Cutlers Training Techniques

[Equalizer]

Bodybuilding.com - Q&A With Jay: Cutler's Best Chest Workout Techniques

 

[AshopRep]

Jay is going to come back and take the title from Phil

 

[dementedaggression]

Good interview!

 

[alpha lifter]

I train the same way sets of 8-12 stopping one-two reps shy of failure each set leaving a bit left in the tank for the next set. Works great, no major injuries and I slowly progress in strength and muscle. I haven't gone to failure on a single set in six months and have lost no size or strength.

 

[Chode Logan]

I train the same way sets of 8-12 stopping one-two reps shy of failure each set leaving a bit left in the tank for the next set. Works great, no major injuries and I slowly progress in strength and muscle. I haven't gone to failure on a single set in six months and have lost no size or strength.

But have you grown? Maintaining is one thing.

I honestly think Jays approach is sound, I just don't know if I'm capable of doing that...im so stubborn and although I try to stay higher reps I like to torture myself and do drop sets and negatives etc

I am going to try this as I do feel pretty worn down at times haha.

 

[TrinityD]

I have tried this kind of method for 2-3 months and I went absolutely nowhere with it. In fact, I only got weaker and smaller and smaller. I was so angry about it...because after all that hard work and patience, 3 months later I literally felt like I went backward almost 6 months. It was just pathetic to me.

I wonder if people are REALLY that different, or if you just need to be on a good amount of anabolics/gh to train and recover from this.

He touches on the fact you can't do high intensity and high volume ; I wholeheartedly agree.

My entire chest workout is an intense 4-5 sets (nothing really crazy though), and it added near 5 inches to my chest in less than a year....was one of my absolute most stubborn bodyparts. Nothing else worked except low volume and high intensity

Not going to lie...it sounds nice just doing a ton of sets, using no advanced techniques, and not hitting failure.... =/

 

[Equalizer]

I have tried this kind of method for 2-3 months and I went absolutely nowhere with it. In fact, I only got weaker and smaller and smaller. I was so angry about it...because after all that hard work and patience, 3 months later I literally felt like I went backward almost 6 months. It was just pathetic to me.

I wonder if people are REALLY that different, or if you just need to be on a good amount of anabolics/gh to train and recover from this.

He touches on the fact you can't do high intensity and high volume ; I wholeheartedly agree.

My entire chest workout is an intense 4-5 sets (nothing really crazy though), and it added near 5 inches to my chest in less than a year....was one of my absolute most stubborn bodyparts. Nothing else worked except low volume and high intensity

Not going to lie...it sounds nice just doing a ton of sets, using no advanced techniques, and not hitting failure.... =/

Has that type of training you've been doing worked well for the rest of your bodyparts too? Could you give a sample chest workout?

 

[sazo75]

I have tried this kind of method for 2-3 months and I went absolutely nowhere with it. In fact, I only got weaker and smaller and smaller. I was so angry about it...because after all that hard work and patience, 3 months later I literally felt like I went backward almost 6 months. It was just pathetic to me.

So how many sets do you do for biceps , triceps , legs and other body parts?

 

[TrinityD]

I do between 3-6 sets for each body part depending on what it is...

Sample Chest workout :
Incline db bench 3x8-15
Cable Flye 3x15

Very heavy contractions with negative on flies

 

[Growman]

I do between 3-6 sets for each body part depending on what it is...

Sample Chest workout :
Incline db bench 3x8-15
Cable Flye 3x15

Very heavy contractions with negative on flies

Do you hit everything twice a week with these low volume workouts? Dorian Yates did low volume and high intensity, but his high intensity was on a level most people cant touch.

Obviously Jay's method worked for him, and Dorian's worked for him. I would say my approach is a mix between the 2.

 

[TrinityD]

my volume is higher than than dorian obviously... His Chest workout would be 3-4 sets. In the old days it was 6 though actually before he switched.

No, I do every 6days or so, I guess that like 1.3x a week

 

[Growman]

Gotcha. If its working stick with it. I hit everything once a week then every couple months i will have a week or 2 where i hit everything twice just to switch it up. I do 16-20 sets per body part on weeks I hit everything once, on the weeks i hit everything twice i do 12-16 sets.

 

[TrinityD]

when you say, 12-16 sets, do you mean 12-16 working sets?

if those sets include the pyramid/warmups, then that looks pretty average to me, that's how most bodybuilders have trained for years.

if you mean 12-16 actual working sets, meaning all of them are to failure or 1-2 reps short...then my lord... I would be in a coma in 1 week hahah

when I say 3-6 sets, I mean 3-6 working sets, meaning they all go to failure or close to it for safety reasons...

regardless, yeah people can get to the same end result in different ways...just gotta find out what works and stick to it if it's still working obviously heh

 

[GS]

One of my workouts that i call phase 1 is pretty much failure or near it.

Example Chest
Incline Barbell Press 3x6-10
Flat Hammer [press 3x6-10
Decline dumbell fly 3x6-10

I do three to four sets warming up to hit my heaviest set ,which would be my first set of 6
I will use a weight where i can't get more than 6 reps.Then i will reduce my weight from the six reps 10% for the second set of 8.I will then again reduce weight by 10% and go for the 10 rep maximum.
Lots of people pyramid with the weights but usually will start with 10 reps and work down.

Work each body part and complete it in 30 min or less,so if you can't do it in 30 minute you rested to much and you would quit it and go to the next body-part

Split will be something like this''

Monday Chest & arms
Tuesday Back & shoulders
Wednesday Legs & calves
one-two days off

Small body-parts only 2 exercises 6 sets large 9 total work sets

I have tried the one set all out method and was never in tun with body enough to be able to do this .

If i remember i first read that Lee Labrada used to do it like this.
Though it looks simple it will give you results.
Also it is a good workout for the ones that can't do the 1 or 2 exercises per bodypart using one set.

After i do the above i will go back to a more volume routine.

 

[anarchocapitalist]

I've been using steroids since 1995 and what works best for me is something similar to a MaxOT type of split.

Back
Chest
Legs
Bic Tri Abs
Delts Calves
Weekends off including diet.

I basically pick 3-4 exercises and do a couple or three really hard and heavy sets of 6 reps.

Back might start off with a hammer pulldown 3-4 warmups into 2-3 worksets of 6-8 reps. Next I do a hammer row and i just do 2 heavy work sets since im already warmed up. Lastly I do a barbell row and I usually warm up the lower back before doing 2 work sets of 6-8 reps. Finish with a wide cable row and shrugs.

 

[Growman]

when you say, 12-16 sets, do you mean 12-16 working sets?

if those sets include the pyramid/warmups, then that looks pretty average to me, that's how most bodybuilders have trained for years.

if you mean 12-16 actual working sets, meaning all of them are to failure or 1-2 reps short...then my lord... I would be in a coma in 1 week hahah

when I say 3-6 sets, I mean 3-6 working sets, meaning they all go to failure or close to it for safety reasons...

regardless, yeah people can get to the same end result in different ways...just gotta find out what works and stick to it if it's still working obviously heh

I do 12-16 working sets. I only do a couple warm up sets before the first movement. The rest of the movements I go straight into my working sets with no warm up. Because i train by myself i don't go to complete failure on all sets. For at least 2 movements in each workout ill ask for a spot on my last set so i can go to failure or I will do a drop set on the last set.

Maybe i should try doing less working sets to change it up a bit, and just increase the intensity and do more drop sets or go to failure.

 

[TrinityD]

Idk how you do it. I am dead after 6 sets on a big bodypart, can't imagine 12-16

 

[Growman]

Really?!? Thats good, don't do more than you need to do. Don't get me wrong I'm starting to get pumped after 6 hard sets, but I'm just getting going.

As long as you are sore the next day you are hitting the muscle. When i do less than usual i don't get sore so i keep doing high sets.

 

[MikeRoss]

Amen! Stimulate the muscle NOT annihilate. A very close friend/ifbb pro told me this long ago.

 

[Stayinfit]

Idk how you do it. I am dead after 6 sets on a big bodypart, can't imagine 12-16

Just a thought, but what if the remainder of the 12-16sets aren't all out high intensity sets.

I kinda follow a MD routine whereas there's really only a few sets in the whole workout where it is high intensity using drop sets, partials, etc. For example say Bench press 4x8 I work up to a weight where that 8th rep is almost unobtainable and I call that my last set so the previous 3 sets I probably had a little bit "left in the tank". Then the next exercise say it's incline hammer 4x10 where I build up to that hard 10 and do 3 drops after that. Then the next exercise might be a fly exercise where I would do 3x 10-12 then the 4th set I would do 10 full reps then 10 in the stretched part of the movement. 10 hard full reps and 10 hard partials. So, the whole workout I may have only done 3 brutal sets. I love this style. My joints feel better for it also.