Jay Cutler

The comeback is the part people usually come for. Jay Cutler had won Mr. Olympia in 2006 and 2007, lost the title to Dexter Jackson in 2008, and then returned in 2009 to take it back — a result still talked about as one of the sport's great returns. He won again in 2010, closing out four Olympia titles in all: 2006, 2007, 2009 and 2010.

Getting there took a decade. Born in 1973 in Worcester, Massachusetts, and raised in Sterling, he worked in his family's concrete business as a young man and started lifting at 18. He attended Quinsigamond Community College and took a degree in criminal justice before committing fully to bodybuilding, turning professional in 1996. He won the Arnold Classic three years running, in 2002, 2003 and 2004, while spending much of that period as the leading challenger to Ronnie Coleman, the eight-time Olympia champion. Cutler finished second to him repeatedly before finally beating him in 2006 — a rivalry that defined an era of the sport.

His physique became recognisable for its shoulders, legs and quadriceps definition, but the reputation that followed him was as much about the routine behind it: training, nutrition and preparation handled with the same consistency year after year.

Since leaving competition he has stayed in the industry, running businesses including Cutler Nutrition and working through coaching, media, appearances, educational content and fitness products. The material he puts out draws on the same ground his career covered — long stretches of chasing a title, losing it, and going back for it.