Jay Cutler didn't beat Ronnie Coleman by being stronger. Honestly, if you look at the raw numbers, Ronnie was moving small houses while Jay was "just" moving heavy iron. But what Jay had—and what finally won him that 2006 Sandow—was a back so wide it basically blocked out the sun.
His philosophy on jay cutler back training isn't about the world-record ego lifts you see on social media today. It's about a relentless, almost surgical approach to volume. He didn't just hit the lats. He dismantled them from seven different angles until the muscle had no choice but to grow.
The Secret to Those "Barn Door" Lats
Most guys go into the gym and just "pull." Jay didn't do that. He thought of his hands as hooks. If you watch his old training tapes from the Gold’s Gym Venice era, you’ll notice he rarely wraps his thumb around the bar. He uses a thumbless grip because it takes the biceps out of the equation.
If your biceps are screaming during a row, you’re failing. You aren't training back; you're training arms with a heavy accessory. Jay would always say, "Pull with the elbows." It sounds simple, but it’s the difference between a mediocre physique and an Olympia-level one.
Width vs. Thickness: A Balancing Act
Jay actually struggled with back thickness early in his career. He had the width—those massive "barn door" lats—but he lacked the "meat" in the middle. To fix this, he split his thinking into two categories.
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- For Width: High-volume lat pulldowns and pull-ups. He loved the reverse-grip pulldown. Why? Because it mimics the front double-biceps pose. It hits the lower insertions of the lats that make you look wide from the front.
- For Thickness: Rows. Lots of them. T-Bar rows, one-arm dumbbell rows, and deadlifts. But here's the kicker: he didn't do floor-to-ceiling deadlifts like a powerlifter.
The jay cutler back training Routine (Olympia Style)
Jay was known for doing 20 to 25 sets per workout. That’s a lot. For a natural lifter, that might be overkill, but for a 270-pound pro, it was the only way to reach every fiber. He wouldn't rest for three minutes like a powerlifter either. He kept his rest periods short—usually 45 to 60 seconds. He wanted to keep the blood in the muscle.
The Exercise Menu
He usually started with something to get the blood flowing.
Reverse Grip Lat Pulldowns
He'd do 3 or 4 sets here. He wasn't trying to move the whole stack. He was trying to feel the lats stretch at the top and squeeze at the bottom. It’s about that mind-muscle connection. If you don't feel it, the weight is too heavy.
One-Arm Dumbbell Rows
This was his bread and butter for thickness. He’d often go up to 140 or 160 pounds, but he wouldn't "cheat" the weight up with his hips. His torso stayed parallel to the floor. He'd pull the dumbbell toward his hip, not his chest. This ensures the lat does the work, not the rear delt.
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T-Bar Rows
Old school. Jay loved the T-Bar because it allows for a semi-neutral grip. This is great for the mid-back and traps. He’d pile on the 45-pound plates but kept his back flat as a table.
The "Dorian" Row
Inspired by his rival Dorian Yates, Jay often used a reverse-grip (supinated) barbell row. He found this hit the lower lats better than an overhand grip. It's risky for the biceps, so he never went "ego-heavy" on these. He kept it controlled.
Why He Stopped Deadlifting Heavy
You might see old videos of Jay pulling 500+ pounds. But as he got older and wiser, he changed his approach. He realized that heavy, traditional deadlifts were thickening his waist too much.
In bodybuilding, you want a "V-taper." A thick waist ruins the illusion of size. So, he transitioned to Rack Pulls. By pulling from just below the knee, he could overload the upper back and traps without putting massive stress on his midsection and spine. It’s a smart move for anyone who wants to look like a bodybuilder rather than a powerlifter.
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The "Volume Over Everything" Fallacy
People hear "Jay Cutler did 20 sets" and they try to do it themselves. Most people fail because they lack the recovery capacity. Jay was a professional. He ate 6 to 7 meals a day. He slept. He had massage therapists.
If you’re trying to replicate jay cutler back training, start with 12 to 15 sets. Focus on the "squeeze." If you're just throwing the weight around, you're wasting your time. Jay used "body English"—a little bit of momentum—but only when the muscle was already fatigued and he needed to eke out a few more reps.
Common Mistakes Most People Make
- Rounding the Back: Jay was obsessive about spinal alignment. If your lower back rounds during a row, you're one rep away from a herniated disc. Keep the chest up.
- Leaning Too Far Back: On pulldowns, people tend to turn it into a weird leaning row. Keep your torso relatively upright to keep the tension on the lats.
- Skipping the Stretch: The growth happens in the stretch. Jay would let the weight pull his lats out at the top of a pulldown before initiating the next rep.
Putting It Into Practice
If you want to try this yourself, don't just copy his 2009 Mr. Olympia routine. Adapt it.
Start your back day with a vertical pull (pulldowns). Move into a heavy horizontal pull (rows). Finish with an isolation movement like a straight-arm cable pullover. The pullover is one of Jay’s favorite "finishers" because it isolates the lats without using the biceps at all.
Honestly, the biggest takeaway from Jay's career isn't a specific exercise. It's the consistency. He didn't miss workouts. He didn't miss meals. He treated his back training like a job.
Your Actionable Next Steps
- Switch to a thumbless grip on all your pulling movements for the next two weeks to force your lats to take over.
- Incorporate one reverse-grip movement, like a pulldown or a row, to target the lower lat insertions.
- Shorten your rest periods to under 60 seconds to increase metabolic stress, just like Jay did to get that "grainy" look.
- Prioritize the "hip pull" on dumbbell rows rather than pulling to your armpit to maximize lat recruitment over the bicep.