Why did Jay Cutler retire?

Jay Cutler, a four-time Mr. Olympia, is a bodybuilder who still holds immense respect years after his retirement in 2013. He was the only bodybuilder who broke the streak of the eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman in 2006 and won his first title. He secured the Olympia throne twice in a row and was a menace-looking mass monster, weighing around 300 pounds, defining the term mass monster truly. But why did all of a sudden Cutler take retirement from the sport?

Cutler broke his silence on the reason behind his retirement last year on his podcast, Cutler Cast. In the video, the interviewer talked about how a 15-minute posing on the stage can either break or make a hero, and Cutler replied:

"I quit for that reason." Continuing further, he explained, "I got so tired of the hype every year. This was the most dreaded time of the year for me because even my friends people close to me are you ready, and I'm like, Come on, dude, I do this for a living. You know like I would get annoyed at the smallest things right because I knew the world was rooting for me, but I knew there were a lot of people against." [14:45]

Despite having a successful career, Jay Cutler highlighted that he struggled and felt 'burnt out' in the 2007 and 2008 Mr. Olympia.

He further broke down and said:

"It became an annoyance to me right because I just had to land it perfect 2010; I wasn't as sharp as 09 so it was really hard to peak that right, and then in 11, you know, Phil Heath came into his zone, and I realized after 11 dude it was like this just isn't fun anymore no matter how much money you make and how much like you travel in the world and people are showing you respect it just wasn't fun if it's not fun it's not going to be as enticing for you to put full effort forward." [16:21]

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Small struggles that played a part in Jay Cutler's retirement

Jay Cutler shed light on what he had been through at the time of his retirement. He mentioned he had been the runner-up six times and that people always wanted to see the top guy get toppled.

Cutler said:

"People wanted to leapfrog and be in that winner circle." [15:18]

Apart from this factor, the four-time Mr. Olympia also struggled with some personal life issues. He went through a divorce, and even his dog, who had been a long-time companion in his life, died. One of the Quadstomp's contracts ended up having a huge impact on his financial stability. While preparing for the 2012 Olympia, he tore a bicep, which ruled him out of the competition.

All of these factors led to the retirement of the successful bodybuilder from bodybuilding. However, he still has a passion for the sport and has become a fitness influencer. Cutler hasn't stopped working out and shares valuable tips on his Instagram to help his fans with their fitness journey.