Written by
31 January 2017

16NN264-Jay

Bodybuilding Problems - Jay Cutler Provides Answers

 

 

Jay, do you have any tips on taking the lower back out of squatting? Obviously there will always be some involvement, but I want to focus more on the quads than what I’ve typically been doing. Thanks in advance.

The first suggestion would be to try front squats, because they do shift a lot more of the stress onto your quads. I’m assuming you know that, though. Any time you put a heavy bar across your shoulders, it’s going to put pressure on the lower back. I’ve found that the Smith machine takes a good amount of that pressure off the back because the weight is stabilized for you— basically it’s on rails. You’ll hear people and even so-called experts saying that the Smith machine is a very weak substitute for barbell squats, but I call BS on that. Personally, I find squats on the Smith machine to be every bit as effective as using a free bar. I use the Smith machine fairly often, especially when my lower back is tight or sore. I still do a good amount of barbell squats, but they always make my lower back sore for a day or two afterward. You should be wearing a belt to keep your core nice and secure, and I also find that getting deep-tissue work done on my lower back helps immensely.

 

I’ve been a fan of yours since 2003, when I was in the Marines and started lifting. I quit after getting married and starting a family. Now that everything is back in order, I got a question. What type of program would you recommend to someone my size, 5’10” and 150 pounds, who isn’t new to lifting but is getting back into it— and needs a program to add mass?

If you were training before and were making good gains, all you really have to do is gradually ease back into your previous routine. There is no secret routine or program for adding mass. Split the muscle groups into a few different training days, make sure you include all the basics like squats, bench presses, deadlifts, barbell rows, military presses, chins, and dips, use good form with your reps in the 8-12 range, work hard, and make sure to get enough good food and rest. It’s pretty simple! Where a lot of guys go wrong is not putting enough emphasis on nutrition. Always remember that without the building blocks your body needs to synthesize new lean muscle tissue, your workouts can be all-out and intense and you still won’t grow.

 

I need some help with a cycle I’m considering. I’m 5’10”, 22 years old and stuck at 167 pounds. I have no problem staying toned, but I really need to start putting on some serious size because I want to start competing. I’ve already done a basic cycle of just Stanzol and put on a good 10 pounds, but I’m ready for something serious.

I’ve got my diet, supplementation, and workouts down better than ever. It’s been suggested I stack Test and Tren. Do you think that would be a good cycle, how should I go about it, and what should I do for a PC? Thanks.

I’m not an expert in this subject, and don’t feel comfortable giving out this type of advice— and also keep in mind that these products are illegal without a doctor’s prescription in the USA. But I will say that at 5’10” and 157 pounds, you really should have tried to build more of a natural foundation of size and strength before you considered pharmaceuticals. I’m not saying that to judge you or put you down— I’m just making an observation.

I also wouldn’t insult your intelligence by saying that drugs don’t work, but you’re like a lot of other young guys these days who put a lot more importance on them than they really deserve. What I mean by that is that training and especially nutrition are much more significant, in the big picture. A guy who really has his training and eating down pat and doesn’t use anything will usually be bigger and more impressive than someone who doesn’t train or eat very well, and relies on drugs to pick up his slack.

At 5’10” and 157 pounds, you should have made better gains than 10 pounds on your first cycle, even if it was very mild and conservative. That tells me that you may not be training as well as you think, and I’m even more certain that you don’t eat enough. You might think you do, but if that was the case you would be bigger. However much you’ve been eating still isn’t enough. I would take a long, hard look at your training and nutrition program before you start looking into the extras.

 

I have a question about strengthening the lower spine. I have a little space between the vertebrae, and from time to time it hurts me and radiates to my left leg. I go to a masseur/chiropractor, and the pain disappears for a while. I was at the doctor’s with the X-ray, and he said the problem will go away because I just have something that ripped— that was about two years ago, Jay.

I try to stretch every day, but do not always have time. I have been practicing in the gym for five years, and this problem arose about two years ago. Sometimes I collapse at the bottom of the spine when I am lifting. I have stopped doing squats because if I even put on 60 kilograms, my back hurts. Sometimes I get up in the morning and I have the feeling of back stiffness. What would you recommend? What can I do I’ll no longer get hurt? I won’t give up with the gym!

This sounds like a pretty severe injury, and you need to get it handled with the right medical care and treatments. You said that massage helps the problem, so just to start with I would continue doing that more regularly. X-rays are one thing, but they only show problems with the bones and joints. You should get an MRI done so you can have an idea what’s going on with all the tendons, ligaments, and muscles too. It’s probably worth seeing an orthopedic specialist if your regular doctor isn’t sure what’s going on. You can’t expect them to, because they don’t have a lot of training in this area.

I know we all want to just work around injuries, but that doesn’t address the real problem. You’re just putting it off. It’s always better to deal with it sooner rather than later, because often lower back issues get progressively worse over time. The last thing you want is to have to quit training because you didn’t get this taken care of before it was too late to treat.

 

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