Is muscle mastery the result of better understanding your body? In April 2025, four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler and his successor, seven-time Mr. Olympia Phil Heath, reunited for a high-intensity push workout at Evo Land Gym in Cologne, Germany. The duo advised improving weak body parts and key growth details
Jay Cutler & Phil Heath’s Push Workout
- Machine Incline Press
- Cable Crossovers
- Cable Triceps Pushdowns
- Machine Triceps Extensions
How Heath Unlocked Chest Gains
Heath feels his chest became a strong suit later in his bodybuilding career. Grip variation was his secret sauce.
Heath’s delts are too active with a conventional overhand grip, while a narrower, neutral grip kept tension entirely on his pecs and prevented over-reliance on his dominant triceps. Techniques and training angles can influence muscle hypertrophy. (1)(2)
[Related: In Modern-Day Bodybuilding, Phil Heath Tells Jay Cutler: “We Don’t Have a Certain Talent Pool”]
The Pump, Tension, and Range of Motion
Cutler and Heath emphasized the importance of time under tension (TUT). As Cutler described:
I short the reps a lot because I’m always going for the pump.
Sustained muscle contractions may enhance metabolic stress, a component of hypertrophy. Several trials deemed TUT likely important for muscle gains. (3)(4)(5) Moreover, the optimal rep duration appears to be between .5 to 8 seconds, suggesting that slower eccentrics are hypertrophically advantageous.
“Is there science to prove that partials do anything?” Cutler questioned the assertion that full range of motion is always ideal — evidence suggests it isn’t. Trials found stretch-biased partials can be as good as training through a full range of motion, though studies are mixed and primarily involve untrained lifters.
While literature points to eccentrics as slightly more growth-biased than concentrics, full range of motion is still suggested for optimal results.
References
- Zabaleta-Korta A, Fernández-Peña E, Torres-Unda J, Francés M, Zubillaga A, Santos-Concejero J. Regional Hypertrophy: The Effect of Exercises at Long and Short Muscle Lengths in Recreationally Trained Women. J Hum Kinet. 2023 Jul 15;87:259-270. doi: 10.5114/jhk/163561. PMID: 37559762; PMCID: PMC10407320.
- Lauver JD, Cayot TE, Scheuermann BW. Influence of bench angle on upper extremity muscular activation during bench press exercise. Eur J Sport Sci. 2016;16(3):309-16. doi: 10.1080/17461391.2015.1022605. Epub 2015 Mar 23. PMID: 25799093.
- Martins-Costa HC, Lacerda LT, Diniz RCR, Lima FV, Andrade AGP, Peixoto GH, Gomes MC, Lanza MB, Bemben MG, Chagas MH. Equalization of Training Protocols by Time Under Tension Determines the Magnitude of Changes in Strength and Muscular Hypertrophy. J Strength Cond Res. 2022 Jul 1;36(7):1770-1780. doi: 10.1519/JSC.0000000000004004. Epub 2021 Mar 16. PMID: 34932279.
- Wilk M, Zajac A, Tufano JJ. The Influence of Movement Tempo During Resistance Training on Muscular Strength and Hypertrophy Responses: A Review. Sports Med. 2021 Aug;51(8):1629-1650. doi: 10.1007/s40279-021-01465-2. Epub 2021 May 27. PMID: 34043184; PMCID: PMC8310485.
- Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, Little JP, Cochran AJ, Hector AJ, Cashaback JG, Gibala MJ, Potvin JR, Baker SK, Phillips SM. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012 Jan 15;590(2):351-62. doi: 10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200. Epub 2011 Nov 21. PMID: 22106173; PMCID: PMC3285070.
Featured image: @jaycutler on Instagram
