Shoulders like cannonballs: Try the workout that Jay Cutler used to crush the competition!

Author: Ondra Marienka

Personalities Shoulder

14.01.2026

3 minuty čtení

Those who follow the fitness scene know that Jay Cutler doesn't slow down even at 50. Sure, he's not the bulk monster style he was when he shocked the world in his duel with Ronnie Coleman, but hand on heart - he still looks better than 99% of the people in gyms. He recently shared a workout on his channel that he currently considers to be an absolute staple for building shoulders and traps. And honestly? It's a sympathetic return to his roots.

Jay's not chasing maxes these days. As he puts it, he trains for longevity, functionality, and most importantly, to maintain the mass he's been working on for years. If you want to achieve that proverbial "3D look" for your shoulders, these are five exercises Cutler can't let go of.

No frills, just what works.

The entire workout is built to hit the shoulder from all angles. Jay has been spinning it lately as follows:

He's throwing in the Military Press as a base. This is simply a classic that builds overall mass in the front deltoids. He follows that up with seated pull-ups. Why sit-ups? Because it eliminates cheating. When you're standing, you tend to help yourself with your legs or your back. In a seated position, the middle head of the shoulder has to work full out, and that's what makes the width.

The front part of the arms is then reached by pre-stressing. In order to make the shoulder shape complete and round, the rear deltas must not be forgotten - for these Jay orders an inverted Pec Deck. It's more isolated than dumbbells and better at controlling muscle contraction there.

And the icing on the cake? Trapeze. Jay doesn't go heavy with the big dumbbell, but prefers to shrug it off with the one-arm dumbbells. You get a better range of motion there, and the traps work more naturally.

A little change in the kitchen

Interestingly, Jay didn't just change his training style, but his food as well. He admitted himself that he no longer crams meaningless portions of food into his body in the morning like he did in his younger days. His current morning routine? Fasted cardio and then a lighter breakfast - a protein shake and two eggs. No 100 grams of protein to sit on, just a maintenance meal to keep him feeling good and his digestion from stalling.

If you feel like your shoulders are getting stagnant, try Cutler for a while. It's not about reinventing the wheel, it's more about getting a feel for the basic exercises. And Jay is a master at that.