Greatest champions often rise with the support of an army of fans, friends, and family. For someone like four-time Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler, supporters came together from across the world to champion his name for the Lifetime Achievement Award at the Arnold Classic Ohio. Now that he’s back home filming workout videos, he took the time to reveal his experience from the event in a YouTube video.
Known for his no-break, seven-day-a-week schedule, Cutler did not skip out on his back workout upon returning. He took a break to talk about his experience at the Arnold Classic during his routine. Most importantly, he wanted to share his feelings on receiving the award from his idol.
The Arnold Classic Ohio presented Cutler with the Lifetime Achievement Award at the hands of Arnold Schwarzenegger. This decision was made upon looking through the preferences of fitness enthusiasts worldwide. And Cutler was overwhelmed by all the love showered upon him.
He recalled how on the day of the award ceremony, Schwarzenegger joined him for breakfast, visited him at his booth, attended his seminar, and spent a lot of time with him. Wistfully, the four-time Mr. Olympia admitted that he had never hung out with the star for so long.
“Fans came out from all over the place and we had a huge turnout…I gave a speech and thanked a lot of those people.”
However, he credited his fans for bringing him to the top. His interaction with his idol, Schwarzenegger, on stage, was all possible due to thousands of fans backing him up. The thought of having millions of fitness enthusiasts watching him receive the award online was a teary-eyed moment.
“Man it was emotional…but you know, there’s so many people I had to thank for that and still continue to thank, because you guys watching this video and commenting, taking a few tips from me, it’s all we can really ask for.”
Since his award ceremony, Cutler has been grateful for many reasons. One of his highlights was getting to interact with Schwarzenegger. While he often talks about his respect and love for the star, he recently disclosed why he holds such an important place in his heart.
Jay Cutler credits Arnold Schwarzenegger for his career trajectory
In a panel discussion with Ronnie Coleman at the Arnold Classic UK, the bodybuilding duo talked about their reasons for picking the sport. 50-year-old Cutler was quick to take a nostalgic trip to the past and answer the question with an anecdote.
Decades ago, fresh out of high school, the former Mr. Olympia went to the theatres to watch Schwarzenegger’s Terminator 2. That’s when he realized his dreams of growing ripped and jacked like the star. He soon dedicated himself to training, won his pro card at 23, and the rest was history.
