I’ve designed a workout plan inspired by a popular fitness sensation, Sam Sulek. If you admire Sam and want to follow his training programs, explore the following routines:
- 8-day on 1-day off Split for Serious and Experienced Lifters
- 5-day Weekly Split for Beginners & Intermediate Lifters
These routines are designed to help you gain muscle and get big over time.
About Sam Sulek
Sam Sulek (born in 2002) is a popular name in the fitness industry, especially in the United States.
He’s known for his amazing physique transformation in a short time, which grabbed the attention of many people throughout the country, including popular bodybuilders and fitness critics.
Sam started his fitness journey as an amateur bodybuilder and fitness vlogger. But now he has become a professional bodybuilder.
He competes in the IFBB Pro League and even earned his pro card by winning the heavyweight and overall titles at the Arnold Classic Amateur.
He shares relatable, unedited, and authentic workout vlogs on his YouTube channel, where he shows how to train to bring out the best shape.
His consistent workout videos, authentic conversation, and simplicity inspire countless individuals in the fitness realm.
Sam Sulek Training Philosophies
Training to Absolute Failure: Sulek frequently pushes his working sets past the point of comfort, training to muscular failure to ensure maximum stimulus.
Focus on Quality, not Quantity: He doesn’t do plenty of reps and sets. Instead, he focuses on lifting moderate to heavy weights and performs about 10 to 12 working sets for a muscle group.
Balance of Machine & Free Weight Exercises: Sam mostly uses machine exercises along with some free-weight movements such as barbell back squats, dumbbell and barbell curls, incline bench presses, and overhead triceps extensions to train all his muscle groups.
Controlled Time Under Tension: He emphasizes the eccentric (lowering phase) of the lift, moving the weight slowly and deliberately to keep the target muscle under constant tension.
Non-negotiable Cardio: Despite his bulk/cut phases, he performs low-intensity steady-state (LISS) cardio on a stationary bike every morning, completely separated from his lifting sessions. It helps maintain his endurance and aesthetic look.
Warm-up Before Working Sets: Sam uses light resistance training to activate the muscles he wants to train. For example, he performs a few sets of single-arm cable chest flies and incline bench presses before going heavy on chest day. So, you can also do a few warm-up sets for every muscle you want to hit prior to working sets to ensure you feel the proper contraction.
Sam Sulek’s Workout Routine for Bulking Up (Plan A)
Sam Sulek follows a simple and low-volume workout routine that involves training every day for about 45-75 minutes.
He trains his back and rear delts (sometimes also calves) on day one, arms on day two, legs on day three, and chest and lateral delts on day four, and then he repeats this split.
Sam doesn’t take rest days because he feels his muscles get enough time for recovery between workouts.
- Day 1: Back and Rear Delts
- Day 2: Arms
- Day 3: Hamstrings and Quads
- Day 4: Chest and Side Delts
- Day 5: Back, Rear Delts, and Calves
- Day 6: Arms
- Day 7: Hamstrings and Quads
- Day 8: Chest and Side Delts
- Repeat
DAY 1 – BACK & REAR DELTS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Shoulder-width Grip Front Pull-down | 2-3 | 12-15 |
| Wider Hammer Grip Pull-down | 2-3 | 10-12 |
| Machine Low Row | 2-3 | 12-15 |
| Machine Lat Pullover | 2-3 | 12-15 |
| Seated Low Cable Row | 2-3 | 12-15 |
| Lying Face Pull | 2-3 | 10-12 |
DAY 2 – BICEPS & TRICEPS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Cross Cable Triceps Extension | 2-3 | 12-15 |
| Machine Dips | 2-3 | 10-12 |
| Triceps Press Downs | 2-3 | 12-15 |
| Alternating Dumbbell Curls | 2-3 | 8-10/arm |
| Seated Machine Biceps Curls | 2-3 | 12-15 |
| Standard Barbell Curl | 2-3 | 10-12 |
| Alternating DB Curls | 2-3 | 8-10/arm |
DAY 3 – HAMSTRINGS & QUADS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Lying Leg Curl | 4 | 12-15 |
| Unilateral Leg Extension | 3 | 12-15 |
| Bilateral Leg Extension | 1 | Failure |
| Heel Elevated Back Squat | 4 | 10-12 |
| Unilateral Leg Extension | 1 | Failure |
DAY 4 – CHEST & SIDE DELTS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Bench Press | 4-5 | 10-12 |
| Bent-Over Cable Chest Fly | 2-3 | 10-12 |
| Standing Cable Horizontal Fly | 2-3 | 10-12 |
| Machine Lateral Raises | 2-3 | 10-12 |
| DB Side Delt Raises | 2-3 | 8-10 |
DAY 5 – BACK, REAR DELTS & CALVES
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Seated Cable Rowing (Shoulder-width grip) | 4 | 10-15 |
| One-arm Side Straight arm Lat Pulldown | 2 | 10/side |
| Wide Grip Seated Cable Row | 3 | 10-12 |
| Single-arm Lat Pulldown | 1 | 10/side |
| Shoulder-width Grip Cable Rowing | 1 | Failure |
| Lying Face Pull | 4 | 10-12 |
| Seated Calf Raises | 4 | 10-15 |
DAY 6 – TRICEPS & BICEPS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Cross Body Cable Tricep Extension | 3 | 12-15 |
| Single-arm Overhead Triceps Extension | 2 | 10/arm |
| Machine Dips | 1 | Failure |
| Triceps Bar Press Down | 2 | 8-10/arm |
| Alternating DB Biceps Curls | 2 | 12-15 |
| Standard Barbell Curl | 2 | Failure |
| Single-arm Cable Curls | 2 | 10-12/arm |
| Alternating DB Biceps Curls | 2 | 8/arm |
DAY 7 – HAMSTRINGS & QUADS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Seated Leg Curls | 4 | 15-20 |
| Bilateral Leg Extension | 2 | 15-20 |
| Single Leg Extension | 2 | 15/leg |
| Heel Elevated Back Squat | 2 | 8-10 |
| Leg Extension | 1 | 10-12 |
| One-Legged Leg Extension | 1 | 10-12 |
DAY 8 – CHEST & SIDE DELTS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Bench Press | 4 | 10-12 |
| Bent-Over Cable Chest Fly | 3 | 10-12 |
| Standing Cable Horizontal Fly | 2 | 10-12 |
| Bent-Over Parallel Cable Fly | 2 | 10-12 |
| Machine Lateral Raises | 2 | 10-12 |
| DB Side Delt Raises | 2 | 8-10 |
Sam Sulek’s Inspired 5-day Split for Beginners (Plan 2)
- Day 1: Chest & Triceps
- Day 2: Back & Biceps
- Day 3: Legs
- Day 4: Shoulders
- Day 5: Arms & Ab
- Day 6: OFF
- Day 7: OFF
DAY 1: CHEST & TRICEPS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Bench Press | 4 | 6-8 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 4 | 8-10 |
| Machine Chest Press | 3 | 10-12 |
| Cable Fly | 3 | 12-15 |
| Rope Pushdown | 3 | 10-12 |
| Overhead Tricep Extension | 3 | 10-12 |
DAY 2: BACK & BICEPS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Lat Pulldown | 4 | 8-10 |
| Barbell Row | 4 | 6-8 |
| Seated Cable Row | 3 | 10-12 |
| Single Arm Dumbbell Row | 3 | 10-12 |
| Barbell Curl | 3 | 10-12 |
| Hammer Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
DAY 3: LEGS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Squat | 4 | 6-8 |
| Leg Press | 4 | 10 |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 12-15 |
| Leg Curl | 3 | 12-15 |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 8-10 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 4 | 15-20 |
DAY 4: SHOULDERS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead Press | 4 | 6–8 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raise | 4 | 12–15 |
| Rear Delt Fly | 3 | 12–15 |
| Arnold Press | 3 | 10–12 |
| Upright Row | 3 | 10–12 |
DAY 5: ARMS & ABS
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Close-Grip Bench Press | 3 | 6–8 |
| EZ Bar Curl | 3 | 10–12 |
| Incline Dumbbell Curl | 3 | 10–12 |
| Skull Crushers | 3 | 10–12 |
| Cable Curl | 3 | 12–15 |
| Hanging Leg Raise | 3 | 12–15 |
| Cable Crunch | 3 | 15–20 |
Download The Sam Sulek Workout Plan PDF
I also suggest exploring Sam’s YouTube channel to better understand how he trains for size and muscle definition.
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)
Who Can Follow Sam’s Training Program?
Anyone who is looking for a simple, low-volume, and effective training split for muscle-building can follow a Sam Sulek workout regime. But if you are a beginner, I suggest taking a day off after every two training sessions for the first two months to get your body familiar with resistance training.
Is Sam Sulek’s Workout Plan Safe and Effective?
Yes, Sam’s workout includes mostly resistance machine exercises and involves performing 10-15 sets per day with moderate to heavy weights, making it suitable for beginner to intermediate lifters.
Does Sam Do Cardio?
Yes, he usually does cardio in the morning to enhance his endurance and cardiovascular fitness. If you can manage it, I also recommend doing it for 20 minutes of steady cardio at least three times weekly.
What Does Sam Eat for Bulking Up?
Sam Sulek’s bulking diet is built around high calories, high protein, simple meals, consistent eating, and easy-to-digest foods. He focuses more on total calories plus protein intake than on eating perfectly clean all the time.
Sam’s typical diet includes eggs, oatmeal, protein shake, peanut butter, chicken & rice, ground beef & rice, olive oil, green veggies, sweet potatoes, banana, milk, etc.
