#994 - Sam Sulek - The Endless Pursuit of Progress

Modern Wisdom

Chris Williamson

Society & Culture, Health & Fitness

4.7 • 4.6K Ratings

🗓️ 15 September 2025

⏱️ 131 minutes

🔗️ Recording | iTunes | RSS

🧾️ Download transcript

Summary

Sam Sulek is a professional bodybuilder and YouTuber. From zero to millions of fans, Sam Sulek’s rise has been nothing short of explosive. In just a few years, he’s become one of social media’s most-watched and talked-about creators. Sit back as we dive into the story of the man behind some of the internet’s most beloved vlogs, fueled by hefty scoops of chicken and rice. Expect to learn what Sam would be doing if he wasn’t doing fitness and bodybuilding, why so many people are drawn to Sam’s content and if he expected at all to become an ASMR channel, if there are any pressures to brand himself as anything different than his most authentic self, what Sam’s relationship with the mirror is like, if Sam has any concerns over longevity in his current pursuits, how to keep pushing even when motivation is low, Sam’s thoughts on science based lifting, Sam’s top 10 exercises of all time, and much more… Sponsors: See me on tour in America: ⁠https://chriswilliamson.live⁠ See discounts for all the products I use and recommend: https://chriswillx.com/deals Get a Free Sample Pack of LMNT’s most popular Flavours with your first purchase at https://drinklmnt.com/modernwisdom Get 35% off your first subscription on the best supplements from Momentous at https://livemomentous.com/modernwisdom Get 5 Free Travel Packs, Free Liquid Vitamin D, and more from AG1 at https://ag1.info/modernwisdom Get $100 off the best bloodwork analysis in America at https://functionhealth.com/modernwisdom Timestamps: (0:00) Where Would Sam Be Without Bodybuilding? (6:56) Where Sam Finds His Inspiration (17:56) How Sam Deals with Online Criticism (27:39) How to Be Comfortable Living a Simple Life (33:06) Why It’s Important to Stay Hungry for Success (43:55) Sam’s Opinion on the Rise of Male Body Dysmorphia (01:00:23) How Sam’s Perspective on Bodybuilding Changes (01:11:20) How Sam Stays Driven and Disciplined (01:26:56) Optimising Your Diet to Build Muscle (01:36:43) What Diets Did Sam Follow to See Progress? (01:45:24) Sam’s Thoughts on Evidence-Based Lifting (01:55:37) If Sam Could Only Keep 10 Exercises (02:08:57) What’s Next for Sam? Extra Stuff: Get my free reading list of 100 books to read before you die: https://chriswillx.com/books Try my productivity energy drink Neutonic: https://neutonic.com/modernwisdom Episodes You Might Enjoy: #577 - David Goggins - This Is How To Master Your Life: https://tinyurl.com/43hv6y59 #712 - Dr Jordan Peterson - How To Destroy Your Negative Beliefs: https://tinyurl.com/2rtz7avf #700 - Dr Andrew Huberman - The Secret Tools To Hack Your Brain: https://tinyurl.com/3ccn5vkp - Get In Touch: Instagram: https://www.instagram.com/chriswillx Twitter: https://www.twitter.com/chriswillx YouTube: https://www.youtube.com/modernwisdompodcast Email: https://chriswillx.com/contact - Learn more about your ad choices. Visit megaphone.fm/adchoices

Transcript

Click on a timestamp to play from that location

0:00.0	If you weren't doing bodybuilding, what do you think you'd be obsessing over instead?
0:04.7	I think it, I mean, it would have to be something.
0:06.6	But honestly, I was kind of lucky starting off body.
0:10.5	I didn't even say bodybuilding.
0:12.8	The only, and this is something people say anyway, if you don't compete, you're not a bodybuilder.
0:19.4	Like it's a little, because when someone does their first show, you know, they kind of
0:23.8	want to express this, like, you know, glamour about it.
0:27.5	It's like, I'm a bodybuilder because I competed.
0:30.9	You just, but I kind of leaned into that.
0:32.7	So before I actually competed, I always, I'd always describe myself like just, I'd say say a lifter because the point wasn't more so to compete in bodybuilding.
0:42.7	Like when I'm working at arms,
0:44.4	I'm not thinking like,
0:45.8	okay,
0:46.0	I need arms to be a little bit bigger so that I can beat this guy on stage.
0:51.6	It's more so I want them to be bigger for me.
0:54.3	And then that kind of played into,
0:56.8	once I was at a certain level,
0:58.8	like, okay, now it's about time to compete.
1:01.6	Like, it was always on the list,
1:03.0	but it wasn't like the point,
1:05.3	especially not in the beginning.
1:06.8	For me, I'm like, I just want to get big.
	...

Please login to see the full transcript.

Previous episode | Next episode

Disclaimer: The podcast and artwork embedded on this page are from Chris Williamson, and are the property of its owner and not affiliated with or endorsed by Tapesearch.

Generated transcripts are the property of Chris Williamson and are distributed freely under the Fair Use doctrine. Transcripts generated by Tapesearch are not guaranteed to be accurate.