Jay Cutler discusses his confusion with the Mr. Olympia event between Men’s Open and other divisions.
Since the IFBB’s inception, there have been many changes to the sport of bodybuilding. This is most clear when it comes to the introduction of multiple divisions. In the beginning, there was only one division – Men’s Open. There were different height classes but that’s about it. Now we have over eight divisions across the entire IFBB and NPC. This allows for different physique goals to be accomplished for different athletes. But are there too many options now?
We asked Jay Cutler during our Generation Iron 3 interview. Most of his answer ended up on the cutting room floor – which is why we’ve now released the entire segment in full. Jay expresses less issue withe the divisions as a whole, but finds the multiple divisions at the Mr. Olympia confusing. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Jay Cutler explains how there should be only one Mr. Olympia champion – and the other divisions should be labeled something different.
Jay Cutler is an Olympia champion who stood in the middle of a transition between eras. He competed as multiple divisions were sprouting in the industry. Today, there are over eight different divisions – making for a stacked Mr. Olympia weekend each year. Certainly more events means more excitement for the sport – but can it push too far? Are there too many options? Does it water down the competition across more divisions instead of forcing athletes to rise up to different standards were there less options?
Jay Cutler has no problem with the number of divisions we have today. In fact, he thinks more divisions are good for the sport. It provides more opportunities for different kinds of athletes to find success. But Jay does have an issues with the Mr. Olympia weekend in particular.
Jay Cutler find the current set up of the Olympia weekend confusing. Specifically, he thinks that too many division champions are able to call themselves Mr. Olympia champions.
“What I have in disagreeance is… defining Mr. Olympia. There should be one Mr. Olympia and that’s our [then] current Phil Heath wins the Mr. Olympia title.” Jay Cutler states in our interview. He continues:
It’s the Sandow trophy. There’s only one guy who gets the Sandow, right? So I can Flex Lewis in the 212 be crowned 212 Mr. Olympia? He gets a bowl or whatever, right? He doesn’t get a Sandow trophy… That’s where it gets confusing because there can only be one Mr. Olympia champion. And you can argue that there has to be some sort of defined something between the divisions.”
Ultimately what Jay Cutler is talking about comes down to pure semantics. Should the other champions beyond Men’s Open maintain the Olympia in their title? Jay finds it confusing – perhaps even watering down the prestige of the Men’s Open Mr. Olympia title. Do you agree?
Watch Jay Cutler’s full comments in our latest GI Exclusive Vault interview above. You can also watch Generation Iron 3 on digital today. Get your digital copy by clicking here or the banner below.
