Classic Physique bodybuilder Sam Sulek is focused on adding quality size before returning for a competition. He recently detailed his 2025 bulking approach and go-to meal to add size during the off-season in a YouTube video shared on April 24, 2025.
Sam Sulek made his amateur bodybuilding debut at the 2025 Legends Classic, where he secured overall Classic Physique gold with a standout physique. This allowed him to compete at the Arnold Amateur event, as part of the Arnold Sports Weekend. While some, like Chris Aceto, had doubts about Sulek, the 22-year-old pulled off the improbable and became a Pro.
Questions have surfaced as to when fans can expect to see Sulek compete again. But for the time being, his focus remains squarely on a productive off-season, and that means adding size with an extended bulk, which he expects to take around four to five months.
Sam Sulek Talks Bulking Plan to Reach 275 Lbs, Discusses ‘Bodybuilder-Style-Ish’ Diet & ‘Go-To Meal’ in Off-Season
In a recent YouTube video, Sulek confirmed that he plans to make steady muscle gains.
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“When it comes to the overall trajectory of these next four or five months, I’m thinking I should be able to reach…well, I’m not necessarily concerned with hitting any particular number of body weight, I’m more concerned with just making muscle gains in a steady timeline.”
If he had to give a timeline, he expects to hit at least 275 pounds in the off-season.
“If I had to guess, I would say probably by September, I’ll be walking around in the morning with an empty stomach at around at least 275, something along those lines.
Then, I think the plan would be to cut down and get ready for another competition later on but I don’t have to think about that for now. I just need to be more concerned with the food intake.”
He also shared his go-to meal for adding size: 100 grams of carbs from rice, half a pound of ground beef, with buffalo barbecue sauce mixed in, saying, “It’s just so easy to eat.”
“Frankly, all my intake has been pretty simple. A bit more bodybuilder-style-ish, so what I mean by that is the last five meals I’ve had were just white rice, ground beef, well not the last five in a row, but within two days, I’ve had five big ass bowls of 100 grams of carbs of rice, half a pound of ground beef with some kind of buffalo barbecue sauce mixed together. That has been my go-to meal,” he said. it’s like 800 calories and only three cups worth of food.”
Sulek explained that even if he misses two days on his diet, that won’t detract from his ultimate goals.
“Eating foods that you can continue to eat, right? Because if I have two days where I eat a metric crap-load of food, talking tons like thousands of calories, and then the rest of the week I back off because I overdid it for those two days, and getting back to a regular equilibrium. I don’t care how much food you eat for those two days, if for the rest of the week you’re eating just barely at maintenance, you’re not going to continue to see any kind of weight gain.”
“I don’t have to throw in the towel if I miss two days of my diet,” he adds.
It’s hard to deny Sulek’s bodybuilding popularity, but some in the sport have a problem with how he conducts himself, namely, Olympia emcee Tim Wilkins. He recently called Sulek ‘garbage for the sport,’ which prompted bodybuilder Lee Priest to come to his defense.
Looking ahead, Sulek is focused on a more typical bodybuilder diet consisting of protein and white rice. Once he’s brought his weight up to 275 pounds at the minimum, he’ll have a better idea of his next bodybuilding contest.
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Watch the full video from the Sam Sulek YouTube channel below:
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