Video summary
Sam Sulek addresses the intense pressure and public curiosity surrounding his long-term health in bodybuilding, noting how competitors are often asked if they plan to move on or retire before their peak performance years. He argues that while reaching a certain level of success changes one's perspective over time, it is not necessarily about giving up but rather gaining clarity on what truly matters at different stages of life. Sulek admits he no longer fixates on the hypothetical goal of becoming 300 pounds because his perception has shifted; achieving significant milestones often leads to a desire for something simpler or more sustainable, much like how an accomplished chef might prefer mastering a simple pasta dish over creating complex meals with hundreds of ingredients after years of experience. The discussion highlights that competitive bodybuilding is not a path recommended for everyone and warns against the inflated value placed on stage appearances in the age of social media. Sulek observes many young individuals obsessed with getting on stage, noting that this flashy presentation often obscures the reality of the lifestyle required to sustain it. He shares anecdotes of former professionals who realized after years of dedication that the sport was not for them and chose to redirect their focus toward other values rather than backpedaling or continuing in a way they no longer valued. This shift is framed as an evolution of understanding where one realizes the ladder they were climbing might have been leaning against the wrong wall, prompting a necessary adjustment in goals. When weighing health versus aesthetics, Sulek emphasizes the importance of regular blood testing and numerical metrics for anyone serious about bodybuilding, stating that those who do not test regularly are missing out on critical information. He contrasts his own experience with general practitioners who order comprehensive panels against doctors who dismiss concerns from younger men as unnecessary. While he acknowledges legitimate medical interventions for severe hormonal deficiencies, such as hypogonadism resulting in extremely low testosterone levels, he critiques how these standards can be stretched to justify extreme behaviors or ignore the nuances of individual physiology. A significant portion of the conversation focuses on the danger of using authority figures' opinions to validate personal biases regarding exercise safety and necessity. Sulek illustrates this with an example of a veteran lifter who stopped squatting due to knee wear, arguing that it was no longer worth the risk-reward ratio compared to leg presses; however, he points out how others might misuse such statements to claim they don't need squats at all simply because someone else said so. He connects this logic flaw directly to blood work discussions, where individuals often assume their hormone levels are fine without testing or dismiss low results as normal based on anecdotal evidence rather than data. Ultimately, Sulek advocates for a grounded approach that relies on objective medical data and personal circumstances rather than social validation or rigid adherence to outdated norms. He suggests that while the sport is physically demanding psychologically taxing, true longevity in fitness comes from recognizing when goals need adjustment and listening to one's body without falling prey to justifications that allow people to skip essential practices under false pretenses of safety. The conversation concludes with a strong recommendation for regular health monitoring as a baseline for making informed decisions about training intensity and lifestyle choices throughout the decades ahead.
Read the full video transcript
Bodybuilding is already a rough sport
physically, psychologically, hormonally.
How much are you thinking about
longevity at the moment and trade-offs?
>> That's one thing I I'll bring up cuz
it's like guys will ask me, it's like,
are you going to move to open? Are you
going to or it's can't wait to see you
as Mr. Olympia? Like as though it's a
it's that's the track that I'm on. And
for me, it's more so it's like, okay,
what am I willing to do that adds to
this whole thing with bodybuilding that
will take me, you know, a certain degree
of distance, right? Because if you're a
top level Olympia competitor, that comes
with its own things, you know, like it's
not as though bodybuilding on a
competitive level is, and you I might
not be the one to say recommend cuz I'm
not like a complete
uh G of bodybuilding like a Jay Cutler
or like a real commentator or a judge
would be who's been in the sport for
years. But it's like it's not something
to be pursued forever. Like actually the
bigger I've gotten, the more I've
started to be content with the size that
I already am where I used to imagine 300
pound Sam Sulick. I'm like, "Yeah, once
I get to 300, that'll start to be." But
it's uh it's something where when you
actually get to a different position
just over time and like through
progress, you're going to have a
different perception of like what you
actually want because even though you
may have reached that level from having
a certain goal,
>> now you're a completely different person
with different circumstances and as good
as that goal may have been to motivate
you in the beginning,
>> like sometimes that can change.
>> Yeah, dude. That's
>> and it's not a giving up. It's just
you've gotten a better perspective and
now you know more to make a better
decision.
>> That's a really fantastic point that
adjusting your goals as you get closer
to them to some people feels like uh
seeding ground. Um you've already done
the hard part. Why are you not applying
more pressure and and and and really
really pushing? But
the same as what you considered to be a
good dish when you were starting out as
a chef will not be what you consider to
be a good dish as you become more
sophisticated and that dish may be more
simple.
>> So you may start out making these really
complex things with 500 ingredients and
you think well actually you know just a
good pasta like I can just nail a good
pasta and I think that that's pretty
sweet. So yeah, the ability to discern
good from bad, like taste, like what's
something that's a tasteful goal for me
to go towards? What's something that
resonates? How do I realize as I get
closer to something that maybe the
ladder I was climbing was kind of
leaning up against the wrong wall a
little bit, so I'm just going to adjust
it and I'm going to keep climbing over
here.
>> And it's uh with with bodybuilding at
least, there's a few examples. I mean,
actually, I'm sure there's thousands
where it's just it's not highlighted on
social media, so I wouldn't have any
input on when this might happen. But
with bodybuilding, it's uh it's not
something I'd recommend for everyone.
Like when I see the like I I I'd say
it's prevalence now, like the idea of I
need to be a bodybuilder or like a
younger guy saying I have to be able to
get on stage at a certain point. I uh I
think it's a a bit over inflated in its
value because it's very showy. You only
see that like little flashy kind of
point at the end. And it's also in a
scope of social media where like as much
as I'm not trying to overdo it and make
myself like look cooler or better or
like portray the crazy lifestyle that I
might actually live like it's still kind
of flashy in its presentation. So if you
get obsessed with like the idea of
something to actually approach what that
real thing is and now your idea of it is
actually going to become a real
understanding of it and you'll realize
like [ __ ] man I wouldn't I like there's
guys where they've gone pro like they
really got into it they were 100%
serious
and then they realize this isn't for me
I'm going to I'm going to not like
backpedal isn't the right word I'm going
to just redirect towards something which
I actually value now
>> and if at any point that would happen
then that's what I would do.
>> How do you now personally weigh health
versus aesthetics? You've got this
>> Well, I mean everybody uh there's actual
like numerical metrics, you know,
everyone's getting their like honestly I
think everybody should be getting their
blood tested even just out of curiosity.
>> That's something you're doing regularly.
>> Yeah. Yeah. So that's that's definitely
like anybody who's serious about
bodybuilding, they're all getting
relatively extensive blood tests pretty
regularly. And if they're not, then like
you are missing out.
>> But what sucks is actually it's um I'm
kind of spoiled cuz my general
practitioner will order all my stuff
like a full pan of everything.
>> Whereas a lot of doctors like I I'll
hear stories where it's like, you know,
can I just get like can I just get my
test leveled? A normal dude. Nah, you
you're young. you don't have to worry
about something like that. And it's um
like I mean I'm sure you've got your own
take on it, but it's just kind of this
behind the curve sort of thing cuz
that's something like could what if
you're a guy where you're straight up
hypoganatal and you're you might be
literally whatever value is barely any.
>> Mhm.
>> That could totally
>> 50s or the 200s or something. Well, I'm
saying like if if there was somebody
where they were under 100 and it's like
you didn't have any control over that
and if your hormones are totally out of
whack, then that would be warrant for
intervention. And that was something
that would be totally like doctor
viewed. But what I see a lot is you
could take that statement
and stretch it as far as it could go to
justify the craziest things. like it's
with uh and I see it a lot in training.
A 50-year-old ex 900 lb squatter
complete like real experience and
respect in the space will make a video
and he's training now still and he's
been training for 40 years or 35 years
and he'll say, you know, right now it's
back squats. They're just not the the
reward risk to reward ratio. It's not
there. It's too much on my lower back.
My knees are they've been kind of worn.
like it's so for me I've got to stick to
more like lighter leg press and you know
just more kind of stable movements and
that's backed by his situation and
someone who is kind of starting a little
earlier in the gym they might have an
awesome like grasp of everything will
hear that and then that's an easy
argument to say well this guy said you
don't even need to squat I'm not
squatting dude squats like not even an
acceptance of like I don't want to squat
that's why I don't do it.
>> But just this um
>> you know trying to bring the bar down to
their level of like well I'm not willing
to squat. I don't want to do it.
>> If I can justify why I don't need to do
it then actually I'm not skipping
anything. I'm doing it right by doing
less.
>> What's the uh line? What's the linkage
or analogy between that and the bloods?
>> Yeah. Well, it's just um cuz then some
you know somebody could say, "Oh, you
know, my test was probably super low
anyway."
they didn't even get a somebody could
say it's like you know I I looked at I
was looking at WMD and it's like the so
I don't bring that up as much but the
the normaly and like the um kind of the
conditioned of just like that's not a
big deal like that's not something I'm
>> bro let me give you this let me give you
this according to the American
neurological association 25% of patients
on TRT never had their testosterone
checked one/3 weren't even deficient. I
saw that last week.
>> But what's the age demographic? Because
if that's like if that's still like what
somebody would conventionally say a
normal age to be like a 35 above, I
think that's a much different situation
than anything earlier because you're
literally still a developing dude, you
know, like you that's that is a thing
that you are messing with which is not
just like it's just, you know, whatever.
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