He’s finally done it. Sam Sulek has won his Classic Physique Overall amateur debut at the 2025 NPC Legends Classic. On February 16, 2025, he reflected on the major victory, reaffirming his plan to compete at the upcoming 2025 Arnold Amateur event, where he’ll attempt to earn his IFBB Pro card.
Sam Sulek became one of the most talked-about bodybuilders over the past two years. At only 21 years old, he shocked fans with a ripped physique even though many called him out for his unconventional dieting choices. Last year, he made it clear his goal was to eventually hit the stage, targeting a debut in the Classic Physique category.
Over the weekend, he put all of his hype on the line and it paid off. He looked incredible on stage throughout prejudging and the finals. In the end, he claimed gold, paving the way for him to perform at the Arnold Sports Festival, scheduled for February 27 to March 1 in Columbus, Ohio.
“It feels good,” Sulek shared. “For the most part, I feel like I’m just hardwired to get bigger, building more muscle, more strength, more everything in the gym, eating a ton of food.
Sam Sulek Claims Classic Physique Gold in NPC Debut, Qualifies for 2025 Arnold Amateur
Although he shared concerns about making weight, Sulek revealed in a recent YouTube video that his first contest went according to plan.
“I’ve got some practice with actually putting on size but this is my first time taking it to the level oh alright, I’m a big enough. I was actually a little concerned I wouldn’t be able to make weight. I wanted to time it just right where I’d be as heavy as I can be for Classic and I think I called it right there.”
He said ‘the grind doesn’t stop yet,’ as he aims to impress at the Arnold Amateur show. He also touched on his carb-up process throughout his debut.
“Two weeks from now, now that I’ve qualified for the Arnold, that’s the plan. See how I fare at the Arnold Amateur. The grind doesn’t stop yet. I get a bit of a re-feed tonight.
Even yesterday too, I mean 900 grams of carbs so far, really got to fill it back up. But I got to get back on the deficit for the next two weeks, get a touch leaner, a touch drier.”
He plans to keep improving, aiming to be as dry and lean as possible for the Arnold Amateur.
“Hopefully, not to say it like it’s a bad thing, but hopefully this is my worst stage look ever just because I’m only going to improve it from here,” he shared.
“For me with the competitions, you have to look at it objectively. There’s a million Cbums out there bigger than me. So really I’m just concerned alright, I got to get as lean as I can get, as dry as I can get, and today I definitely did that.”
Immediately after the win, Sulek shared his feelings about the performance:
“That’s a big weight taken off my shoulders. I wasn’t too nervous or anything else, honestly, that second time getting up on stage, I was feeling really confident. Not like confident I was going to place the best or anything but just like stage presence, because it’s kind of tricky.”
“I’m a little spoiled because at the last Arnold, I got to go up in front of the crowd, do those little interview panels, so that was actually a little bit of practice in terms of a public appearance side of things. Frankly, if I didn’t have any of that experience and I just walked out there for the first time in front of a huge crowd half-naked, that would have made me a little more nervous,” explained Sulek.
Surely at the Arnold Amateur, his competition will be stiffer, so Sulek isn’t losing focus ahead of the opportunity. Following his debut victory, Sulek appears to have a promising future in the sport. Don’t miss his next performance at the Arnold Amateur.
“I’m comfortable in Classic right where I’m at.”
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