“I Was Going to Quit”: Bodybuilding Legend Jay Cutler Had an Introspective Moment After He Was Placed Dead Last in 1999 Mr. Olympia

Jay Cutler is a bodybuilding icon. The former champion’s career spanned for two decades. During that time, Cutler won almost every major title a bodybuilder can win. At one point, Jay was the only one who could challenge the King, Ronnie Coleman. In 2006, Jay Cutler finally defeated Coleman on the Olympia stage. However, early in his career, the four-time Mr. Olympia faced a big dilemma. A dilemma that forced him to rethink what he was doing in life.

Cutler didn’t do well at the 1999 Olympia. In fact, he placed almost at the end of the pack. It was during that time the former champion thought he might have to quit. However, things didn’t turn out that way. Here’s how Jay Cutler reached the pinnacle of bodybuilding.

Cutler went from thinking about quitting to conquering Mr. Olympia

Jay Cutler placed 14th in the 1999 Mr. Olympia competition. That year, Ronnie Coleman won the title for the 2nd time. In 2014, Jay Cutler told Bodybuilding.com how that moment influenced him: “That was kind of a turning point. I said either I was going to quit, or I was going to move forward.” However, the former Mr. Olympia did the exact opposite of quitting. Cutler started working even harder, and the results were showing.

In 2001, Cutler leapfrogged to 2nd place. However, now Ronnie Coleman stood in between Cutler and the Mr. Olympia title. It would be a while before Jay would dethrone the King. However, the massive jump in standings motivated Cutler. “It also gave me a realistic goal,” said the four-time Mr. Olympia.

Cutler also said: “Really, the biggest learning experience came from all those consecutive second-place finishes behind Ronnie Coleman.” The three-time Arnold classic winner placed second from 2001 to 2005. While he didn’t win, Cutler was determined, as he said, “Built a huge fan base, being the underdog, and I was very close to being the best.“

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With each loss against Ronnie, Jay got better at his craft. Cutler said: “Each day, week, and month as I continued to train to be my absolute best.” Cutler finally dethroned the King of bodybuilding in 2006. After that, he won the Mr. Olympia title three more times. Cutler is also one of the few champions that came back to avenge a loss.

Why Jay Cutler still trains?

The former Mr. Olympia is now a successful entrepreneur. Cutler travels all around the world to grow his supplement company, Cutler Nutrition. However, the former champion still trains hard in the gym. In fact, Jay goes to the gym more than he used to when he was professionally competing. While Cutler is no longer as huge as he used to be, the four-time Mr. Olympia now trains to stay fit.

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From winning the biggest title in bodybuilding to running a business, Jay Cutler has found success in every venture. While at one point the bodybuilding legend almost quit, he pushed through and kept working hard. Ultimately, Cutler competed and won against some of the best bodybuilders ever. Only Jay Cutler can boast about winning against both Ronnie Coleman and Phil Heath.