What can other bodybuilders learn from Jay Cutler?

Modified Mar 13, 2024 12:33 GMT

Jay Cutler is a retired US professional bodybuilder and is the third-richest bodybuilder in the world today. He is a four-time winner of the coveted Mr. Olympia title and a six-time runner-up.

With a whopping net worth of $30 million, the 49-year-old is well ahead of most of his peers. Cutler is unarguably one of the greatest bodybuilders in history, but the legacy and net worth he has amassed over the years is worth taking a look at and learning from.

Professional bodybuilding is not as high-paying as other international sports are. On average bodybuilders earn $77,000 per year. Most of their income comes from winning competitions and in some cases, from sponsorships and monetary compensations.

In this scenario, the kind of business sense that Jay Cutler put to use is very creditable. His profit margin compared to an average bodybuilding income is significantly larger. But how did he manage to take-off into the millions?

He developed his own style of personal branding, featuring in multiple international fitness magazines like Muscle and Fitness, Flex and Muscular Development. As he became prominent in the bodybuilding scene, he started appearing in many bodybuilding related videos.

He featured in the Battle for Olympia 2001, a pre-contest documentary video directed by Mitsuru Okabe highlighting competitors as they prepared for the 2001 Mr. Olympia.

Cutler owns a bodybuilding supplement business, Cutler Nutrition and fitness clothing line, Cutler Athletics. His company is based in the US and sells his merchandise from autographed posters to workout equipments.

He recently appeared on the September 2022 cover of Muscular Development.

In 2004, Jay Cutler published a memoir called CEO Muscle. He detailed his life story, training regimen and diet routines. He also added advice for beginner, intermediate and advanced trainers. It claims to be an in-depth look at Jay Cutler, not as a bodybuilder but as a businessman.

He was unable to participate in Mr. Olympia in 2012 due to a biceps injury and placed sixth in 2013. He has not competed in the competition since then.

Cutler now focuses on his businesses, promotions, and other ventures through social media. He uses his experience to motivate others and offers services to help people on their fitness journey. He has an active following on Instagram and YouTube. The icon even has a newsletter called JayMail, where he often shares advice.

Jay Cutler has fully developed his business and has gathered a large following as a successful bodybuilder. This combination has enabled his brand to grow and generate large amounts of profit.

To take away a lesson from his exceptional journey from an iconic bodybuilder to a businessman would be to create a brand for yourself.

Taking a look at the career of Jay Cutler

Before going down the bodybuilding route, Jay Cutler worked in his brother's concrete business, Cutler Bro. Concrete when he was 11-years-old.

At the age of 18, he started training for bodybuilding inspired by personal trainer, Marcos Rodriguez.

Having emerged as a name to reckon with in bodybuilding, Cutler went on to win the Arnold Classic in 2002, 2003 and 2004. He retired in 2013. He was quoted by Generation Iron talking about why he retired.

"I retired pretty much because I had lost the enthusiasm to wake up everyday with that one mindset to be the best on a bodybuilding stage,"

Even after almost a decade of retirement, Jay Cutler remains a prominent name in bodybuilding. His glittering journey has been nothing short of inspiring and lesson-worthy.