Former Women’s Physique Olympia champion Dana Linn Bailey and four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler got together for a chest training session in Houston, TX, where they traveled for the 2022 American Fit Expo. Their training session was filmed and published on Bailey’s YouTube channel on July 27, 2022.
I don’t know why it took this long — I am finally training with the one and only Jay Cutler.
Bailey follows Cutler’s lead in the gym for the day as they hit a full chest and triceps workout. Check it out below:
Jay Cutler and Dana Linn Bailey’s Chest and Tricep Workout
We’ve included the exercises in the same order performed by Cutler and Bailey during their workout.
- Incline Chest Press
- Flat Dumbbell Press
- Incline Chest Flye
- Cable Low-to-High Flyes
- Triceps Pushdowns
- E-Z Bar Skull Crushers
Incline Chest Press, Dumbbell Flat Bench Press, & Incline Flyes
Cutler started with four working sets of 10 to 12 reps on a plate-loaded chest press machine. In the final set, Bailey got eight reps and audible into a drop set to make the most out of it. The incline chest opened their workout as it trains the chest in its stretched position at the bottom of each rep. This can help develop the upper chest, which was a forte of Cutler in his prime.
The second movement, now that they were warmed up, was a flat dumbbell press for four working sets of 10 to 12 reps. Again, they emphasized the stretch at the bottom of each rep with a squeeze at the top while maintaining a strict, controlled form.
Everything I do is 12 reps, you’ll notice that, even if I can do more reps, I am doing 12.
Incline plate-loaded flyes were next, which Cutler frequents at his home gym in Las Vegas, NV, as the movement offers a deep stretch. Cutler and Bailey stuck with four sets of 12 reps. Cutler said he has trained in this rep range for his entire career — sage advice that one does not need to train to failure every set of every workout to see results.
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[Related: Derek Lunsford Focuses on Mobility and Range of Motion to Build His Chest for the 2022 Olympia]
Cable Low-to-High Flyes & Triceps Pushdowns
Cutler and Bailey hit cable low-to-high flyes in the cable machine to maintain the emphasis of the work to their upper chests. Both athletes stuck to four sets of 12 reps. This consistent rep scheme for each movement differed from Bailey’s standard training regimen, which typically consists of drop sets and supersets for higher volume.
[For] isolation movements, people think cable exercises are strictly finishing movements. I don’t believe that is the case.
Moving to triceps, Cutler and Bailey hit pushdowns using straps instead of a rope attachment to hit the bulk of the triceps. Cutler opted for four working sets of 12 reps each, with a pulse at the bottom of every rep. Triceps pushdowns are an excellent movement for warming up the triceps and building thickness towards the horseshoe aesthetic.
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[Related: Bodybuilder Hunter Labrada Shares How Many Warm-Up Sets He Does During a Workout]
E-Z Bar Skullercrushers
Bailey closed with the final movement before venturing to the Expo: lying skull crushers with an E-Z bar for more comfort on the wrists. She performed four working sets for 10-12 reps and finished with close-grip triceps presses to failure.
I like an E–Z bar because it feels…more ergonomically correct.
Bailey is currently on a hiatus from competitive bodybuilding to focus on her and her husband’s company, Flag Nor Fail, and did not state in this video if there were any current plans for her return to the competitive stage. Cutler is retired from the sport and lives in Las Vegas, NV, where he focuses his energy on his company, Cutler Athletics.
Featured image: @jaycutler and @danalinnbaileyon Instagram
