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Sam Sulek is lifting weights, lifting spirits and lifting trophies. The YouTuber has won his debut bodybuilding show, securing the 2025 NPC Open Legends title in the Classic Physique class.
Sulek’s triumph marks the first time he stepped on stage — something many in the YouTube bodybuilding community have been passionately discussing and anticipating for years.
The win grants him an entry in the 2025 Arnold Amateur Classic event, which Sulek has already set his sights on, according to an Instagram story.
On his journey to the NPC Open Legends crown, Sulek documented his strenuous training sessions, strict diet and draining cut in a series of daily vlogs his fans have come to know as the “winter shredathon.”
Sam Sulek And YouTube’s Bodybuilding Ecosystem
Sulek has firmly established himself as a staple in YouTube’s fitness and bodybuilding creator economy.
The bodybuilder is a mythical-like creature in this corner of YouTube, attracting commentary from fellow creators like Jeff Nippard, MorePlatesMoreDates, Renaissance Periodization and even Joe Rogan. He’s also inspired thousands of memes across Reddit, Instagram and TikTok.
Since launching his channel in 2016, Sulek has amassed an audience of nearly 4 million subscribers on the platform, clocking over 252 million views in the process.
YouTube has a big bodybuilding ecosystem, with now-retired six-time Mr. Olympia champion Chris Bumstead boasting a following of over 4.1 million subscribers on the platform.
While Bumstead leveraged his success on the podium to build a viewership, Sulek is a different breed of bodybuilder.
He’ll probably disagree with this description, but I’ve always seen him as someone who started as a YouTuber and grew into a bodybuilder.
Now he’s a certified bodybuilding champion. Freaky stuff, Sam. Good luck at the Arnold Classic — YouTube is proud of you.
