Jay Cutler is one of the most recognisable names in bodybuilding history. 🏆
He won the Mr. Olympia title four times, in 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010, and he was the first man to regain the title after losing it, coming back to win in 2009.
Cutler last competed at the Mr. Olympia in 2013, but he never really left the gym. This article looks back at one shoulder session of his that was reported in September 2023, in the year he turned 50.
Everything that follows is descriptive: it describes what Cutler reportedly did and said in that session. It is not a programme for the reader, and it promises nothing about results.
From Challenger to Champion
For years, Cutler finished as runner-up before finally breaking through against eight-time champion Ronnie Coleman in 2006.
He defended the title in 2007, lost it to Dexter Jackson in 2008, and then made history by winning it back in 2009. A fourth title followed in 2010.
That long road is part of why fans still pay attention when he talks training. His full story is told in his Jay Cutler biography, and his wider eating and training background is covered in his diet plan and workout routine article.
In his competitive years, Cutler was known for an extremely demanding routine, including very late training sessions. Reports from that era also mention a striking figure of around 140 egg whites a day.
That figure is included here only as a reported detail from his competitive days. It is not a suggestion, and it says nothing about what anyone else should eat.
What the Reported 2023 Session Contained
The session was filmed for Cutler’s own JayCutlerTV YouTube channel and reported by Fitness Volt on 6 September 2023. Cutler opened it by saying he was about to do a shoulder workout, after a strong leg session the day before.
He also said he had done 60 minutes on the stairs that morning, and that he weighed 234 pounds at the time. Both figures are reported figures from that day, not current measurements.
One thing worth noting straight away: although it is remembered as a shoulder session, the reported list also included calf work and abdominal work. The shoulder moves were the heart of it, but they were not the whole session.
As reported, the session ran as follows. Every entry below is what he reportedly did that day, in the past tense, with the example ranges given in the report:
| Exercise (as reported) | Sets | Reps |
| Standing calf raise | 3 | 12–13 |
| Seated calves machine | 3 | 11–13 |
| Seated press machine | 3 | 13–15 |
| Standing side laterals | 3 | 12–13 |
| Incline barbell front raise | 3 | 10–13 |
| Seated reverse pec deck | 3 | 10–12 |
| High-pulley rear-delt crossover | 3 | 10–12 |
| Crunches | 3 | 12–15 |
| Seated crunch machine | 3 | 12–15 |
| Leg raise machine | 3 | 10–15 |
Readers should not copy these numbers as a prescription. They describe one filmed session by a retired professional at a particular point in his life, not a plan designed for anyone else.
The Press: Seated Press Machine 💪
The pressing move in the reported session was a seated press machine, done for three sets in the 13–15 rep range given in the report.
Pressing sat near the start of the shoulder portion of the session, after the opening calf work. In Cutler’s account of his training, the press was a foundation move rather than a finishing touch.
The photo above shows a dumbbell press, not Cutler’s machine press, and it is captioned honestly as such. It illustrates the overhead pressing movement only.
Side Laterals: The Move He Kept Coming Back To
Cutler’s reported standing side laterals were three sets in the 12–13 rep range. In his later training videos, he repeatedly returned to laterals as a central shoulder move.
Between sets of side laterals in this session, he talked about how much he trained at the time: five to seven days a week, as he described it then.
He also spoke about training as something he did for his head as much as his body. Strength training, he said, gave him an outlet for frustration and stress that cardio alone did not give him.
The rear of the shoulder got its own attention in the same session, even though it has no picture here. Cutler reportedly did a seated reverse pec deck for three sets of 10–12, and a high-pulley rear-delt crossover for three sets of 10–12.
Between sets of the crossover work, he practised posing, then moved on to abdominal work. A visit from comedian Carrot Top, who had come to watch him train, was also mentioned in the report.
Front Raises: Incline Barbell Front Raise
The front-raise move in the reported session was an incline barbell front raise, done for three sets in the 10–13 rep range.
That put the front of the shoulder into the session alongside the press and the laterals, so all sides of the shoulder were covered in the one workout.
Again, the photo above is an honest illustration, not Cutler himself: it shows a dumbbell front raise, while Cutler’s reported version used a barbell on an incline.
The Rest of the Session, and What He Said About Training
The calf work that opened the session was not an afterthought in Cutler’s account. On the seated calves machine, he used what the report called a “one-two motion” on each repetition.
He pointed out that the machine’s counterbalanced sides kept the load even from one calf to the other, and he talked about feeling a real contraction on every rep.
The abdominal work that closed the session included crunches, a seated crunch machine, and a leg raise machine, each reported at three sets. Those moves are described here in text only, with no photo.
Running through the whole session was Cutler’s emphasis on the pump: the feeling of blood in the working muscle during training. He put it simply, saying “the pump for me does it.”
He linked that feeling to his wider idea of training at the time: finding a middle ground between chasing a pump and stretching the fascia, the tissue around the muscle, rather than always pushing for more size.
He was also open about his direction then. He did not describe himself as still building muscle in the competitive sense; he talked about holding a programme, staying consistent, and not wanting to stay overly muscle-bound.
That honesty is part of what makes the session interesting in 2026. It is a record of a former champion training for health and consistency after competition, not a comeback plan.
How This Session Fits Cutler’s Other Training Articles
This article stays with the shoulder session only. For Cutler’s wider exercise choices, his top exercises for each body part article covers his per-body-part picks.
His back training is a separate subject too. His top 3 exercises for sculpting monumental lats and his tips to build a massive back with incline rows cover that ground, and they are not repeated here.
Readers who want the championship context can also browse the Mr. Olympia champions in bodybuilding history article, which places Cutler’s four titles in the longer story of the contest.
Frequently Asked Questions ❓
Was this a workout Cutler recommended to everyone?
No. It was a session he filmed himself doing in 2023 and talked through on camera. Nothing in the report presents it as a plan for the general reader.
Did Cutler train shoulders alone in this session?
No. The reported list also included calf exercises at the start and abdominal exercises at the end, alongside the shoulder moves.
What did Cutler say mattered most in the session?
He kept returning to the pump and to consistency: staying on his programme, training most days, and using training as an outlet for stress.
Is this article medical or training advice?
No. It is general fitness information about a historical session. Anyone with a shoulder problem, pain, or a medical condition should talk to a qualified professional before trying any exercise, and stop straight away if anything causes sharp pain.
A note on the pictures in this article. Only the featured image shows Jay Cutler himself, in a verified free photo. The three body photos show other gym-goers doing a press, a side lateral and a front raise, and each caption says so honestly. No verified free photo was found for the reverse pec deck, the high-pulley rear-delt crossover, the calf moves, or the abdominal moves, so those moves have no picture and no heading of their own in this article, and no photo here has been captioned as something it is not.