What does it take to build a chest worthy of winning the Mr. Olympia title four times? To find out, Dr. Mike Israetel, a former professor of exercise science, analyzed a classic, brutal pre-Olympia chest workout from the legendary Jay Cutler. The vintage footage showcases the principles and intensity that built one of the most iconic physiques in bodybuilding history.
The workout is more than just a trip down memory lane; it’s a masterclass in the core tenets of hypertrophy training that are just as relevant today as they were during Cutler's reign.
TL;DR: The Champion's Chest Blueprint
- Dr. Mike reviews a high-volume Olympia-prep chest workout from 4x Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, giving it a stellar **8.5/10** rating.
- The workout is praised for its **immaculate technique**, full range of motion, and massive volume, estimated at between 10 to 18 hard working sets.
- Key principles demonstrated include the importance of thorough warmups for safety, training very close to (but not to) failure, and emphasizing a deep stretch on every repetition.
- The session powerfully illustrates a core principle of modern hypertrophy science: **volume is king**. The more hard sets you can perform and recover from, the more you will grow.
The Workout: A Masterclass in Volume and Intensity
Jay Cutler's session was a high-volume onslaught built around foundational movements and finished with a variety of stretching exercises to fully stimulate the chest.
The Foundation: Heavy Incline Pressing
The workout began with extensive warmups on the **Incline Barbell Press**, followed by multiple challenging work sets. Cutler worked up to a heavy top set of 405 lbs for 4 reps, demonstrating the need for heavy, low-rep work that many top pros use to maintain muscle fullness. This was followed by several hard sets on the **Incline Dumbbell Press**, all performed with a deep stretch and perfect control.
The Finisher: High-Volume Flys and Stretches
After the heavy pressing, the focus shifted to isolation and stretching. Cutler performed numerous sets of **Machine Chest Flys**, **Incline Dumbbell Flys**, and finished with **Dumbbell Pullovers**. He has stated that he includes more fly-type movements than presses in his routine, a strategy that emphasizes the stretched portion of the lift—a potent stimulus for hypertrophy.
3 Hypertrophy Lessons from Jay Cutler's Workout
Dr. Mike identified several key principles from the workout that any serious lifter can learn from.
1. Technique is Everything
Throughout the entire workout, Cutler’s technique is described as "flawless" and "basically immaculate." He maintains a full range of motion, controls the weight, uses pauses at the bottom for safety and added tension, and keeps his body positioned to maximize stress on the target muscle. This mastery of execution is fundamental to both maximizing growth and preventing injury.
2. Volume is King
The sheer number of hard sets in this workout—estimated to be at least 10 to 15—is a testament to a principle that modern science continues to confirm: the more volume you can recover from, the more you will grow. As Dr. Mike notes, dozens of studies have shown that more weekly sets taken close to failure lead to more hypertrophy, and the upper limit of this effect has yet to be found.
3. Train Hard, But Smart (Shy of Failure)
Jay Cutler was famous for his philosophy of rarely, if ever, training to absolute muscular failure. This workout is a perfect example. The sets are clearly difficult and taken very close to failure, but he stops just shy of that point. Dr. Mike explains that this is a highly effective and sustainable strategy, as it provides nearly all of the muscle-building stimulus of failure training with significantly less systemic fatigue and a lower risk of injury.
Conclusion: A Workout Worthy of a Champion
Dr. Mike’s final verdict is clear: Jay Cutler's chest workout is a fantastic example of applying sound hypertrophy principles with world-class effort. It’s a powerful reminder that there are no secret exercises or magic shortcuts. Building a legendary physique requires an unwavering commitment to perfect technique, intelligent programming, and an immense amount of brutally hard work.
