Sam Sulek: From Influencer to Professional in Record Time

At 23, I had already gained a considerable amount of muscle mass. I trained like Dorian Yates and Mike Mentzer—high intensity, heavy weights, and short sessions. I was growing so fast that when I got my first job, finding a suit that fit me was a nightmare. My mother kept insisting I was fat and that it would eventually affect my health. So, I adjusted my diet, cut down on carbs, and sculpted my physique without losing muscle. I remember her astonishment when, within weeks, my body revealed what I had actually built beneath that layer of fat.

Sam Sulek has surprised me twice in a ridiculously short span of time. I had seen him on social media countless times, racking up millions of views with his colossal size. To me, he seemed like just another influencer—an internet sensation with charisma and muscles but no intention of competing. And in that sense, he set a trend: other influencers also started gaining popularity without needing to step on stage. If Sulek could be a phenomenon without competing, why couldn’t they?

But then, Sulek made a decision few expected. At 23, he left the comfort of social media and chose to test himself against real competitors on stage. If Chris Bumstead—the legendary CBUM—dared to challenge the Open category, why wouldn’t Sulek have the guts to step out of his comfort zone and face other athletes head-on?

I saw him on stage and noticed he had lost some volume. But what he displayed was a more refined physique, with classic lines that brought him closer to CBUM rather than the mass monsters in the vein of Dorian Yates. Honestly, I expected Sulek to go for sheer size, but he made a different choice—one that I think was the right call: Classic Physique.

In February, he debuted in an amateur show and dominated, taking the overall title. The king of fitness influencers had stepped out of the virtual world to compete in real life… and he did so successfully. I’ll admit, I felt a bit disappointed. I had hoped to see him enormous, monstrous. But while Sulek seems determined to follow in CBUM’s footsteps, he still has a long road ahead.

And just when I thought we had seen it all, Sulek did it again. Just a week after his amateur victory, he entered his first competition to earn his professional status… and he won. At none other than the Arnold Classic Amateur. Just like that, in a matter of days, he went from being an influencer to becoming a professional athlete.

I’ll be honest: I didn’t expect to see him turn pro so quickly. His physique is still impressive, though he’s no longer the same massive Sulek from before. And that raises an interesting discussion—his meteoric rise isn’t just a personal triumph, it’s a sign of change in the bodybuilding industry. Sulek has proven that the stigma of the "gym influencer" is nonsense. Many believed content creators were just empty entertainment, but here’s Sulek, proving that some can actually compete.

I celebrate his success and his determination to follow his own path. I wouldn’t be surprised to see him on the Mr. Olympia Classic Physique stage in a few years. If he can get more young people interested in bodybuilding and packing gyms—just like Jake Paul did with boxing—then so be it. Because what bodybuilding needs now isn’t just muscle, but figures who make it more accessible and appealing to new generations.

Fitness is changing. And Sam Sulek, for better or worse, is part of that change.