soon as once more suggests a excessive quantity with good approach on the seated cable rows.
Lying Dumbbell Pullover
Sets and Reps: 2-3 x 10-12
To conclude the video, Cutler elects to roll with some mendacity dumbbell pullovers. He says he likes the train due to the best way it pulls on his lat muscle mass and due to its grip versatility.
“Alright, so take note of that grip,” Cutler begins. “If I used to be going to do chest, I’m going to grip the dumbbell like this, I’m going to do like a diamond. For the again, I truly grip it like this. My hand goes round like this [Cutler balls a fist into the other]. That approach, I pull right here, and it pulls on the lats.”
[Related: How To Do The Single-Arm Dumbbell Row For Bigger Lats]
Consistency In Retirement
Even if Cutler doesn’t push himself like one in every of bodybuilding’s elite athletes anymore, Cutler can nonetheless boast a stellar physique. At the identical time, as he will get older, it appears the legend’s objectives are extra about long-term health somewhat than including dimension and pushing his physique to its limits. Now that he doesn’t usually put on posing trunks, Cutler appears free to take any method he desires in his coaching.
Featured picture: @jaycutler on Instagram