Cutler continues push to reach top of Olympia

By Baxter Cepeda
Advertiser Staff Writer

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What: 25th Hawaiian Islands Bodybuilding Championships, along with Women's Fitness and Figure Contests. When: 7:30 tonight Where: Blaisdell Concert Hall Competition: Open, juniors and masters (35-older) Guest posers: Jay Cutler, two-time Arnold Classic champion and 2001 Mr. Olympia runner-up; Lenda Murray, seven-time Ms. Olympia; Lisa Uzzle, 2002 NPC National Fitness winner; Honolulu-born Clifton Torres, 2002 Mr. USA bantamweight champion; and Russ Testo, a physique artist. Tickets: $41, $36, $31, $26 and $21. All seats are reserved.

But one activity Cutler won't be doing is surfing.

"Have you seen any 300-pound surfers?" he said. "I don't have good balance."

Cutler's balance is more in appearance. His body symmetry, muscularity and definition have taken him to the top of his sport.

The 5-foot-9, 290-pounder who is the two-time champion of the Arnold Classic and the Mr. Olympia runner-up will be a guest poser during tonight's Hawaiian Islands Bodybuilding championship.

The competition, which is a national qualifier and considered by bodybuilders as the state's top competition, will be held at the Blaisdell Concert Hall.

"I get a great response when I come to Hawai'i," said Cutler, 29. "I will put on a great show for everybody. See possibly the next Mr. Olympia."

Cutler finished second to Ronnie Coleman, who has won the Mr. Olympia five years in a row.

He feels he should have been second to none in this past Mr. Olympia competition.

"I should have been the winner of that contest," he said. "That is why I'm the 'people's champ.' That is my nickname."

Cutler, who has a 60-inch chest, said he began training as a teenager.

"I started putting on size and making money," he said. "And then it became a career."

Cutler's workouts now consist of two to four hours of weight training daily, split into two workouts.

Cutler said that for each body-part he does 15 to 20 sets of eight to 10 repetitions. He added that he tries to do four to six different exercises per body part.

"You have to hit each muscle from different angles," Cutler said. "My training has always been pretty much the same."

Cutler's workouts also include bench-press sets of 400 pounds with a 550-pound maximum.

His diet consists of 6,000 to 10,000 calories a day, comprised of egg whites, fish, chicken, rice, potatoes, oatmeal, vegetables and fruit for the most part.

That strict regimen might change while in Hawai'i.

During his previous visits, Cutler said he went to a luau, whale watching and ate sushi, now one of his favorite foods.

"A lot of it (sushi)," said Cutler.

Cutler said he enjoyed it so much here that he brought his wife this time.

"We like the tropical weather and views," Cutler said. "We are taking a little vacation."

NOTES: Cutler says he has been booked every weekend since winning the Arnold Classic in March and answers 50 to 100 e-mails a day. ... Joining Cutler as a guest poser will be Honolulu's Clifton Torres, seven-time Ms. Olympia Lenda Murray, Lisa Uzzle, the NPC National Fitness 2002 overall champion, and Russ Testo, a physique artist. ... Torres obtained his professional status after winning the NPC Nationals bantam title last year. ... The event also features competition for open, juniors and masters (35 older) and the women's fitness and figure contest ... Because the event is sanctioned by the National Physique Committee, the open and women's contests are national qualifiers ... This is the 25th year of the event.