The YouTube bodybuilding community’s rising star continues to shine: Sam Sulek is now officially an IFBB Pro bodybuilder.
Sulek clinched his IFBB Pro Card after winning the Arnold Classic Amateur show, securing favorable scores from the judges. The gold grants him access to pro-tier contests — and moves him one step closer to the vaunted Mr. Olympia stage.
The YouTuber’s appearance at the Arnold Amateur was hotly anticipated, with his millions of fans closely following his training prep ahead of the show.
An Instagram post by organizer Arnold Sports showing Sulek lifting his IFBB Pro Card has garnered over 380,000 likes at the time of writing.
Sam Sulek And YouTube Go Pro
Sulek’s rise to the pro league has been swift.
It’s been only a couple of weeks since the YouTuber stepped onto the stage for the first time, winning his bodybuilding debut at the NPC Open Legends contest and earning an entry to the Arnold Classic Amateur.
As I noted in my piece on his debut win, Sulek is an absolutely beloved figure in YouTube’s bodybuilding and fitness sphere.
Since 2016, newly minted bodybuilding pro has amassed over 4 million rabid subscribers who tune in daily to his vlogs to watch him ruminate over his fitness philosophy in his car, train to failure and flex in the mirror — a staple of a classic Sam Sulek video.
Unlike now-retired six-time Mr. Olympia champion Chris Bumstead who earned his social media fame after his success at the podium, Sulek is a homegrown YouTube legend — and soon enough, perhaps a Mr. Olympia contestant.
