Jay Cutler and his foot training: How to Build Volume and Stay Healthy After Fifty

When you say Jay Cutler, most of us think of the iconic "quad stomp" and fights with Ronnie Coleman. Today, however, the 4-time Mr. Olympia titleholder is over 50 years old and his priorities have changed. It's no longer about lifting the heaviest weights at any cost, but about longevity, joint health and maintaining peak condition without injury.

Jay recently shared his first leg workout of the new year, which is a great example of how to train smart, intense, yet safe. If you're looking for inspiration on how to develop your legs without destroying your knees and lower back, this workout is for you.

Philosophy.

Cutler's current approach revolves around " pyramid sets" (gradually increasing the weight in each set) and maximizing blood flow to the muscle.

In a recent video, Jay admitted to slightly pulling a muscle above his knee (teardrop) during squats a few weeks back.

"My training now is all about longevity, not breaking records," he explains.

Even with the slight discomfort, he was able to pull off a brutal workout by focusing on technique and contraction, not ego-lifting.

Workout breakdown: Hamstring priority

Jay is known for often starting his leg workouts with hamstrings. The reason is simple - to warm up the knees and preload the back of the thighs, which are often weaker than the quadriceps.

1. Seated Hamstring Curl

The workout begins with several warm-up sets in a pyramid pattern. The goal is to get blood to the muscles and prepare the hamstrings for the load.

• Tip: 4-6 sets with gradual addition of weight.

2. Single Leg Curl (Single Leg Curl)

Because Jay was working out in a gym with older equipment, he had to improvise and add discs to the machine by hand.

• Goal: Isolate the "biceps legs" (hamstrings) and compensate for any imbalances between the left and right leg.

3. Modified Romanian deadlift

Jay performs an exercise that is a hybrid between the classic deadlift with legs extended and the Romanian deadlift.

• Execution.

"It's more of a hamstring and glute stretch. It feels so much better than when my legs are fully extended," she says .

4. Lying Leg Curl

For a different angle of loading, she switches to a lying lunge.

• Volume: 3 working sets with a constant weight.

Quadriceps: Blood, pump and volume

After thoroughly destroying the hamstrings, Jay moves to the front of the thighs. Here it's no longer about max weights, but about burn and pump.

5. Walking Lunges

A classic exercise to build detail and separation. Jay loaded about 34 kg (75 lbs) on his back and walked around the weight zone.

• Dosage: Minimum of 10 steps on each leg.

6. Leg Extensions (Leg Extensions)

The first straight quadriceps exercise. Jay doesn't rush here - he does 5 to 6 sets to maximize blood flow to the thighs before the pressing exercises.

7. Leg Press

The cornerstone of volume. Jay tries to fully engage the quadriceps and control the movement.

8. Inverted Leg Press

Jay mentioned that this exercise was key to his legendary comeback in 2009 (the so-called Quad Stomp year). The specific angle and blood flow helps him catch up on the details.

9. Machine Squats

Instead of the free axle, which is more demanding on stabilization and the back, Jay opts for the machine squat.

• Lightweight (2 discs on each side).
• Goal: Maximum muscle contraction in each repetition.

10. Repetition (Adductor Machine)

Adds 3 sets on the inner thighs at the end of the workout to complete leg development.

Less is sometimes more.

Retired Jay Cutler has found that fewer sets are enough to maintain muscle mass than in his glory days. While he used to target 20+ sets per set, today he recommends and maintains around 12 quality working sets per muscle part himself.

This workout is proof that even in your 50s and with minor injuries, you can train hard - you just need to trade your ego for smarts and focus on quality of movement.