Clash of the titans: Jay Cutler and Gunter Schlierkamp hit the trenches for a legendary training session

Flex, May, 2007 by Shawn Perine

In bodybuilding, we tend to toss around terms like "legend" with the kind of careless ease with which wrestlers Batista and John Cena hurl their opponents around the ring. Certainly in its century-long history, bodybuilding has acquired its fair share of outstanding athletes, all worthy of varying degrees of acknowledgment. Yet, when we describe each and every one as a "legend," we ultimately dilute the meaning of this potent word. Bodybuilding is chock-full of "greats," "stars" and even "giants." But legends? Those guys are few and far between. When you say "legend" you'd better mean it.

So when bodybuilding photographer Chris Lund met up with bodybuilding legends Jay Cutler and Gunter Schlierkamp for an intense training session at Koloseum Gym in Fullerton, California, right around the 2006 Olympia, the result was the stuff of, well, legend. And we're not just throwing that word around lightly.

TWO'S COMPANY

"When you do a shoot with another competitor, it's different than being shot alone. In a way, it's more enjoyable--if it's someone you get along with. Jay is a great athlete and I respect him for what he's doing, and I know that he respects me, too. With Jay, I don't even feel like there's a competitive side to our relationship. When we get together, we have a lot of fun and joke around. Jay really looked great, not just in the pictures, but at the Olympia. I'm happy for him, having won the Olympia. He's a very good representative for our sport."

--Gunter Schlierkamp

ANOTHER ROUND

"I had wanted to do another photo shoot with Gunter for years. [Their first one appeared in the February 2000 issue of FLEX.] We had both done the '98 Night Of Champions, where he finished 10th and I was 12th. I thought it would be good, with the two big blond bodybuilders hitting the weights in the gym and, of course, fighting for the same titles. Then when talk of this photo shoot came around, we were both top contenders, with him placing fourth and me taking second at the Olympia in 2005. I was looking forward to doing this shoot with him:"

--Jay Cutler

PHOTO FINISH

"When you work with Chris Lund, you know that he's going to find the exercises where you look your best. He knows exactly the right bodypart, the right exercise and angle and everything, so that you look amazing. He's very professional. Sometimes, other photographers might experiment and have you do a lot of different things, hoping for a good shot--but Chris knows exactly what he wants and he gets it."

--G.S.

IRON ASPIRATIONS

"Gunter's done things that a lot of other bodybuilders dream about doing. He has lived a dream, really, having come from Germany to live in California, and then earning a living as a professional bodybuilder. Now he's married and moving on to another chapter in his life, getting into acting--all while fighting for the Mr. Olympia title. So you've got to give the guy credit. He works very, very hard at what he does and I have the utmost respect for him."

--J.C.

TURNING UP THE VOLUME

"I was screaming, 'Come on, Gunter!' to psych him up, and he was yelling, 'Come on, Jay!' back at me. We go back a long way and have been friends a long time. We've done a ton of guest appearances together, so there's friendship, but also rivalry because, in the end, we're both fighting for the same title. Fortunately, it went my way at [the 2006] Olympia, but he's always a great contender, and I look forward to the next time we can shoot together."

--J.C.

SNAP DECISIONS

"Chris definitely pushes us hard, which can be good and bad. The good part is that the photos are very intense; there's a lot of hard work going on and it shows in our faces. When you're lifting those heavy dumbbells, it's impossible not to show the strain in your face. Of course, there are times when you don't want to push that hard for a photo shoot--when you're two weeks out from a contest, you're pretty depleted and you can't lift like you normally do. Then, when you see the results in the magazine, it looks really good and you realize, Hey, that guy knows what he's doing!"

--G.S.

HE'LL BE BACK

"I've always been a big fan of Gunter. After he took fifth at the 2002 Mr. Olympia, I e-mailed him and said, 'Man, you looked great' and 'I thought you could have won it all,' and of course he won the GNC Show of Strength, beating Ronnie Coleman, a couple of weeks later. When Gunter's on, he looks great. He wasn't at his best [at the 2006 Olympia, where he placed 10th], but I know he'll bounce back."

--J.C. FLEX

PHOTOGRAPHY BY CHRIS LUND

CUTLER'S
BACK WORKOUT

EXERCISE               SETS  REPS

Underhand pulldowns     4    10-12

Deadlifts *             3      6

One-arm dumbbell rows   3    10-12

T-bar rows              3    10-12

Bent barbell rows       3    10-12

Seated low cable rows   3    10-12

Back extensions *       2    10-12

* Every other workout

CUTLER'S
SHOULDER WORKOUT

EXERCISE                           SETS  REPS

Seated dumbbell lateral raises      5    10-12

Presses (barbells, dumbbells        3    10-12
  or machine)

Machine lateral raises              3     12
  or one-arm behind-the-back
  lateral raises

Reverse pec-deck machine flyes      3     12
  or bent dumbbell lateral raises

SCHLIERKAMP'S
ARM WORKOUT

EXERCISE                              SETS         REPS

Pressdowns                             4    15-20, 12, 8-10, 7-8
  superset with
  Dumbbell hammer curls                4    15-20, 12, 8-10, 7-8

Seated EZ-bar triceps extensions or    4    15-20, 12, 8-10, 7-8
  dumbbell triceps extensions
  superset with
  Incline alternating dumbbell curls   4    15-20, 12, 8-10, 7-8

EZ-bar lying triceps extensions        4    15-20, 12, 8-10, 7-8
  superset with
  Standing alternate dumbbell curls    4    15-20, 12, 8-10, 7-8