There’s often talk of the value of having a big name winning a big contest. Sam Sulek is probably the biggest name in classic physique at the current time. This is because of his tremendous social media following that has developed through the tried-and-true approach of simply just being honest. It’s an organic following that wasn’t purchased. His followers are real people – not bots. His engagement is real and can be validated through metrics and analytics. He has been able to do what marketing gurus and advertising conglomerates can only dream of. That’s the power of social media when in the hands of a real meat and potatoes bodybuilder.
Sam is not the kind of guy that fancies bells and whistles or smoke screens. A lot of people identify with him because of his no holds barred approach to bodybuilding. Most of the time he was simply sitting in his car just shooting the shit with the average bodybuilding fan. Something that seems to be beneath some of the superstars of today. Some of the superstars that would rather impress the fans with fast cars and lavish lifestyles that could allegedly be gained simply by eating chicken breasts and rice and training in the gym. Of course bodybuilding is not the path to fame for most and it’s certainly not a sport that will make you tons of money. So many of these so-called blue-collar bodybuilders presented a front. In fact, many times they didn’t have a pot to piss in and all of the lavish luxuries were rented by the day. So not only were they living a lie but they were selling it to their fans. These types of individuals don’t have an exceptionally long shelf life in terms of popularity. They generally make their money fast and are gone just as quickly. Most of them aren’t remembered a year after their rise to fame and with good reason. Who wants to subscribe to a shill? Not many people. Once they see through the lies each one of these fakers becomes persona non grata on the scene. But Sam Sulek is cut from a different cloth. He has become a larger than life personality and he has retained that fandom because of the fact that he has never sold out.
People can change, though, and change does not always equate to being fake, as long as it’s progression. Sam changed. Initially he wanted nothing to do with competitive physique-based sports. He saw it as being a waste of time and not really something that was in line with his vision for his journey. But as time passed and as he made more improvements in his physique I think that he decided that maybe it wasn’t such a bad idea to give it a shot. And he was honest with his fans all through the process. As a result of that honesty he didn’t lose any fans, instead, he gained more. He had a very short amateur career and he won his first show quickly. This catapulted him into super stardom because of the fact that he was not just training and posing in the mirror by himself, but he was doing the business of bodybuilding. He was suffering during the prep, and he was highlighting a phenomenal physique on stage. It’s not easily done. Many guys cannot do it. You have guys that are big on social media, and you have guys that compete. Very seldom do these guys switch camps. Very few guys can walk the walk and talk the talk, but Sam proved that he could. As I stated previously, his fan base didn’t dwindle; it grew exponentially.
Success can be as addictive as money or fame. And many times, success can be measured in many different ways. The term social media influencer gets thrown around quite a bit but very few can actually justify being called such a thing. Rich Piana comes to mind as does Dallas McCarver and a few others. And when I say a few others, I mean just that. It is a very small group of people that can actually influence folks with regards to what to eat, how to train, and more importantly what to buy. Sam Sulek is most definitely one of these people.
Now if he were to win one of the big three titles, any of the big three titles, which would solidify his position not just as a social media influencer but also as an established bodybuilding champion. While I think that his amateur run was very short and while I think that his first pro win may have come earlier than it should have, we’re now talking about a big three show. And that I believe is going to really challenge this competitor to his very core. Nobody is going to win the Arnold Classic just because of their fan base. Even if Arnold himself is probably ecstatic at the idea of having Sam as a champion of his namesake competition, Arnold does not make the final call. Actually, Arnold does not make any calls. Arnold is not a judge and Arnold does not have access to the scorecards. Many times Arnold’s wishes have been ignored with regard to the type of physiques that have been rewarded victories and top honors at his show. So what Arnold wants is immaterial in the grand scheme of things. Nonetheless Arnold would be through the moon if Sam won his title.
The bigger question is what will the judges make of Sam on stage? He will have to bring a tremendous amount of muscle in order to be able to make the first call outs and stand with the best of the best. From a structural standpoint I think that his physique isn’t quite there yet, but that is just because I’m not a fan of his look. It does not mean that it is not a good look, it’s just not a look that I can see as winning the Arnold Classic at this point in time. I think that to get to point he still needs some work. If he can come in with razor-sharp condition and pose hard it is within the realm of possibility for him to emerge as Arnold Classic champion. I’m not going to talk about the other guys that could stand in his way because I don’t want to talk too much about that. I’d rather talk about what it would mean if he did win. So let’s assume that he did win. What would that mean for Classic Physique as a division and as a brand? Because at the end of the day, each division is a brand in my book. Everything comes back to marketing.
Well if Sam won the Arnold Classic, I believe that he would be in contention to potentially win the Olympia whether in 2026 or 2027. In the event that he was able to pull off the victory in Columbus and later in Las Vegas that would catapult him to the same title held by Chris Bumstead. Could he follow in Chris’s footsteps? Well he certainly has age on his side, and he already has a tremendous number of social media following so it is conceivable. And the comparison has already been brought up by many bodybuilding commentators. That being said Chris Bumstead had a flawless physique, and I don’t believe that Sam is anywhere near that just yet. I think that if he were to win the Arnold Classic on his first try that it would send a bad message to other competitors. It would mean that it isn’t about what you bring to the stage, rather, how many followers you have on Instagram or YouTube. I know that that’s not what the judges would be scoring on, but that’s what a lot of people would have as a take-home message. Because it’s one thing to get a pro card with very little effort and it’s another thing to even get your first pro win with very little effort, but once you start winning big three shows right out of the gate, I think it sends a bad message.
On the flip side, if he has the physique he should not be penalized because of the fact that he is a social media influencer. That would also be a mistake. The fact of the matter is that Sam’s fame and accolades can serve as a double-edged sword. On the one hand if he wins people are going to suggest that it wasn’t based on his physique or his posing but rather on his popularity. But if he gets a crappy placing but looks phenomenal then people are going to say it’s because of his fame and popularity. Ultimately though it’s going to be very difficult to treat him just like every other competitor because that is also going to be unrealistic. The bottom line is that his competing in the Arnold Classic presents a series of dilemmas, all of which could result in tremendous blowback regardless of where he places. If he did well and he got a top three placing or if he won, then you will hear cash registers everywhere going berserk because it would mean that we would have a superstar holding a top title in the sport again. And that is also rare. Chris got his popularity after being champion. It would be incredibly unique to have someone who was already established winning a major title. I don’t think that that has happened before. That would be the equivalent of Rich Piana going pro and winning major shows after getting all his social media fame. Like I said, the two worlds very rarely interact. You have got guys that are social media influencers, and you have guys that are successful competitive bodybuilders and physique-based athletes. A person living simultaneously in both camps is rare and equals major returns.
I’ll be honest with you, I don’t think the guy deserves the win just yet, but we will only know what happens once the show takes place. If Sam takes the stage looking like a million bucks, I’m not going to say, “don’t give that man the win because of his social media following.” That would be a total bullshit move. And we have seen that he is committed, we have seen that he knows how to get in condition, so I guess only time will tell. I’m going to tell you something, if he wins in a couple of months in Columbus it’s going to change the sport of bodybuilding and physique-based sports like we have never seen before. And that would be a really good thing.
Do you think that Sam Sulek can win the 2026 Arnold Classic? Do you think he can win the 2026 Olympia as well?
As always, I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments. Please be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds. it is guaranteed to generate lively conversation.
Author Bio:
Christian I. Duque is the owner StrengthAddicts.com, a physique and strength website founded in 2008. He has worked for a number of bodybuilding websites, including RX Muscle and Muscular Development. Christian has written nearly 1,000 published articles for Iron Magazine, as well as articles for StrengthAddicts, RX Muscle, and others. By day, he is also a licensed attorney practicing in the areas of family law, immigration, and criminal defense.
