Why is Sam Sulek so popular is a question many in bodybuilding are asking. In a crowded fitness industry full of polished influencers, his rise has been different. With minimal production, a simple training style and a rapidly developing physique, Sulek has built a following that goes far beyond bodybuilding.
COMMENT by Gary Chappell
DURING the recent Arnold Classic, former IFBB Pro and current bodybuilding coach Milos Sarcev posted a picture of himself with Sam Sulek.
Alongside the picture, Sarcev included the caption: "With superstar Sam Sulek. Sensational young bodybuilding prospect that took the world by the storm. Super polite young man."
If you do not know this "superstar" and "sensational young bodybuilding prospect", who is not just polite but "super polite", then some would accuse you of living under a rock. In the world of social media, you are not allowed to have a life outside of bodybuilding. You must have been living under a rock, therefore, had you not been buried pages-deep in social media watching Sam Sulek.
Sam Sulek has made a name for himself in the bodybuilding and fitness world via TikTok and YouTube. He has never competed but certainly boasts a physique that looks as though he has.
I made a two-word comment on that post by Sarcev. It simply said: "The world?"
You see, ask 10 people in the street who Sam Sulek is and my guess is eight will say no. That is not "taking the world by storm".
I work in an industry infected with people lost in a seemingly impenetrable bubble. Every sport they attend is "incredible" and anything their interview subjects say are the "best quotes" or "best story ever".
The lack of perspective grows tiresome and so I called for some perspective over Sam Sulek. Hence, yes, while he might have taken the bodybuilding world by storm, he has not taken the world by storm.
Ergo, I am now a "goof", according to social media. A "jealous" goof at that. One who cannot see his potential. One who needs to "sit down, bro".
Playground mentality aside, it leads to a wider point. How is a 21-year-old who has never competed in a bodybuilding show seemingly bodybuilding's next big thing? Why is Sam Sulek so successful?
Frontdouble.com caught up with bodybuilding coach Justin Harris, who offered detailed insight into why Sam Sulek is so successful.
Harris said:"Sam is successful because he's the exact demographic of the largest portion of people who are currently obsessed with adding muscle mass. Males in their early 20s.
"I used to watch Jay Cutler eat, train, get groceries and send out mail for four hours in those 'days in the life' videos 15 years ago. When you're obsessed with bodybuilding, that's all you think about and you'll watch videos all day long.
"Those people are also of the age who don't have money, so if Sam went the coaching route, it wouldn't have worked as well. But he nailed it. HOURS of YouTube content, frequently posted, of him just training and talking about bodybuilding. And of him showing the bodybuilding lifestyle that a large percentage of 18-26 year old men love. All in a way that they don't have to spend money to access.
"It was brilliant and obvious in hindsight. It also worked because that wasn't Sam's plan. He was also one of those young obsessed men. He wasn't working, he was just having fun filming what he loved to do.
"If he tried to monetise himself out of the gate, it would have gone nowhere. If he tried to monetise his videos (guided them that way) it would have gone nowhere. But because it was real, it was what he loved and it was very high volume – it can't seem like someone is "everywhere" if they're only posting one reel a week, they have to be literally everywhere you go online – it worked brilliantly.
"His is a really cool story in my opinion; young kid follows passion, passion pays off. Thousands of others attempt to replicate it for monetary purposes and they all fail (or will anyway)."
Sam Sulek is certainly successful. He has millions of followers, something ordinarily reserved for champions. He is also now sponsored by Hosstile, the bodybuilding company owned by former IFBB Pro Fouad Abiad. One wonders now whether he will ever compete, however. Maybe now he has too much to lose...
Written and edited by Gary Chappell, UK Masters bodybuilder, Personal Trainer, Nutrition Advisor, prep and lifestyle coach and former national newspaper sports journalist.
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