Jay Cutler recommends three to four sets of 10 to 12 reps on the barbell decline bench press to build the lower pecs.
Jay Cutler, a four-time Mr. Olympia winner, bodybuilding icon, and accomplished entrepreneur, unveils his lower chest and pec-building workout secrets. Through his YouTube channel and TikTok, he guides his followers through pivotal exercises for sculpting a well-defined chest. Cutler’s renown stems from his Olympia victories and triumphs at the Arnold Classic from 2002 to 2004. In 2021, his illustrious career was crowned with an induction into the Bodybuilding Hall of Fame. Below is the full chest workout he published on his YouTube channel:
| Full Name: Jay Cutler | ||
| Weight | Height | Date of Birth |
| 265-275 lbs | 5’9” | 08/03/1975 |
| Division | Era | Nationality |
| Men’s Open | 2000s – 2010s | American |
Cutler begins his day with two pumps of his pre-workout beverage followed by a scoop of powdered creatine, highlighting the significant role of creatine in enhancing health and athletic performance (1). He humorously remarks, “Anyone not using creatine in their weight routines is fired.”
Jay Cutler, recognizing creatine as the oldest and most extensively researched supplement, shares his long-term experience with its use. Cutler teaches how nutrition and diet play crucial roles in sculpting the lower chest. He highlights that specific exercises, like dumbbell flyes, are effective in unveiling the intricacies of the lower chest’s appearance. Additionally, he points out the decline bench press effectiveness in targeting the chest’s outer and lower areas. Cutler emphasizes the importance of adhering to a regimen of 10-12 repetitions across 3-4 sets for optimal results.
Jay Cutler Chest Exercises
Below are the lower chest-building tips Cutler uploaded to TikTok:
@jaycutler How To Develop Your Lower Chest | Decline Bench Press #fitnesstips
| Exercises |
| Chest Press (Warm-ups) |
| Incline Chest Press |
| Iso-Lateral Incline Chest Press |
| Incline Chest Fly |
| Vertical/Standing Chest Press |
| Dumbbell Pullover |
| Toe Press |
| Seated Calf Raise |
Chest Press (Warm-Ups)
Before Cutler starts his workout in the YouTube video, he briefly talks about returning to the correct sleeping pattern. He also emphasizes that he hasn’t been eating as much as he likes and is working on getting a proper meal plan to improve his lifestyle.
Culter does 16 reps of the chest press to get some feeling and get the blood pumping. Warm-ups are essential in bodybuilding and help build athletic performance (2). After warming up with the chest press machine, he begins his workout.
Incline Chest Press
Jay Cutler starts his training workout by adding extra plates to the machine and doing a 15-rep count. He has this to say before finishing his rep for the incline chest press machine:
“I never judge success in the gym on the weight. Although in the beginning, you get stronger. I think as you build muscle, you should get stronger, but remember, I’m more in the maintenance phase. I keep saying this, I don’t want to overdo it. I’m going to do not a lot of volume, but so should I train [until] failure? Maybe, but this is going to give me enough. I’m going to do a couple sets of this. I’m not going to go any heavier, so I’ll probably do two more sets, and then I’ll roll through the next exercise, but it’s just about getting the stimulation feeling good about it.”
Cutler explains that with this exercise, the muscle contracts with its short rep range, and he pushes with his chest and nothing else. The incline chest press works the upper pecs, delts, and triceps muscles. After completing his sets on this exercise, he moves to the next exercise.
Iso-Lateral Incline Chest Press
Jay Cutler enjoys iso lateral machines because they work like dumbbells. Culter then performs 14 reps with this exercise and takes a break to discuss ego lifting:
“I’m trying not to be an ego lifter. I always complain about the ego lifters; one thing I always said, leave your ego at the door. Some days I feel stronger than others, so I’m not going to lie, the ego does jump ahead of me a little bit, but not at 50.”
He then adds a couple of weights during the process, reducing his rep count on the isolateral incline chest press machine. This exercise is excellent for building muscle mass and strength in your chest, delts, and triceps.
Incline Chest Fly
Next, Cutler moves to the incline chest fly machine, which targets the pecs and shoulders. This exercise makes a good upper body stretch and also helps with an increase in range of motion. It places more tension on target muscles, increasing muscle hypertrophy.
Jay Cutler performs this exercise and increases his weight for the remaining sets. He says he lowers the seat and stays low to the floor, which helps him get the arch in his back and target the lower pecs more.
Vertical/Standing Chest Press Machine
Before performing this exercise, Culter claims it’s like being in a machine. This exercise targets your chest, delts, and triceps. Jay Cutler does a few reps where and takes a break to talk about gym etiquette. He had this to say:
“Take your plates off, take your plates off. Please, I go to the gym way too many times, and we got plates all over the place. What did your mom teach you?”
Culter then talks about what he ate in the morning, which includes a heavy list of proteins.
- Two eggs
- Cottage cheese
- A bagel
- Oatmeal
- Banana
- Scoop of meal replacement proteins
- 2 cups of egg whites
- Blueberries
- Cup of coffee
He also added that he had at least 100g of proteins at breakfast.
Dumbbell Pullover
Cutler finally finishes his chest training exercise with the dumbbell pullover. He explains that he grabs the dumbbells with his palms and forms a triangle shape to stretch the lats and get a good chest stretch. Dumbbell pullovers target the pecs, lats, triceps, and abs muscles.
Lower Body Exercises
Jay Cutler also performs a couple of lower-body exercises. He does the toe press on the leg press machine. He points out that the gym doesn’t have a standing calf machine, so he had to improvise. The toe press targets the calves and builds the leg muscles. He finally wraps up his exercise with the seated calf raise machine. The seated calf raises the calf muscles and strengthens the legs, giving them more balance and explosive power.
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References
- Cooper, R., Naclerio, F., Allgrove, J., & Jimenez, A. (2012). Creatine supplementation with specific view to exercise/sports performance: an update. Journal of the International Society of Sports Nutrition, 9(1), 33. https://doi.org/10.1186/1550-2783-9-33
- Fradkin, A. J., Zazryn, T. R., & Smoliga, J. M. (2010). Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(1), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c643a0
