Four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler didn’t begin his championship dynasty until his seventh attempt at the title at 33 years old. Getting to the top of the bodybuilding world demands incredible muscle mass and conditioning, which takes years to perfect. And it gets even harder to keep that shape as you get older.
Now retired, Cutler has started deploying new strategies to maintain his muscle as he nears 50 years old. And his recent strategy involves giving up his typical fasted cardio in the morning. He explained his reasoning in the YouTube video below:
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Cutler Is Looking to Put on Size
Currently, Cutler is in the middle of transforming his body before he turns 50 in August. The goal is to get himself in the best shape he’s been since he stepped away from the sport a decade ago. To do that, he says he’s axed cardio from his training regimen because he believes it’ll help him maintain size as he starts a stricter dieting phase of his regimen.
“I’ve bailed on doing cardio in the morning […] I don’t believe your body is as reactive to the diet phase if you’re already beating it down so hard,” Cutler says in the video. “So if I’m doing fasted cardio every morning, and I’m trying to put on size, and I’m going to start going into more of a strict program. Ideally, I’d like to do as little as possible to get into the best shape possible.”
Cutler acknowledges that he doesn’t know what shape he’s aiming for once August comes around but says he will make the change and see what happens.
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“[Once] I get eight or 10 weeks down, then I’ll start fine-tuning, and if I feel like I need to add the cardio in, I will,” he says. “But as you know, I’ve done a million shows without doing cardio.” (It’s important to note that Cutler is still going on his usual walks for his JayWalking YouTube videos, but he is stopping his fasted morning cardio on the bike and treadmill.)
Is Jay Cutler Competing at the Masters Olympia?
Cutler’s body looks more than stage-worthy at the ripe age of 49, and the rumors are still swirling that he will compete at the Masters Olympia in Romania on August 25. Although he’d be one of the most accomplished competitors at the Masters, he’s shut down any rumors of a comeback. He will, however, be at the show as a guest.
For now, Cutler’s focus is getting in the best possible shape since he stepped away from bodybuilding back in 2013.
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Featured Image: @jaycutler on Instagram
