Sam Sulek
{{Short description|American fitness YouTuber (born 2002)}}
{{Infobox YouTube personality
| name = Sam Bishop Sulek
| image =
| alt =
| caption =
| birth_name =
| birth_date = {{birth date and age|2002|2|7}}{{Cite web |last=Wolf |first=Dylan |date=2024-08-11 |title=Who is Sam Sulek? Complete Profile, Workout and Diet |url=https://generationiron.com/sam-sulek-profile-stats/ |access-date=2024-12-02 |website=Generation Iron Fitness & Strength Sports Network |language=en-US}}
| birth_place = Delaware, Ohio, U.S.
| education = Rutherford B. Hayes High School
| occupation = {{hlist|YouTuber|fitness influencer|bodybuilder}}
| years_active = 2023–present
| genre = {{hlist|Fitness|vlog}}
| subscribers = 4.17 million
| views = 273 million
| channel_handle = @sam_sulek
| channel_display_name = Sam Sulek
| silver_button = yes
| gold_button = yes
| stats_update = March 2025
}}
Sam Bishop Sulek (born February 7, 2002) is an American YouTuber, fitness influencer, and professional bodybuilder in the IFBB Pro League. He initially rose to fame in 2023 with his "Spring Bulk" series of videos on YouTube.
Life and social media career
Sulek attended Rutherford B. Hayes High School in Delaware, Ohio, where he began competitively diving in the summer before his junior year.{{cite web |last1=Emerine |first1=Brad |title=Delaware Hayes Roundup: Sam Sulek, two relays advance to state |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/news/local/delaware-news/2019/02/22/delaware-hayes-roundup-sam-sulek/5879150007/ |website=The Columbus Dispatch |access-date=October 8, 2024 |date=February 21, 2019}} He began attending Miami University in 2020, where he also joined the school's diving team and, {{As of|lc=y|2023}}, is studying mechanical engineering.{{cite web |title=National Signing Day: Where they're going |url=https://www.dispatch.com/story/sports/2020/05/01/national-signing-day-where-they/1162891007/ |website=The Columbus Dispatch |access-date=October 8, 2024 |date=May 7, 2020}}{{cite web |title=El entrenamiento y dieta de Sam Sulek, el culturista de moda en el mundo |url=https://www.menshealth.com/es/fitness/a45508187/sam-sulek-entrenamiento-dieta-culturista/ |website=Men's Health |access-date=October 8, 2024 |language=es-ES |date=December 16, 2023}} He began posting videos of his visits to the gym in January 2023. Since he began posting and {{As of|2024|lc=y}}, his videos have all followed the same format, showing him speaking in his car on the way to the gym, his workout at the gym, then him speaking in his car again. By 2024, he had more than three million subscribers on YouTube and more than 5.7 million followers on Instagram.{{cite web |last1=Almeida |first1=Chris |title=How Sam Sulek and Others Break Mr. Beast's YouTube Rules |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2024/05/23/style/youtube-optimization.html |website=The New York Times |access-date=October 7, 2024 |date=May 23, 2024}}{{cite web |last1=Buranyi |first1=Stephen |title='Natty or not?': how steroids got big |url=https://www.theguardian.com/society/article/2024/jun/06/how-steroids-got-big-bodybuilding-influencers |website=The Guardian |access-date=October 8, 2024 |date=June 6, 2024}}
Public image
For The New York Times, Chris Almeida wrote that Sulek had "[chosen] a vision and [was] sticking to it" by trusting his viewers and that he had "become a fascination not simply because he is physically massive and fairly charming, but because of his almost defiant commitment to a lo-fi strategy" on YouTube. Stephen Buranyi of The Guardian referred to Sulek as "the current king" of fitness influencers in 2024 and "the perfect example of an influencer" due to his relatability, humility, normalcy, and plainspokenness, also writing that he was "perhaps the most muscular person [he had] ever seen". Also in 2024, Eliana Riley, for The Miami Student, called him "one of the biggest gym influencers on social media right now".{{cite web |last1=Riley |first1=Eliana |title=Get Rec't: Miami's gym culture is pushing our facilities to the limit |url=https://www.miamistudent.net/article/2023/11/gym-rat-culture |website=The Miami Student |access-date=October 8, 2024 |date=November 16, 2023}} For Generation Iron, Dylan Wolf wrote that he was "arguably the most popular influencer in the current fitness industry" in 2024 and that he was "known for his simplicity, heavy lifting, and insane physique".{{cite web |last1=Wolf |first1=Dylan |title=Jeff Nippard Scientifically Breaks Down Sam Sulek's Workout Routine |url=https://generationiron.com/jeff-nippard-sam-sulek-analysis/ |website=Generation Iron |access-date=October 10, 2024 |date=March 14, 2024}} Bodybuilder Chris Bumstead praised Sulek in 2023 as "taking over the world".{{cite web |last1=Patuto |first1=Greg |title=Chris Bumstead Talks Sam Sulek As The Future In Bodybuilding: 'I'm Gonna Retire, He Can Take The Reins Over' |url=https://generationiron.com/sam-sulek-future-bodybuilding-chris-bumstead/ |website=Generation Iron |access-date=October 10, 2024 |date=November 20, 2023}}
Sulek has also faced accusations of using anabolic steroids, including from bodybuilder Víctor Martínez and podcaster Joe Rogan, with Stephen Buranyi noting for The Guardian in 2024 that he was "the person most mentioned by young men [using steroids that he] spoke with". Sulek subtly confirmed his use of steroids in a video in April 2024, saying "that should be pretty obvious. If anybody hasn't gotten to that conclusion on their own from watching these videos then... yeesh."{{cite web |last1=Dufour |first1=Derek |title=The Truth About Sam Sulek |url=https://generationiron.com/victor-martinez-sam-sulek-podcast/ |website=Generation Iron |access-date=October 10, 2024 |date=December 28, 2023}}{{cite web |last1=Cabezas |first1=Forroberto |title=La acusación contra el joven culturista Sam Sulek |url=https://www.menshealth.com/es/fitness/a45982925/sam-sulek-culturista-terrible-acusacion/ |website=Men's Health |access-date=October 10, 2024 |date=December 1, 2023}}
Bodybuilding career
=Amateur bodybuilding=
In February 2025 Sulek announced that he will compete in his first bodybuilding show, the 2025 NPC Legends Classic, in the Classic Physique division.{{Cite web|url=https://fitnessvolt.com/sam-sulek-bodybuilding-debut-eyes-next-arnold-classic-amateur/|title=Sam Sulek Set to Compete at 2025 NPC Legends Classic this weekend in Bid for Arnold Amateur Qualification|website=Fitness Volt|date= February 12, 2025|access-date=February 17, 2025}} He won his competitive bodybuilding debut, placing first overall in the Classic Physique division, and earning a qualification for the 2025 NPC Arnold Amateur.{{Cite web|url=https://generationiron.com/sam-sulek-wins-bodybuilding-debut-arnold-amateur/|title=Sam Sulek Qualifies For Arnold Amateur With Win In Bodybuilding Debut|website=Generation Iron|date= February 17, 2025|access-date=February 17, 2025}}{{Cite web|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/dimitarmixmihov/2025/02/16/youtuber-sam-sulek-wins-his-debut-bodybuilding-comp/#:~:text=The%20YouTuber%20has%20won%20his,discussing%20and%20anticipating%20for%20years.|title=YouTuber Sam Sulek Wins His Debut Bodybuilding Show|website=Forbes|date= February 16, 2025|access-date=February 17, 2025}}{{Cite web |date=2025-02-27 |title=Sam Sulek supera desconfianças, é campeão do Arnold Classic Ohio 2025 e se torna profissional - Esportelândia |url=https://www.esportelandia.com.br/fisiculturismo/sam-sulek-campeao-arnold-classic-ohio-2025/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=www.esportelandia.com.br |language=pt-BR}}
He competed at the 2025 NPC Arnold Amateur, winning the Classic Physique Overall amateur contest, and thus earning his IFBB pro card, officially making him a professional bodybuilder.{{Cite web |date=2025-02-27 |title=Sam Sulek Wins 2025 Arnold Amateur Contest, Earns IFBB Pro Card {{!}} BarBend |url=https://barbend.com/sam-sulek-wins-2025-arnold-amatuer-earns-ifbb-pro-card/ |access-date=2025-02-28 |language=en-US}}
=Contest history=
- 1st - NPC Legends Classic, 2025, Classic Physique, Las Vegas, Nevada{{Cite web|url=https://fitnessvolt.com/sam-sulek-wins-bodybuilding-debut-qualifies-arnold-amateur/|title = Sam Sulek Wins Bodybuilding Debut at 2025 NPC Legends Classic, Qualifies to Compete at Arnold Amateur|website=Fitness Volt|date= February 17, 2025|access-date= February 17, 2025}}
- 1st - NPC Arnold Amateur, 2025, Classic Physique, Columbus, Ohio{{Cite web |date=2025-02-27 |title=Sam Sulek supera desconfianças, é campeão do Arnold Classic Ohio 2025 e se torna profissional - Esportelândia |url=https://www.esportelandia.com.br/fisiculturismo/sam-sulek-campeao-arnold-classic-ohio-2025/ |access-date=2025-02-27 |website=www.esportelandia.com.br |language=pt-BR}} (earned the IFBB Pro Card){{Cite web|url=https://fitnessvolt.com/sam-sulek-wins-ifbb-pro-card-2025-arnold-amateur/|title = Bodybuilder Sam Sulek Earns IFBB Pro Card With Win at 2025 Arnold Amateur Classic Physique|website=Fitness Volt|date= February 27, 2025|access-date= February 27, 2025}}