Shocking Transformation: Natural Bodybuilder Takes on Sam Sulek’s Brutal Routine

American YouTuber Sam Sulek is one of the biggest names in the bodybuilding world, having amassed over 3.6 million subscribers in a short period. Sulek is an enhanced athlete and uses performance-enhancing drugs (PEDs) to support his training and recovery.

As a personal trainer with over 17 years in the trenches, I’m often asked if building a physique like Sulek’s is possible while staying natty.

One of my clients, Derek, an intermediate lifter with over a year of experience, was curious about the effectiveness of Sulek’s training regime and decided to put it to the test. In this article, I will take you over the details of this 12-week challenge, including the final results.

Sam Sulek’s Workout Routine Explained

Here is a sample four-day-a-week Sam Sulek training program:

Arms

Perform a feeler set for each exercise to ensure you pick the right weight. This will ensure you hit muscle failure within the 12 to 15-rep range.

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Straight-Bar Triceps Pushdown/Extension	2	12-15 (to failure)
Tricep Overhead Press	3	12-15 with partials (to failure)
Cross Cable Tricep Extensions	3	12-15 with partials (to failure)
Standing Dumbbell Curl	3	8-12 (to failure)
Seated Bicep Curl	3	8-12 (to failure)
EZ Barbell Curl	3	8-12 (to failure)
Dumbbell Preacher Curl	3	8-12 (to failure)

Back

Sulek prioritizes back workouts and employs a variety of exercises to ensure overall development. Warm up appropriately before each training session to prime your muscles, joints, and tendons for the workout.

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Wide Grip Rows	3	8-12 with partials (to failure)
Lat Pull Downs	3	8-10 with partials (to failure)
Single Arm Row Machine	3	8-10 with partials (to failure)
T Bar Rows	2	10 with partials (to failure)
Standing Single Arm Cable Rows	2	10-12 with partials (to failure)
Single Arm Cable Pullover	2	10-12 with partials (to failure)
Lat Pull Downs (Yes, Again)	1	AMRAP
Pull Down/Row Variant Exercise	1	8-10 (to failure)

Chest & Shoulders

The chest and shoulder workout comprises six exercises. After hitting mechanical failure (where form starts to break due to fatigue), Sulek transitions to partial reps to maximize muscle fiber recruitment and adaptations.

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Incline Barbell Bench Press	(2 warm-up sets) + 4-8 working sets	8-12 (to failure)
Chest Press	2	8-12 (to failure)
Pec Deck	2 drop sets	12-15 (to failure)
Cable Flies	2	AMRAP (As Many Reps As Possible)
Dumbbell Reverse Fly	8	12-15 with partials (to failure)
Lateral Raises	11	15-20 with partials (to failure)

Legs

Although this workout has just five exercises, which is low considering Sulek’s standards, he overloads the target muscles by performing a high number of sets to maximize muscle growth.

Exercises	Sets	Reps
Seated Leg Hamstring Curl	1 warm-up + 8 working sets	15-30 reps for warm-up. 12-15 reps for working sets with partials
Laying Down Hamstring Curl	8	8-12 with partials (to failure)
Cable RDL’s	3	8-12 with partials (to failure)
Heel Elevated Narrow-Stance Barbell Squat	4	8-12 (to failure)
Quad Extensions (Leg Extensions)	10	8-15 (to failure)

Key Principles of Sam Sulek’s Training Protocol

These are the cornerstones of Sulek’s training:

Effort

Say what you want about Sulek, but you must admit he goes all-out in each workout. Training close to momentary muscle failure boosts muscle fiber recruitment, enhancing strength and muscle gains.

As a natty lifter, Derek employed advanced training techniques like supersets, drop sets, intraset stretching, and forced reps to push his sets to failure and beyond.

Lengthened Partials

First things first, I don’t think Sulek started doing lengthened partials because he was aware of its effectiveness over full ROM or shortened partial reps. Sulek defaults to the lengthened partials because he lifts heavy, challenging weights. Nonetheless, this is an incredibly potent technique that should be a part of your training regime. (1)

Balanced Exercises

Unlike many bodybuilding gurus who advocate a particular type of exercise, Sulek incorporates different movements (compound, isolation, unilateral, bilateral) to target the muscles from varying angles and ensure overall development.

Posing

If there was just one thing you could take from Sulek’s training regime, it should be his habit of posing between sets and at the end of each workout. Posing can deepen the mind-muscle connection, maximizing muscle stimulation and growth.

Plus, a 2024 study found that bodybuilding posing can be categorized as vigorous-intensity exercise, which can help boost calorie expenditure and fat loss, improving muscle conditioning and definition. (2)

Expert Advice For Natty Bodybuilders Following Sam Sulek’s Training Regime

Sulek’s meteoric rise in popularity has led several fitness and bodybuilding experts to dissect his training methodologies and point out where he could improve. Here are a few modifications we implemented in Derek’s routine to boost results:

Use Lighter Weights & Focus on Slow, Controlled Eccentrics

Sulek is known for lifting heavy. However, Dr. Mike Israetel, Ph.D. in Sport Physiology, opines that Sulek could achieve greater muscle stimulation by lowering the weights and focusing on following a full range of motion (ROM). This is excellent news for natural bodybuilders, as it limits the strain on muscles, tendons, joints, ligaments, and connective tissue, significantly lowering the risk of injury.

Israetel adds that using slow, controlled eccentrics can increase the time under tension (TUT), which has been shown to boost hypertrophy. (3)

Pause in the Fully Stretched Position

The muscles are at their weakest in the fully lengthened position. Prioritizing exercises that place the most tension on the target muscles in the stretched position while under resistance can help maximize hypertrophy.

Lower the Overall Training Volume

Sulek is a fan of high-volume training and does around 20-40 sets per workout. Science-backed fitness content creator Jeff Nippard believes that additional training volume results in diminishing results after a certain point.

Nippard advises doing 10-20 sets per workout to avoid ‘junk volume,’ which can increase the risk of overuse injuries.

Potential Risks and Considerations

Although Sulek’s training regime might look promising, you must consider the following aspects before giving it a go:

Diet and Recovery

You break muscle tissue in the gym; they grow back bigger and stronger when you are resting and eating right. Sulek adjusts his diet constantly throughout the year depending on his most immediate training goals, and he is very liberal with his cheat meals.

You must follow the same if you’re trying to max out your physique. Use this TDEE calculator to determine your ideal daily calorie and macronutrient needs to maximize hypertrophy.

PEDs & Genetics

Performance-enhancing drugs are one of the biggest reasons Sulek can lift so heavy and often. Anabolic steroids boost recovery significantly, limiting the downtime between workouts.

As a natty bodybuilder, you must adjust your training frequency based on your recovery. Learn to listen to your body. Feel free to take a day off from training if you feel sore or overly fatigued. Furthermore, stop an exercise if something feels weird or unnatural.

That said, irrespective of how many drugs you use, you cannot outrun your genetics. Genetics dictate how your body will respond to your diet, training, and gear use. Some are genetically predisposed to build muscle faster than others. Remember, you are running your own race. Don’t be too bothered by the results of others.

Programming

Sulek tends to perform highly demanding exercises like high-rep squats at the beginning of a workout, which can hamper training performance throughout the workout. Adopting a more balanced approach and saving the more fatigue-inducing exercises for later in the workout can help maximize gains and limit the risk of overtraining, burnout, and injury.

Results of Training Like Sam Sulek For 12 Weeks

Here is a summary of the 12-week experiment:

Phase One: Weeks 1-4

The sheer volume of Sulek’s training regime resulted in severe delayed onset muscle soreness (DONMS) for Derek. The pain and stiffness were so high that we had to lower the total number of sets in the second week.

We returned to the original number of sets and reps in Week Three as Derek’s body started adapting to the new training protocol.

In this initial phase, Derek developed a good sense of his limits and how his body responds to this new level of demand.

Phase Two: Weeks 5-8

Once the initial shock subsided in the fifth week, we increased the total training volume to overload the muscles and ensure consistent progress. Staying motivated is another big challenge during this phase.

We added a bunch of advanced training techniques like supersets, drop sets, and myoreps in Week Six to break through the plateaus and keep things exciting.

Derek took two to three days off during the seventh and eighth weeks to allow his body ample time to recover from the brutality. Remember, progress in strength training programs isn’t always linear. You must work through plateaus and setbacks to ensure you are always moving forward.

Phase Three: Weeks 9-12

Strength-wise, Derek was pretty happy with what he had achieved through this challenge. Instead of pushing for heavier weights, we transitioned to the maintenance phase in the final phase. The focus shifted to performing each rep with a picture-perfect form to maximize muscle stimulation.

We also made several adjustments to his technique and training volume to ensure optimal results in the final weeks of this challenge.

Derek hit a new 1RM in the three big lifts — squats, bench press, and deadlift — by the end of this challenge, which was a major achievement. He also packed on a noticeable amount of muscle mass, particularly in the back and legs, the latter being a lagging muscle group for him.

The high-intensity training approach also helped him lose weight and improve muscle conditioning and separation, enhancing his overall physique aesthetics.

Derek achieved everything he had set out for in these 12 weeks. That said, as a natural bodybuilder, he transitioned to a lower-volume workout program after a three-week deload period to maintain his gains and ensure optimal muscle and joint health and longevity.

Conclusion

Sulek’s training regime is suitable for intermediate and advanced lifters with a solid foundation looking to maximize their gains. But remember, several factors, including your genetics, age, gender, and hormone levels, can impact your final results. You shouldn’t chase someone else’s results and should instead focus on your own journey.

As a natural lifter, you must follow a personalized training program, listen to your body, and adjust your training volume and frequency depending on how you feel and recover. This will ensure consistent progress while minimizing injury risk. Finally, stay patient, consistent, and disciplined, and you’ll be rewarded with the desired results.

If you have any questions about Sulek’s training regime or need help implementing it, please post them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

References:

1. Pedrosa, G. F., Lima, F. V., Schoenfeld, B. J., Lacerda, L. T., Simões, M. G., Pereira, M. R., Diniz, R. C. R., & Chagas, M. H. (2022). Partial range of motion training elicits favorable improvements in muscular adaptations when carried out at long muscle lengths. European journal of sport science, 22(8), 1250–1260. https://doi.org/10.1080/17461391.2021.1927199
2. Peixoto, D. L., Nascimento, D. D. C., Moura, R. F., de Moraes, W. M. A. M., Magalhães de Castro, B., Magalhães de Castro, Lima de Sousa, L., Rolnick, N., & Prestes, J. (2024). A quasi-experimental study on the energy expenditure, exercise intensity, and rating of perceived exertion of a male bodybuilding posing training. Applied physiology, nutrition, and metabolism = Physiologie applique, nutrition et metabolisme, 10.1139/apnm-2024-0151. Advanced online publication. https://doi.org/10.1139/apnm-2024-0151
3. Burd NA, Andrews RJ, West DW, et al. Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. J Physiol. 2012;590(2):351-362. doi:10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200

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