by Christian Duque
Well that didn’t take long. I can now officially say that I’m no longer impressed with Sam Sulek. For many months and even years he has been on top. It’s crazy how time flies. In just a matter of a few weeks this guy exploded on the social media scene. He had a good physique, he loved to train, and he was polarly opposed to competing. He didn’t understand the purpose behind the painstaking aggravation of caloric manipulation, endless hours of cardio, and posing in front of a mirror only to perfect it for a panel of judges who he didn’t know from a hole in the wall. His whole mindset was very appealing to me as someone who has been covering bodybuilding and fitness for nearly 20 years. I had never seen anything like it before.
Pretty much everybody in the fitness section of social media has done a show or two. At least people that have the physique that would be worthy to do a show. I’m just a fat guy. I have been lean at times but never anything that I could take on stage. So for me it’s always been about writing and doing interviews and that sort of thing. I have never even contemplated the idea of getting on stage. But for someone like Sam Sulek, it seemed almost like a mind fuck that he wouldn’t do a show. I mean why look that good without any intention of ever even trying to get a pro card. But I have to say that that is part of the reason why I started watching him and why I couldn’t stop. He was an anomaly of sorts. I had never seen someone like this in the sport of bodybuilding and especially not someone with a lion’s share of the following that he amassed. He didn’t buy advertising, he didn’t collaborate with big names – he was just a gymrat who loved to train and loved to eat. And now he’s officially becoming a competitor.
I don’t think that he was peer pressured into it. I think maybe after training for so long he started to maybe ask himself what it would be like to compete? Again, I really don’t know because I’m not in his head. All I can do is sit here and speculate. I’ve never interviewed him before and I’ve never met him before either, but I think something happened with the Arnold Classic last year. I think at the time he was working with Hosstile Supps and there was a pretty big amount of momentum put around his appearance. Not to mention the fact that his fans were willing to pay $80 just to get him to sign something. I mean that’s just silly. It’s more than silly, it’s plain stupid. Who the fuck is Sam Sulek anyways? And why would anyone pay $80 to get an autograph from him? With $80 you can fill up a full size car twice, you might even be able to fill up an suv, with $80 you can get a hotel room, you can do all sorts of things with $80. Now granted, an 80-dollar hotel room is probably a twin bed at Motel 6 but I digress. It’s still somewhere to sleep for the night. What the hell are you going to do with a Sam Sulek autographed 8×10? But at the end of the day that’s what being famous is all about. People are willing to wait in line for 4 hours, pay $80, do whatever it takes to interact with you. When you’re a star, you can write your own ticket. But I think it did something to Sam.
Here’s the thing though, for a guy like Sam seeing those huge numbers on YouTube does something to you. But to then be able to see those numbers translate into actual people waiting in line to meet you, that is a game changer. I think something happened in his mind as he led into that Arnold Classic, did that show, and just really basked in that stardom. It’s one thing to bask in the stardom online but it’s quite another to actually experience it in real life. And even though he did the Arnold Classic meaning he did the Arnold Classic expo, I think that there was more to it than that. I think at some point he started thinking about doing the Arnold Classic as a show. Meaning doing the Arnold Classic as a competitor.
Now obviously he’s not a professional athlete so he can’t vie for the $500,000 that everybody and their mother is talking about, but he can still do the Arnold Classic Amateur. Many insiders believe that that is what he’s actually going to use as his competition debut. Now Sam’s been a little cryptic about it on his social media platforms saying that the show that he is doing is only “weeks away.” People are narrowing it down and most people that I know that have a good sense of the bodybuilding pulse are all pointing at the Arnold Classic Amateur.
If in fact Sam is doing this competition I would tip my hat to him. I would do so for a couple of reasons number one I don’t care where he places. I think that placements are immaterial. You have an individual that basically swore to never compete and somehow got bitten by the bug. I respect the fact that he said he was going to do a show, that he did the work that was required to get in stage ready shape, and is actually going to take the plunge. Whether he comes in 10th place, 5th place, or even if he wins the competition, I really could care less. Where he places is fine and dandy and I’m sure it’ll make a lot of difference in terms of marketing, but if you really want the real marketing 101, it’s the fact that he put his money where his mouth is. He said he was going to do a show, and he did the show. So where he places doesn’t really matter. All that matters is that he brings a stage worthy physique. The big question though is where?
But I also give Sam credit for picking a hard ass show – if in fact, he picked the Arnold Amateur. That would make him a real glutton for punishment.
Sam is a guy that understands the value of marketing and the value of social media hype. This is why he has never said what show he’s actually doing. Even though it’s pretty obvious that it’s the Arnold Classic Amateur it isn’t definite. And I think he learned that through his time in social media. You always want to keep your public guessing. You always want to keep them coming back. You always want to keep them engaged. In a very real way this is the ultimate marketing ploy. I don’t think that Sam’s life is going to change even if he wins his amateur debut. I don’t think it’s going to change one bit. Like I said, it isn’t about how he places – it’s more about the fact that he’s doing the show. I think people are going to respect him a lot more for it. And not just people meaning fans, but people meaning athletes.
What do I mean by that?
Well there has always been a certain level of resentment between competitors and social media influencers. Social media influencers really don’t give very much back to the sport. They don’t really put bodies in the seats at bodybuilding shows. In fact, a lot of influencers in the bodybuilding section wouldn’t be caught dead at a bodybuilding show. Not only would they be bored, but they wouldn’t be the center of attention and that is something that they require the bigger they get. So the fact that Sam actually went through a contest prep and will actually get on stage – I think is going to earn him a lot in terms of camaraderie with full-time competitors. Now if he should do well and continue competing, maybe he will go for the pro card and maybe we will see him at a pro show. A bodybuilding promoter would have to be an absolute fool not to want Sam Sulek at his or her show. His social media fame alone is going to sell tickets and more than likely draw vendors in the door to get booths. You put a Sam Sulek into your show and you’re going to have a hit. But what if this is just a one-off? What if it’s a one and done? Well, only time will tell.
Like I said I will join the choir and add my voice and say that I think that he will do the Arnold Classic Amateur. That being said, when will he announce it? My guess is a day or two before the event. He will probably fly into Columbus under the radar, as well. Like I said, this is a master influencer. He understands how it all works and believe me if he’s going to do a bodybuilding show where he stands to make zero dollars even if he wins, he is going to make sure that everything that he touches turns into gold. He’s going to make sure that he generates more than enough income to justify taking the time to do this competition.
At the end of the day, Sam is his own business manager, his own promotions person, the star and probably his own biggest critic. He is pretty much firing on all cylinders and has been able to climb the rankings of one of the most competitive sport fan bases in the world. And look at what he’s been able to accomplish. My guess is whether this is a one and done or the beginning of a road to pro, Sam Sulek is going to capitalize and laugh all the way to the bank with his earnings.
Do you think Sam can win the Arnold Amateur? Is this a show Sam is going to do? There’s a lot of questions that will remain unanswered (for now). This is going to generate considerable hype. People are already talking about this pretty much everywhere and it’s only going to get more intense. If and when Sam announces the show that he’s doing as the Arnold Classic, expect the message boards, the Facebook groups, and pretty much anything with an internet connection to start buzzing about Sam Sulek and Sam Sulek’s chances of winning whatever show he throws his hat into.
As always, thanks for reading my article, here, at Iron Magazine. Be sure to copy and paste a link to this article on all your social media feeds as it will generate considerable conversation. I look forward to reading your feedback in the comments.