Bodybuilder Sam Sulek is ramping up the intensity of his workouts as he enters his off-season. On March 7, 2025, he walked through his heavy leg workout routine, offering insights into his lifting methods along the way.
After years of teasing his bodybuilding splash, Sulek made good on the promise. He nailed his preparations and won Classic Physique Overall at the 2025 NPC Legends Classic, securing his passage to compete at the Arnold Amateur, which was a part of the 37th annual Arnold Sports Festival held from February 27 to March 1 in Columbus, Ohio.
While it was a close contest, Sulek left Ohio with his hand raised and secured his long sought-after IFBB Pro card. He’s since suspended his competitive season and is now fully focused on making improvements for his highly anticipated Pro bodybuilding debut.
Sam Sulek’s Heavy Leg Day Workout Fresh Off Earning IFBB Pro Card
Find his exercise selections below:
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- Single-Leg Lying Hamstring Curl – 3 sets + 1 set of double leg
- Barbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL) – 2 sets
- Leg Extension Machine – 3 sets (alternating legs) + 1 set of double leg
- Leg Press – 3 sets
- Sissy Squats Finisher – 1 set
Lying Hamstring Curl
Sulek was clear with his training intentions: ensure a pump without injuring himself.
“Let’s start single-leg, alternating, squeezing. This will be a good little introductory style set and then just go from there. I might do some heavy nasty ones. We’ll just see what happens. Primary goal is get a pump without hurting myself so I’m not going to start with the full stack single-leg.”
Barbell Romanian Deadlift (RDL)
He continued with barbell Romanian deadlifts, highlighting the difficulty of mainly recruiting the hamstrings instead of his lower back and glutes throughout sets.
“Definitely a tricky one because I’m not trying to use my lower back or my glutes at all. I’m only trying to hinge my hips and stretch out my hamstrings which is much easier said than done but it’s just a practice thing.”
Leg Extension Machine
He stuck to a similar rep scheme that he used on the hamstring curls when he approached the leg extension machine.
“I’m going to start quads exactly the same as how I started hamstrings, with five reps on one side, five on the other, five on one, five on the other. My knees feel really good, and what I usually do is warm up to the point where it’s as heavy as I can go that’s comfortable for my knees,” he said.
Leg Press
He began with half the weight stack before pushing more weight on the leg press.
“I’m not worried about pulling anything here after the first feeler rep I did. Started with half the stack, repped a little heavier, repped a little heavier, so this should be a good nasty one. I should hit failure pretty quick because this machine is heaviest at the bottom.”
Sissy Squats
He finished off the leg workout with sissy squats to top off his pump.
“That’s a quad pump.”
Having worked out alongside notable figures in bodybuilding, like Hunter Labrada, Urs Kalecinski, and reigning Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda, Sulek is learning from the best. He continues to sport one of the biggest names in bodybuilding as a newly minted Pro.
Now, with preparations for competing behind him, Sulek is focused on adding quality muscle while away from the stage. He’s pushing the intensity of his training sessions like never before, so fans are anxiously awaiting his next bodybuilding venture on the horizon.
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