Bodybuilding icon Jay Cutler spoke about his on-stage arch-rival Ronnie Coleman in the latest episode of Jaywalking. The four-time Mr. Olympia explained that while wishing his good friend Coleman a happy 60th birthday, he recalled meeting Ronnie Coleman for the first time. Nearly two decades after dethroning Coleman on the Olympia stage, Cutler recalled training at Metroflex.

Jay Cutler recounted hearing about the gym Ronnie Coleman trained at being a “hardcore” temple of grit and iron. The ‘dungeon’ style gym didn’t have any of the creature comforts of a large commercial gym. Coleman attributes a lot of his success to training at Metroflex with season pro bodybuilders. Cutler said that training at Metroflex was on his bucket list.

The only Mr. Olympia to avenge his loss on the bodybuilding stage said he had just turned Pro when he visited the gym. “I went down to Dallas to win my Pro card in ’96,” said the bodybuilding icon. Coleman trained in Arlington, Texas, which is west Dallas, so Jay Cutler traveled to train with the then Mr. Universe winner at the famous gym. 

While Coleman had participated in Mr. Olympia in 1996, he didn’t come close to winning the contest. “I was impressed with Ronnie, but he wasn’t the Ronnie of later… when he came up in like ’98,” said Jay Cutler. However, the Comeback Kid recalled being most impressed with Coleman’s biceps during their training session at Metroflex.

“He had those crazy arms dude… He had like the crazy split biceps,” recalled Jay Cutler. However, just a few years after their first training session, the two bodybuilding legends would birth one of the biggest rivalries in bodybuilding history on the Olympia stage. For four years, Cutler would come up short against The King.

When Jay Cutler finally defeated Ronnie Coleman

When Jay Cutler went to train at Metroflex, Ronnie Coleman struggled to secure the top-five spot at the Mr. Olympia. However, after years of trying, The King would finally ascend his throne in 1998, winning his first Olympia title. After his first win, Coleman started a record-setting eight-year reign at the Mr. Olympia. However, after defeating rivals like Flex Wheeler, Dexter Jackson, and others, Coleman would clash with Jay Cutler.

By the time the ’90s ended, Jay Cutler had evolved into a formidable challenger for Jay Cutler. The comeback kid proved his case time and time again, placing second to Coleman from 2001 through 2005. However, Cutler would finally triumph over Coleman in 2006. Although Ronnie Coleman aimed to set a new record by winning Mr. Olympia nine times consecutively, Cutler would spoil his plans.

While the two bodybuilding icons seemed to harbor animosity when they competed on stage, they have become great friends off-stage. Today, Cutler and Coleman often recount memories such as training training together at Metroflex gym.