Let's discuss the training
segments first. In his first DVD, Jay
Cutler: New, Improved, and Beyond, Jay is
massive; in his second, Jay Cutler: Ripped to
Shreds, Jay is, well, ripped. In this new DVD,
Jay has combined both the size and ripped condition.
His first workout is for the back; he weighs in at
around 280 lbs., yet he shows an amazingly ripped and
shredded physique. It's filmed three and a half weeks
out from the 2005 Mr. Olympia (held October 15). Some
bodybuilders look okay at four weeks out; Lee Priest
and Gustavo Badell both tend to look a little smooth,
as if they still need time to get really shredded.
You begin to see their striations, but not the deep
cuts. Ronnie and Jay are both ripped at four weeks
out. I remember from a round-table discussion with
several pros on a Muscletech video, Jay was the only
one who said he still measures his portions of food
while dieting. Well, folks, you better listen to Jay
-- he knows, and it shows!
At this weight, with three and a
half weeks to go, Jay is already looking better than
last year. His weights are extremely heavy, going up
to 500 lbs. for deadlifts, 140 lbs. for one-arm rows
(12 in a set), and T-bar rows in the corner with 45s
all the way to the end of the bar. His back workout
is hardcore. Jay believes in high volume, always
doing a lot of exercises and sets. One of my favorite
scenes is the T-bar row. The gym owner comes over and
asks Jay if he's okay after his last intense set.
Jay’s like, “I’m doing it for the
video, man; gotta show them how we do it at
Gold’s Gym.”
His next workout is delts,
calves, and abs. Jay hits all these body parts hard.
Some exercises may be new to the viewer, like
standing military presses. Seated side laterals are a
treat to watch, especially if you like delts so
ripped and shredded you can see every fiber!
Front raises, rear delt machines
-- oh, and let's not forget the rear laterals,
standing with cables. A medical student could study
anatomy using Jay's back during this exercise.
His calves are, of course,
unreal. And believe it or not, he hits abs as hard as
he does any other body part.
Chest, arms and legs were all
shot after the Olympia contest. For chest and arms,
Jay weighs in at around 290 lbs. and is still ripped,
except now he's also full. An argument could be made
that he should have stepped onstage in that
condition. But Jay wouldn’t have done that; he
has to be ripped to shreds. In these training
segments, Jay is so full and ripped that he's a true
beast. Again he does lots of sets and reps with lots
of weight. The main thing is just to watch this man
train: he possesses a superhero's physique. It's like
the Incredible Hulk come to life off the pages of a
Marvel comic book.
Jay's leg routine is shot in
December 2005, when he's almost 295 lbs. He has lost
some of his Olympia conditioning but none of his
intensity. He does walking lunges, front squats with
405 lbs., leg presses with a lot of 45s, and so on.
I love how Jay offers little
pointers throughout the workout, but doesn’t
explain so much that it gets boring. Like how he
explains the importance of stretching. Or how he
talks about the contraction, and when not to use too
much weight. Or how he goes to pull weight off the
floor. It's just enough to keep the viewer
entertained. Jay also racks his own weights. I don't
just mean before the exercise; the man also puts his
weights away.
In addition to the workouts,
this DVD contains never-before-seen material giving
you a glimpse into Jay's life. There's a radio show
Jay appears on that’s rather interesting. He
plays around with the DJs and others in the studio,
and you can see that Jay never takes himself too
seriously.
A “day in the life”
segment is included which is cool. We see Jay
shopping at Cosco’s, then packing his meat away
for the week, and cooking his next few meals. How he
uses scissors to cut his meat and poultry because
it's easier that way. How strictly he diets, even
three weeks after the Olympia. Then we see him
filling orders from his mail-order business, and
driving to the post office to mail them off. Pretty
interesting, since this is how I got my DVD.
One great segment shows Jay the
day before the Olympia. He is accompanied by Chris
Aceto, as they pose both at the gym and at home. Also
more tanning and carbing up. Even washing his hair,
not to mention loads of posing.
We see how Jay plays with his
dogs, and how they go after their favorite toy, known
as the “Cuz.” We see all the fish and
chicken in the freezer. And let's not forget his
stash of cheat snacks, like Booberry cereal and Rice
Crispie treats. Or his mom’s homemade banana
bread and cookies.
The backstage footage at the
Olympia is awesome. As Jay gets ready for prejudging,
he's sitting there very confidently. At one point
after he's oiled up and pumped up, he walks by a
seated, fully dressed Ronnie Coleman, who's eating
some fruit jelly. At this point neither man even
acknowledges the other. The heat of battle is on!
One of my favorite scenes occurs
backstage after Jay was awarded 2nd place.
Jay quietly walks over to his chair and places his
check and medal in his bag. Asked for an interview,
he politely says, “Sure, give me a minute,
though.” A few people come up, and one whispers
something in his ear. Jay says, “It's
bullshit.” Jay is not a whiner, nor is he one to
complain or bitch. In this segment you truly feel for
the man. He has worked harder than anyone, dieted
more strictly than ever before, taken his body to the
edge. Sitting in the chair, he must be thinking to
himself, what is a man to do? What can I do to win
this contest? I feel he truly believed he deserved to
win. But it’s the quiet intensity in his eyes
that conveys this to the viewer. Jay would never
throw his trophies, or swear and cuss. He quietly
disapproves of the verdict and vows to return. Here's
a rare look into the life of a champion who rarely
sees defeat, and never loses the drive to be number
one.
This has to be my favorite DVD
in my entire collection. I could watch it over and
over again. I highly recommend it to everyone.
Steve Buccilli
April 2006
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