“Never Cared How Much I Bench Press”: Jay Cutler Comes Clean on His Simple Formula for Building an Olympia-Worthy Body

After winning the Sandow trophy four times, Jay Cutler opted out of the Mr. Olympia championship and focused on entrepreneurship instead. Apart from having a successful supplement and merchandise line, Cutler is still fully aligned with fitness. He often shares workout tips in the form of short videos on social media.

In a recent TikTok video, the former Mr. Olympia showcased the ideal weight for a bench press. Except with a twist. While bench press requires some mental effort to get the most out of it, Cutler believes in an unorthodox thought:

“Now listen, the bench press is not such a complicated exercise, but it does take a little brain work to really get the stimulation.”

So is there any ideal weight or number of repetitions to follow? The bodybuilding icon believes that in order to increase strength, it is important to follow a plan.

“What I suggest is instead of going for your max every week, lighten up the weight, focus on more repetitions. I mean, I always say in the bodybuilding terms 8-12, but more importantly, I would focus on 15-20 reps.”

That being said, does the icon himself have a particular bench press record that he adheres to?

“I’m never trying to do a crazy amount of weight. I never cared how much I bench press. The judges never asked me that on stage.”

And that’s how Cutler keeps himself fit at the age of 50. While he might not be competing anymore, the icon is an inspiration in terms of the way he works and lives a healthy lifestyle.

Jay Cutler challenges himself to keep up at 50

Earlier this year, Cutler made himself a promise to look and be as fit as possible till he turned 50 years old. This snowballed into a series of workout tips and vlogs where the icon would take his fans along his journey. A bunch of gyms and a variety of exercises later, the icon blew away many bodybuilding elites with his impressive progress.

However, even after he turned 50, Cutler didn’t stop. He continued his fitness journey and has been keeping in shape till today. Armed with more workout tips and preaching his favorite range of repetitions over TikTok, the icon is now quite sought-after. While fans would love to see Cutler competing again on stage, albeit against senior bodybuilders, the champion doesn’t seem to have any plans yet. Nevertheless, his podcasts and short-form videos always give a good glimpse of his champion mentality.