“You Don’t Just Go Cold Turkey”: 4X Mr. Olympia Jay Cutler Shares Dehydration Secrets That Helped Him During Peek Week

The bodybuilding icon Jay Cutler came from an era when size and conditioning mattered the most in bodybuilding. While they were mass monsters like Cutler, Ronnie Coleman, Flex Wheeler, Dexter Jackson, and others looked absolutely shredded on stage. Earlier, the four-time Mr. Olympia explained how he systematically dehydrated his body during peak week to look shredded on stage.

In his quest to defeat Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler became one of the most conditioned bodybuilders on the Olympia stage. Then again, in 2009, when he regained his Olympia title, Cutler brought insane conditioning. His iconic ‘Quad Stomp’ with a chiseled midsection feathered quads is evidence of just how conditioned Cutler could get. However, it wasn’t a walk in the park.

“You know you kind of cut the water slowly,” said the Massachusetts native. “You don’t just go cold turkey,” added Jay Cutler. Because bodybuilders like him weighed close to 300 lbs on stage, it was especially challenging to get shredded while maintaining muscle. However, even if someone weighs much less, abruptly stopping water consumption could have disastrous health consequences.

While Jay Cutler had to drink two gallons of water thanks to his intense workout regimen, it meant cutting even more water during peak week. “I would taper by half a gallon each day the last week until I got down to basically half a gallon a day before the show,” explained the man who dethroned Ronnie Coleman. However, 12 hours before the show, he nearly stopped drinking water.

Jay Cutler only had “little sips,” to fend off massive muscle cramps during posing. “(A) very, very taxing time for me,” added the four-time Mr. Olympia. Surprisingly, this incredibly risky method has made its way to Hollywood.

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Henry Cavill did what Jay Cutler used to do!

In 2019, Henry Cavill appeared on the Graham Norton Show, where he spoke about his preparation for filming shirtless scenes in films and TV shows. As one of the best physiques of Hollywood, Cavill prep is no less grueling than appearing for a bodybuilding show. Even so, it’s hard to imagine something as risky as dehydrating for a brief shirtless scene on the silver screen.

Yet, that’s what Henry Cavill had to do. The Man of Steel star gradually reduced water intake like Jay Cutler. “On the first day, you’ll have a liter and a half, the second day half a liter, and then on the third day, no water,” Cavill said. It got so bad that the actor could “smell water” on the final day.

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Improper rehydration could result in a severe health crisis. Both bodybuilders and actors like Cavill and Hugh Jackman have advised against the practice.