Bodybuilding coach Chris Aceto assessed Sam Sulek’s bodybuilding potential following his big Overall Classic Physique win at the 2025 NPC Legends Classic. On February 16, 2025, Aceto opened up about Sulek’s physique and performance, revealing if he believes the rising star will earn his Pro card at the upcoming Arnold Amateur event.
For the last two years, Sam Sulek has arguably been more popular than any bodybuilder even though he had yet to test himself on stage. That all changed over last weekend. He pushed his chips all in at the 2025 NPC Legends Classic and ultimately secured gold in a close contest.
This triumph has allowed Sam Sulek to storm the Arnold Amateur stage scheduled for February 27 in Columbus, Ohio. He’ll be taking the same route to his IFBB Pro card as popular Open Bodybuilding standout Andrew Jacked. With a bright future in the sport, Aceto discussed Sulek’s potential and whether he has the capabilities to turn into a Pro by the end of the month.
Chris Aceto Reacts to Sam Sulek’s Big NPC Win in Classic Physique, Doubts He’ll Earn Pro Card at 2025 Arnold Amateur
In a recent YouTube video, Aceto praised Sulek for his performance at the 2025 NPC Legends Classic.
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“I think he’s good for the first show, you know, really good for 23, first show,” says Aceto. “Good midsection.” “Excellent posing presence.”
However, when asked if Sulek will win his Pro card at the Arnold Amateur, Aceto replied ‘probably not.’
“He looks good for 23 and first show,” adds Aceto. “It depends, probably not [going to win Pro card at Arnold Amateur] simply because he needs more quad separation and the level of competition, at the Arnold it’s either — it depends on the year.”
He explained that the Arnold Amateur lineups are sometimes off the charts while others years they are just ‘pretty good.’
“Sometimes the Arnold is pretty good, sometimes it’s almost off the chart. It depends on the level of competition and oddly enough, sometimes I don’t know if they give Class wins there, but sometimes the Arnold Amateur, some of the Classes are crazy good.”
He doesn’t believe there were any drawbacks to Sulek testing himself on stage for the first time given his large following.
“Any publicity is good publicity. So if you have six million followers, if he had not won, there’s no downsides. If he did win, there’s no downside. You don’t have to read into it. There’s no negative when you have six million followers.”
Sulek has already reacted to his big victory. He said he feels good and is ready to put on a show at the nearing Arnold Amateur contest. Given his slim waist, impressive proportions, and overall conditioning levels, Aceto believes he’s doing exceptionally well even though he lacks experience competing. Time will tell how Sulek performs at the 2025 Arnold Amateur, don’t miss it.
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