Sam Sulek is just two days away from the 2026 Arnold Classic UK, taking place from March 27-29 in Birmingham, United Kingdom. On March 25, he expressed doubt about switching to the Men’s Open and emphasized that his end goal is a mid-200-pound physique.
After years of speculation, Sulek finally jumped into the competitive bodybuilding circuit. He won the NPC Legends Classic, allowing him a shot at the Arnold Amateur event. In Columbus, he proved he wasn’t all hype; Sulek secured gold and was automatically invited to the 2026 Arnold Classic.
Against a stacked lineup, Sulek secured eighth place. He had the opportunity to see how he compared against top-tier talent, including reigning two-time AC champ Wesley Vissers, Matheus Menegate, and Andrea Mammoli. While a switch to the Open has been on Sulek’s radar, it looks like he’s having second thoughts now.
Sam Sulek Reveals ‘End Game’ Goal is Mid-200-Lb Physique, Says Move to Men’s Open ‘Not the Plan’
In the Q&A video, Sulek said he’d never move to the Men’s Open unless he couldn’t make weight for Classic Physique, which he noted was unlikely.
“I get this question a lot. I get the, oh dude, Sam, are you going to jump to Open? How quickly do you think I’m going to grow? How easily do you think it is to put on 30 pounds of muscle? I’m still under my weight cap for Classic. I will never move to Open unless I somehow couldn’t make weight, and I’ll always be able to make weight for Classic.”
While he used to want a 300-pound physique, Sulek shared that his ‘end-game’ look is somewhere in the mid-200s.
“If we’re just describing a look, like what’s end-game Sam going to look like? I used to definitely think I was going to be a 300-pounder; like off-season 300-pound Sam wasn’t even a question; it was going to happen. Now, I’m a little bit more like mid-200s.”
At this juncture, Sulek revealed that a Men’s Open move is ‘certainly not the plan.’
“I guess we’ll see what happens. There’s no way to know for sure but it’s certainly not the plan but really, what is the plan? After this show, and I get back into my regular groove of things, my plan is to just keep lifting, keep making gains, growing a bit, eat some food, stay a little bit leaner, at least for a little while so I don’t completely undo this dieting phase overnight.”
“I could get back to peak-looking bulk body fat, Sam in a couple months, easily. It wouldn’t be that hard. I want to gradually reintroduce food to get bigger but not pack on so much body fat, really for no reason,” Sam Sulek shared.
If he made the jump, Sulek wouldn’t be the first star from Classic Physique to do so. In 2025, Urs Kalecinski shocked fans and supersized his physique for the Open class. His decision paid off; “The Miracle Bear” won the ProMuscle Italy Pro and Europa Pro Championships back-to-back.
For the time being, Sulek appears content with growing into the weight cap for Classic Physique. Should that ever become a challenge, he’ll likely take another hard look at a move to the Men’s Open.
Watch the full video from the Sam Sulek YouTube channel below:
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