Jay Cutler and Ronnie Coleman have always been perceived as arch-rivals by all of the fitness community and their fandom. Cutler has emphasized how it was because of the media coverage and how they intended to make it seem that way. Yet years later, as both the bodybuilders shared some old memories, Cutler found it necessary to recall how things were different from what the media portrayed and explain why Coleman is one-of-a-kind.

Cutler defeated Coleman and put a stop to the latter’s 8-year-long reign on Mr. Olympia’s stage. It was certainly a historic moment in bodybuilding. Yet, the 50-year-old bodybuilder now has a friendship with Coleman. From traveling together to training, Coleman has done it all with Cutler, and that’s how Jay Cutler knew how extraordinary Ronnie Coleman was.

Jay Cutler could not go past four plates when Ronnie Coleman did 6-7

On the Eve of Jay Cutler receiving his Lifetime Achievement title, he was seen talking to RXMuscle’s Siddique Farooqi along with Ronnie Coleman. He revealed how there were moments when Coleman would decide to leg exercises. Even if they were traveling, after they landed, Coleman would still go to the gym late at night. Cutler recalled, “I’d be like damn I’m tired but Ronnie Coleman’s doing legs and he’s sitting the corner and I’m not kidding you, he’d go up, it’d be like plate after plate five plates six plates, he’d squat up to six-seven plates as I quit at four.”

Cutler then proceeded to reveal that because Coleman was training, people would close the gym but still let the bodybuilder do his exercises. The situation and Ronnie Coleman’s dedication to the sport really made Cutler understand who he was competing with. He stated, “They talked about the training when no one was looking. That’s what he was training for, so I knew I was up against something extraordinary. I constantly say the greatest bodybuilder of all time is sitting right next to me as we speak, and there’ll never be another Ronnie Coleman.”

In the same conversation, when Coleman was asked about his opinion on Jay Cutler, the bodybuilding legend did not hesitate to confess how Cutler pushed him to get better.

Ronnie Coleman tried harder not to give up his trophy

Coleman talked about how he had never planned to give up on his title and trophy. And hence, when he saw that he had gotten a formidable rival on stage, he knew he had to work harder than ever. He confessed, “I know I had a guy like Jay, some other guy that trying to get on top like me so I was constantly working hard each and every single day. And I was always thinking in the back of my mind that there’s no way I’m giving this up.”

Coleman also explained how he pushed himself to be better every single year because his rival was also getting better at a rapid speed. He revealed, “I pushed myself because these guys throw harder and harder each and every single year each and every single day. Because like I said, I’m not about to give this thing up now especially, you know all the hard work and dedication.”

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Coleman-Cutler remains one of the most popular bodybuilding rivalries, and their era on stage was extremely mesmerizing. Upon hearing about their friendship off-stage, what do you think about the duo? Let us know in the comments below.

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