“Don’t Think They Are Necessary”: Bodybuilding Beast With 4 Mr. Olympia Titles Advises Against “Giants Sets” Saying It Could Be Disastrous

Four-time Mr. Olympia winner Jay Cutler has spent decades perfecting his training. Even at 49, the fan-favorite bodybuilder who dethroned Ronnie Coleman is doing the Fit at 50 challenge. While Cutler maintained his physique despite retiring from competitive bodybuilding, he is currently training like his Mr. Olympia days. In his recent newsletter, Cutler talked about training and advised against a common training method.

The three-time Arnold Classic winner wrote about “giant sets,” in Jay Mail. While many people integrate giant sets to switch up their training, Cutler revealed why he doesn’t use them. He also warned against some of the disastrous effects of using them regularly.

Why Jay Cutler loves the basics?

“Giant sets mean you do 3, 4 or 5 exercises one after the other without any rest at all,” wrote the bodybuilding icon in his newsletter. However, the former Mr. Olympia also explained why he doesn’t use or “endorse” them. “I don’t think they are necessary,” because giant sets build up fatigue, Cutler informed Jay Mail readers.

“If you do this many sets without any rest I think you end up getting fatigue in the joints more than the muscle,” revealed Cutler. Putting too much pressure on the joints is the opposite of what a bodybuilder’s goal should be. The former champion said if a person does every chest movement with no rest, “your shoulders will really feel it right?”

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Tired joints could lead to some disastrous results according to the bodybuilding legend. Not only will a person make mistakes while working out, but unstable and fatigued joints could lead to severe injuries. Hence, Jay Cutler recommended a tried and tested training philosophy. 

It’s all about progressive overload

The former Arnold Classic champion recommended progressive overload. In fact, he also said that doing giant sets might hinder a bodybuilder from applying progressive overload. Instead of constantly introducing variation into his training, Cutler likes to stick to “straight working sets.”

Combining “high volume training,” with 8 to 12-repetition sets helps him make tangible progress with minimum risk of injury. According to the former Mr. Olympia, “staying consistent,” is the key to building a world-class physique.

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Cutler’s advice mirrors that of other bodybuilding greats, including his former rival, eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman. Like Cutler, Coleman also stuck to 1the 8 to 12 rep zone before picking up heavier weights. What did you make of Jay Cutler’s opinion on giant sets? Do you use them to train? Let us know in the comments.