Sam Sulek has quickly transitioned from a young fitness influencer to earning his IFBB Pro card in 2025 and has taken a bold step while preparing for his pro debut at the upcoming Arnold Classic.

Sulek has taken the unconventional and bold decision to coach himself. This decision has sparked curiosity and raised one question across the fitness community: Why would anyone so inexperienced not hire a coach for something as crucial as his pro debut?

Sam Sulek himself explained the reason in a Q&A session on January 13, 2026, on his YouTube channel, shared by BTSTV on Instagram.

"With the coaching, I mean, I feel like, I kind of like, I want to be able to just do it on my own. Because I know my own stuff, I'm doing it because I want to do it. I feel like, at the end of the day. It's my thing. So I want to be a hundred percent responsible," said Sulek.

"So come the Arnold, if I show up looking like total trash, that’s on me," added Sulek. Yet, judging by his guest posing session at the NPC Musclecontest Challenge on January 10, it's safe to say that Sulek won't look anything but competitive. So what does his self-training routine look like?

Sam Sulek's workout routine for the 2026 Arnold Classic

Sam Sulek has not yet shared his Arnold classic training routine. However, from his workout videos and posts, one can get a brief of his exercises.

For the shoulder and chest:

• Pec deck fly
• Incline press
• Machine press
• Cable flyes
• Lateral raises
• Rear delt fly
• Overhead press

For back:

• Bent-over barbell rows
• Single-arm pulldowns
• Lat pulldowns
• Seated cable rows
• Cable lat pulldown with free motion

For legs:

• Seated hamstring curls
• Single-leg lying hamstring curls
• Lying hamstring curls
• Heel elevated back squats
• Calf raise
• Single leg extension

For arms:

• Tricep pushdown
• Dips
• Dumbbell hammer curls
• Rope pushdown
• Single-arm preacher
• Cable curls

So, are you ready to see the self-trained pro at the Arnold Classic?

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Sagnik Bagchi