Jay Cutler Interview - Jay Cutler Bodybuilder Picture

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The UN-Crowned Mr. Olympia?

A Few Words With 2001 Mr. Olympia Runner-Up And 2002 Arnold Classic Champ Jay Cutler

Jay Cullter Picture at the 2001 Mr. O

By Trevor Smith

This is the part of the interview where the author is supposed to write a clever paragraph or two that speaks the praises of the interviewee and informs everyone that the writer is a personal friend of theirs. A couple of semi-witty analogies and then the paragraph ends in a neat segue to the interview. Well, I am not like other bodybuilding magazine writers and would never want to be mistaken as such. So I am not going to take the time to talk about how Jay, who by the way is one of the nicest and most down to earth people you will ever meet, and I came up with the idea to interview him after we finished having Thanksgiving Dinner together at my home this past November. I am certainly not going to talk about the fact that this interview was as easy as taking candy from a baby even though Jay's been busier than a one armed paper hanger with crabs since his stunning performance at the 2001 Mr. Olympia. So let's just save time and get right to it.

What were your thoughts going into this years Mr. Olympia?

This year my goal was to be at my best and I obviously achieved that. I was 8th in 2000 and planned to do better in 2001. Every contest I try to come in better than the last.

Did you do anything differently this year in terms of your prep as opposed to last year…i.e. diet, training?

Higher carbs, less cardio, 20 week diet instead of 16 weeks. I cut travel time 12 weeks out and trained with much higher intensity than ever before. I also substituted a protein powder for 3 meals out of 6.

How did you feel when you saw the other contestants…did you think the show was yours? What did you think when you saw Ronnie?

When I saw Ronnie I said, "What a freak." All I knew is that I was at my absolute best and that was good enough in my eyes to be the surprise of the show. I really didn't pay attention to anyone else.

What are your thoughts on bodybuilding as a whole? Do you consider it a sport? It has been said that bodybuilding lacks credibility and doesn't attract real athletes what steps do you think can be taken to change this?

Bodybuilding has been very lucrative and has built character for me. I will use this as a stepping-stone towards building my future. I consider bodybuilding more of a show rather than a sport. It is very entertaining. While many think bodybuilding is dying, I think it continues to grow. We definitely need to take it more "mainstream" and work on getting the networks involved and this would bring a lot more pure athletes into the sport.

After seeing the Mr. O video and the pictures in the magazines, what did you think of the judging overall at the Mr. O this year? Were you happy with where you placed, and was there anyone that you feel got an early Christmas present and anyone who got the shaft that stood out in your mind?

I was happy with my placing; it could have gone either way. I feel that Vince Taylor could have placed higher as with Markus Ruhl.

What are your thoughts on King Kamali? He apparently made some comments about you regarding your drive and work ethic…and he also stated on his website that had Chris Cormier, Shawn Ray and Kevin Levrone been at their best at this years Mr. Olympia…you would have been battling it out for 5th or 6th.

Everyone has their own opinions. Since when do opinions matter? Would anyone guess I would be a top contender ten weeks from the Olympia? Opinions are like assholes, everyone has one! The fact is I placed second and not anyone else.

The company you represent is ISS. Tell us how you became involved with them. How do you like working with them and what do you like about the company? In other words, what made you choose them over others?

I signed with ISS in December 2000 and, so far, it has been the greatest experience of my career. I truly believe in their products and they truly believe in me, not as just as athlete but as a person as well. They have given me the opportunity to develop several new products and support any opinions that I may have. ISS will be a major player in the supplement industry in the next few years.