Four-time Mr Olympia Jay Cutler may have retired from the competitive stage, but the fit-in-his-50s bodybuilding icon still has tremendous triceps. In a recent Instagram post, Cutler shared some more of his gym warrior wisdom by demonstrating his approach to cable triceps extensions. Here’s how to crush them for yourself.
“One of the coolest exercises I learned to do, early on; the rope extension,” said Cutler, sharing another great muscle building tip with his 5.7 million IG followers. Of course, Jay Cutler is one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, winning the Mr Olympia trophy from 2006-2017 and again from 2009-2010, so any aspiring competitor should be all ears when the legend speaks.
Benefits of the Tricep Extension Exercise
Especially when starting out from an overhead position, triceps extensions work the long head, which is the largest part of the triceps, and also the medial and lateral heads, helping to give you a more prominent V-shape or ‘horse shoe’ line in the rear of your upper arm. Not only to triceps extensions strengthen your flexing power, but they also help to build arms that look to be chiseled from granite. “Everyone wants to have that triceps that has that nice ‘V’,” explained Cutler.
Jay Cutler’s Cable Triceps Extension Tips
Reaching for the rope handle grip, Cutler began by holding the cable overhead. He then stepped forward for a staggered stance. “Push, into that lockout,” advised Cutler, who kept the rep tempo at a good pace to really tax those triceps. “Remember, really just try to stretch and pop those fibers,” he advised.
When it comes to how many reps you should complete, Cutler said that whether it’s 8, 10, or 20, the emphasis should be on going heavy for quality over quantity, exhausting the muscles into hypotrophy. “As long as they grow, it doesn’t matter,” said the bodybuilding icon, who emphasized the importance of the stretch. “When you stretch those fibers, obviously it’s gong to cause more blood flow, nutrient (intake), everything else, that’s where you’re gonna get the growth in the triceps. For those who want to get started and would like to be given a specific number of reps, Cutler commented that 8-12 reps is a great way to get a feel for the cable, aiming for failure, and “with a focus on getting a good contraction!” Yes, Sir!
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