Coach Hany Rambod is a 25-time Olympia-winning coach with loads of experience shaping the best bodybuilders in the amateur and Pro ranks. On February 18, 2025, he analyzed Sam Sulek’s physique, offering tips to improve and exercise recommendations.
After years of teasing his splash into the sport, Sam Sulek finally made good on the promises. He competed last weekend at the 2025 NPC Legends Classic where he won first overall in his Classic Physique debut. Sulek is one of the most popular bodybuilders in the industry despite a lack of experience competing on stage.
Meanwhile, Rambod has guided top-tier bodybuilders to success at the highest levels. He’s worked with Mr. Olympias such as Phil Heath, Jay Cutler, Hadi Choopan, and Derek Lunsford. He’s also assisted reigning six-time Classic Physique Olympia Chris Bumstead, who recently retired from the sport. Now, he’s taking a closer look at the stage physique of Sam Sulek.
“This is my first amateur of rate your physique. I’m going to go ahead and again, try to really break down the physique, be able to give out the strong points and places where he can also improve.”
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Hany Rambod Rates Sam Sulek’s Debut-Winning Physique, Offers Tips and Exercise Recommendations
In a recent YouTube video, Rambod analyzed Sulek’s physique, starting with the front double biceps pose.
Front Double Biceps
He complimented Sulek’s arms though implored him to bring up the size of his triceps.
“The good thing about Sam, he’s got really good arms, really good arms, nice peaks,” shared Rambod. “Good fullness and he’s got a really nice full set of arms. The place where I would like to see improvement in his arms though is a little bit more tricep.”
To improve his triceps, Rambod told him to try including reverse grip pushdowns, either single-arm or double-arm.
“Work on a reverse grip pushdown, single arm, could be double arm or single arm, I prefer the single to be able really hit those fibers that are really needed to be able to get that tricep to really arch out on that front relaxed pose.”
Back Double Biceps
He believes Sulek’s back double biceps pose would be even more powerful if he worked on his v-taper.
“I feel like he could use a little bit more v-taper. But that can’t come in until he ends up being Pro. He’s got a lot of room to grow when he turns Pro because then he’s going to have a higher weight class or eventually if he decides to go Open.”
Rambod also suggested he refine his posing technique.
“Posing-wise, he could use a little bit of tweaking on his posing. Leaning back a bit would help, just a bit. Bringing his back up and arching and getting his chest up on that back double bicep will give a little bit more depth in here [mid back and lats],” he shared.
He wants to see more glute definition on Sulek, so he explained why single-leg Bulgarian split squats and hip thrusts would be ideal.
“For glutes, I would do single-leg Bulgarian split squats. I would do some hip thrusts. I would really do some extra work on those glutes to get them to isolate and fire.”
Side Chest
He recommended Sulek improve the detail of his quads for a stronger side chest shot.
“I really like the detail in his core right there, that looks awesome. Going down to his lower body, you can see here he’s just a little bit flat. If he had a little bit more time to fill up or didn’t have to drop as much, you’d see even more detail all through his quads.”
Three-Quarter Turning Back Double Biceps
Lastly, Rambod looked closely at Sulek’s three-quarter back double biceps, emphasizing again that he needs more detail in his triceps.
“Very Arnold-esque. Upper back looks great,” he shared. “I think the place where we want to see a bit more detail, again, right through here. He has the glute, he’s just got to squeeze it, so he’s going to have to hold that pose and he’s going to have to get a little bit bigger and a little more detailed.”
Hany Rambod’s Amateur Cups Rank: 9.5
“Instead of Sandows, I think we should just call this the amateur cups. So we’re going to use amateur cups on this one. And I’m going to go ahead and give this a 9.5. Again, 9.5 which is phenomenal, and the only reason why I didn’t give it a 10 was because I felt like if his weight was a little lower and had a little more detail in his quads and his glutes was just a little bit tighter, he would be a 10.”
At his very first amateur bodybuilding show, Sam Sulek made a statement and even impressed esteemed coach Hany Rambod. Fans look forward to seeing Sulek back on stage as he plans to test himself against stiffer competition at the Arnold Amateur on February 27.
Watch the full video from Hany Rambod’s YouTube channel below:
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