Muscle & Fitness: 2nd in command: he's widely considered the best bodybuilder on the planet not

Jim Kelly knows his pain. Greg Norman? He understands. Karl Malone ... definitely.

Great athletes, all of them, each with a guaranteed place in the pantheon of legends of their chosen sports. But Jim, Greg and Karl all have one troubling similarity, a blemish on their otherwise outstanding careers: They never could win the big one. IFBB pro Jay Cutler stands at this same precipice now. A three-time Arnold Classic champion, he's hands-down one of the elite bodybuilders in the world today. In fact, he's the second-best bodybuilder in the world, with just one more hurdle lying ahead of him. As yet, Jay has been unable to remove the mighty seven-time--reigning Mr. Olympia champ, Ronnie Coleman, from his throne.

The clock is ticking, and the opportunity to win the granddaddy of bodybuilding contests comes but once a year. With Jay's proposed retirement age looming large, there's no doubt about it--if he holds out any hope of earning a Mr. O title, it's crunch time.

COOL UNDER FIRE If Jay carries such a mental burden on his shoulders, you'd never know it. He doesn't yell, sulk or throw tantrums. He shows his peers respect and his fans humility. He's the consummate professional, be it in the heat of competition or at a photo op.

Perhaps his composure is the result of growing up the youngest in a family of nine. Maybe it comes from having a woman like his wife Kerri behind him who, despite her own pursuit of a master's degree in nursing, has shown the kind of support for her husband that great men are built upon. Or it might just come from the confidence nearly 300 pounds of iron-hard muscle forged over the course of 13 years imparts on a man.

But there would be nothing wrong if every once in a while he cracked--just a little--from the pressure. You could forgive him for a snit here, a tantrum there, an errant expletive in front of an impressionable young fan once in a blue moon. You'd be fine if, on a rare occasion, Jay lost his cool.

After all, he has played the role of heir apparent to the unofficial title of World's Best-Built Man for the past four years, coming in second at the Olympia three times since 2001, although the guy at the top is showing no sign of abdicating anytime soon. But Jay hasn't cracked, and contrary to the speculation of the man one rung ahead of him on the ladder, he ain't smokin' it, either.

SMACK TALK At the Saturday night finals of last year's Mr. Olympia, held at the Mandalay Bay Resort and Casino in Las Vegas on Oct. 30, the pay-per-view camera lights cut through the dimly lit backstage area like a Schwarzenegger one-liner through a press conference. As the top six finalists made their way backstage between rounds of competition, broadcast commentator Dan Solomon managed to corral the two presumed title contenders, Ronnie and Jay, in hopes of grabbing a few tasty sound bites. He got a mouthful.

As the audience watched live on the giant two-story screens flanking the stage, Solomon coyly asked Jay if he thought the six-time defending champ standing beside him was beatable. The challenger was, as always, forthright yet reserved. Yes, Jay felt not only that Ronnie was beatable, but that he himself was prepared to show the Olympia audience just how beatable the reigning champ was that very evening. Solomon then turned his mic to Big Ron for a reaction.

"Jay musta been smokin' summa that crack this mornin'," drawled the biggest bull ever to come out of Arlington, Texas. A whoop of incredulous laughter erupted from the shocked audience. Ronnie's made-for-TV sound bite was, even in jest, a verbal bitch slap--the kind that sends the Mike Tysons and Ron Artests of the sporting world flailing into apoplectic fits.

Yet there Jay stood, a slight smirk creasing the bronzed, taut skin around the corners of his mouth. After all, he appreciates a good joke, even when he's the butt of it. Moreover, he likes Ronnie, almost as much as he respects the man. But neither the remark, nor the laughter, nor even the second-place award he would soon accept yet again would alter Jay's belief: Ronnie Coleman is beatable, and I'm the man who will beat him.

And if no one besides Kerri actually believes Jay is capable of defeating the juggernaut who's arguably his sport's most dominant champion, he understands. After all, until last year he wasn't even too sure he could do it himself.

STRONG BELIEF "The realization that I could truly be the best only came to me this year," Jay admits. "Before, it was about winning the Arnold Classic, making a lot of money (through opportunities such as his Muscle Tech athlete contract) and hopefully landing in the top 3-5 at the Olympia. But I have one goal left in my career now, and it's being the best."

It's a surprising revelation in light of the fact that Jay has been so close to the top of his profession for so many years. Yet as he tells it, his goal was never to be top dog but rather just high on the competitive ladder.

"When I started bodybuilding, I never even thought I'd get to this level. People ask me today if it was always my goal to be the world's best bodybuilder, and the answer is no. Truly, I wanted to be the best at something, but I wasn't sure it would be bodybuilding. Then, when I entered the Teen Nationals, it wasn't with the intent of winning, but I did. When I went into the Nationals, which was my third contest, I was really just hoping to get some publicity. But I won that one, too, and earned professional status in the process."

Even a controversial and whisper-close loss to Ronnie at the 2001 Mr. Olympia wasn't enough to convince "Iron" Jay that he was made of championship stuff, although it did open his eyes to new possibilities.

"I think that was the year that I began to realize my full potential as a bodybuilder, and from that point on I was convinced that I wanted to remain a top guy. But I wasn't sure that I could win the Mr. Olympia. If it happened, it happened."

And so it went for the next two years. Jay entered and won the prestigious Arnold Classic in 2002 but sat out that year's Olympia, not because of rumored sour grapes over his loss the previous year but his relocation from Los Angeles to Las Vegas.

In March of 2003 he took home another Arnold Classic statuette and the Hummer, Rolex and $110,000 check that went with it. He also won that year's Ironman Pro Invitational and San Francisco Pro Invitational shows, setting himself up once again as the only true threat to King Ronnie.

But Ron had other plans. Stung by the criticism draped across his mighty shoulders after consecutive subpar Olympia outings, Ronnie cranked it up a notch at the 2003 O, to a level of development that left fans, judges and his competition shaking their heads in disbelief. At 5'11" and 287 pounds, he was simply other-worldly--and in the sport of bodybuilding, otherworldly wins Olympia titles.

In the aftermath of the contest, even Jay couldn't help but agree with those who said that when it came down to it, there was Ronnie, and then there was everyone else. No, second place would have to do for the moment. Hey, second isn't so bad--it means you're better than nearly every other bodybuilder in the world. Nearly. But not quite.

A CHANGE OF HEART A typical IFBB pro might tip the scales anywhere between 240 and 320 pounds in the off-season, a bodyweight achieved by consuming massive amounts of food and joint-grinding weightlifting on a daily basis. Add to that a 12-week precontest diet that leads to total depletion of water intake to "dry out" on contest day, and you've got a prescription for a host of physical ailments.

Jay understands thisand wrestles with it on a daily basis. "Anybody who knows me will tell you that maintaining my health is my No. 1 concern in this sport," he affirms. Which explains why, from nearly the start of his professional bodybuilding career in 1997, Jay has publicly stated that he planned on retiring from competition by the time he was 32 or 33. When others talked about doing whatever necessary to get to the top, he spoke of his desire to get out with his health intact, Olympia title or not. He saw a future beyond his youth, and Kerri, with her years of schooling to become a nurse practitioner, gently reminded him regularly that it could best be attained at a bodyweight of less than 300 pounds.

Yet while health concerns once dissuaded Jay from striving for an Olympia title, they now serve as motivation for him to make a final push to take bodybuilding's top honor. With that feather in his cap, he could call it a career right then and there. And he doesn't need to win it seven times, like Ronnie has. Once would do nicely. Then he could get out with a clear conscience, knowing he did everything possible to ensure his place in bodybuilding history.

At 31, Jay's still young enough by professional standards, but he has no intention of donning oil and posing trunks at 40 (which is Ronnie's current age). Maybe he won't retire by 33--his consistently exemplary health checkups give him the confidence to postpone retirement--but he knows the sands in the competitive hour-glass are running low, both for him and his vaunted foe. So if he wants to win a coveted Sandow--and defeat The Man in the process--then he'd better get a move on. Which means no more wasted energy on the show that has become sort of his personal showcase over the past three years--the Arnold Classic.

"Tearing your body down for two shows a year is very stressful," says Jay. "Ronnie peaks only once a year, and I now realize that's what I need to do, too, if I want to compete on a level playing field with him. That's why I have to retire from the Arnold Classic and focus all of my energy on the Olympia."

So for the first time in his eight-year professional career, Jay forwent the grueling act of preparing for multiple shows in a competitive season to save himself for October's Super Bowl of bodybuilding. This strategy, he believes, is the missing piece to the puzzle that is his bodybuilding career. But it comes with a price.

"It's killing me not competing in the Arnold Classic this year. I love getting onstage and I love to win. But the reality is that it's something I need to do if I ultimately want to be the best," states Jay matter-of-factly.

There's little sense of urgency in his voice as he revisits his personal history and the all-or-nothing game plan that will forever change the course of his--and bodybuilding's--future. But that's the way it always is with Jay. It takes a lot more to rattle him than career-defining decisions, moments of self-doubt or even crack-themed jokes made at his expense before a national TV audience. Not even the thought of having to overcome the most formidable presence in bodybuilding history to reach his goal is enough to weigh Jay down. As always, he'll continue to carry his load quietly, stoically, until he reaches his destination. Then maybe, just maybe, you'll get to see the guy lose his cool. But don't count on it.

RELATED ARTICLE: Cutler's Competitive Resume

2004: Arnold Classic, champion; Mr. Olympia, 2nd. 2003: Ironman Pro Invitational, champion; Arnold Classic, champion; San Francisco Pro Invitational, champion; Mr. Olympia, 2nd; Show of Strength Pro Championship, 2nd; Grand Prix Russia, 2nd; Grand Prix England, champion; Grand Prix Holland, champion. 2002: Arnold Classic, champion. 2001: Mr. Olympia, 2nd. 2000: Night of Champions, champion; Mr. Olympia, 8th; World Pro Championships, 2nd; Grand Prix England, 2nd. 1999: Ironman Pro Invitational, 3rd; Arnold Classic, 4th; Mr. Olympia, 15th. 1998: Night of Champions, 12th. 1996: NPC Nationals, heavyweight, champion (pro card). 1993: NPC Teen Nationals, heavyweight, champion.