Jay Cutler's historic 2009 Mr. Olympia comeback almost never happened. After a devastating loss in 2008, an unlikely conversation with Hany Rambod changed everything. 

Back in 2008, Jay Cutler entered Mr. Olympia as a two-time winner, aiming for the threepeat. Only then he was de-throned by Dexter Jackson. At the time, Cutler found himself demotivated. That's when he met Hany Rambod. As Cutler revealed on Overcome Cast:

"Somehow, Hany and I end up in conversation. He checked on me. Hey, I hope you're okay. Out of his heart. And we weren't super close. He was a Ronnie Coleman camp guy. He loved Ronnie... He's like you can do this man. He said to me don't think it's done. You still have the tools. At the time, he hadn't trained any greats. I was his first Olympian at the time."

In December 2008, Jay Cutler and Hany Rambod started filming the FST-7 routine in Cutler's Las Vegas home. But it wasn't until they were 10 weeks out of Mr. Olympia that Cutler officially asked Rambod to be his coach.

Their training together paid off as in 2009, Jay Cutler made history and reclaimed his Mr. Olympia title.

And It's Not the First Time Cutler Recalled Rambod's Help

Talking about the infamous 'Pro-Creator' Rambod, Cutler once recalled Rambod's training style. "I tell people all the time, he’s a m***********...There are hard moments. The truth hurts sometimes. But you know, you’re abrasive because you’re intense and driven, and we know what the end result is."

He also revisited the 2008 incident that ultimately led to Rambod becoming his coach.

"We fell into training because you checked on me. You were sincere.” Rambod agreed, offering an anecdote from conversing with ‘90s superstar Kevin Levrone."

Written by

Ruwa Javed

Edited by

Siddharth Shirwadkar