Sam Sulek earned his IFBB pro card by winning the 2025 Arnold Amateur Classic Physique contest. He intends to make his pro debut at the 2026 Arnold Classic. Larry Wheels, an elite powerlifter turned Classic Physique bodybuilder earned his IFBB pro card by winning the 2025 Muscle Contest Bullman Pro in Classic Physique.
On Aug. 5, 2025, Sulek shared a glimpse of their co-op chest training. The workout occurred at Wheels’ One Gen Gym in Claremont, CA, comprising the following:
Chest Training
- Machine Incline Chest Press
- Lying Machine Peck Deck Flye
- Machine Neutral Grip Chest Press
- Machine Peck Deck Flye
- Machine Chest Press
- High Cable Chest Flye
Warm-Up
Sulek begins with a 15-20 minute warm-up routine, focusing on light cable triceps extensions. He incorporated rotator cuff exercises and cable presses using D-handles. Similarly, Wheels warmed up on the pec deck, performing two sets of 20-50 reps over five minutes.
Always start with pec deck.
—Larry Wheels
Incline Chest Press & Lying Pec Deck Flye
Sulek began with the incline machine chest presses, performing five to 10 reps. Both athletes pushed to failure on their final set.
Wheels proposed plate-loaded pec deck with sets of seven reps. Sulek followed suit, finishing with partial reps.
Neutral Grip Chest Press & Peck Dec Flye
Wheels tried a neutral grip chest press to relieve stress from his shoulders. Sulek spotted Wheels as he controls the load, pausing briefly at the top. Sulek controlled the eccentric during his turn.
Machine Chest Press & High Cable Chest Flye
They finished with cable chest flyes for a deep stretch. Wheels reached failure, stopping to comment that his shoulders burned as his chest stopped responding. Sulek maximized the squeeze with every rep, increasing tempo toward the end of the set to failure.
Wheels & Sulek’s Training Techniques
- Adequate Warm-up
- Training to Muscle Failure
- Implementing Partial Reps
- Using a Full Range of Motion (ROM)
- Focusing on Time Under Tension
Adequate Warm-Up
Warming up gradually elevates heart rate, boosts blood flow, raises muscle temperature, enhances muscle flexibility, and reduces risk of strains and injuries. (1)
Training to Muscle Failure
Training to failure is widely regarded as an effective method for promoting muscle hypertrophy. Pushing to failure recruits a more muscle fibers, including those with higher activation thresholds, ultimately stimulating greater muscle growth.
A study published in Frontiers in Physiology highlighted that reaching muscle failure during low-intensity resistance training can maximize muscle hypertrophy in trained individuals. (2)
Partial Reps
Partial reps enable athletes to overload targeted muscle fibers to overcome sticking points. Partial reps can significantly enhance muscle strength. (3)
Full Range of Motion
Wheels trained through his full ROM during chest presses, which can improve joint mobility and flexibility but also enhances muscle activation, promoting greater growth. Research suggests training through full ROM leads to significantly greater increases in muscle size compared to partial range training, particularly in the lower body. (4)
Time Under Tension
Time under tension promotes muscle growth and strength by increasing the duration muscles remain under stress. (5)
More Bodybuilding Content
- Your Upper Chest Isn’t Growing Because You’re Pressing at the Wrong Angle
- A Pro Strength Coach Weighs In: Should You Train to Failure?
- 2 Exercises That Built Nick Walker’s 24-Inch Arms
References
- Fradkin, A. J., Zazryn, T. R., & Smoliga, J. M. (2010). Effects of warming-up on physical performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 24(1), 140–148. https://doi.org/10.1519/JSC.0b013e3181c643a0
- Nóbrega, S. R., & Libardi, C. A. (2016). Is Resistance Training to Muscular Failure Necessary?. Frontiers in physiology, 7, 10. https://doi.org/10.3389/fphys.2016.00010
- Massey, C. D., Vincent, J., Maneval, M., Moore, M., & Johnson, J. T. (2004). An analysis of full range of motion vs. partial range of motion training in the development of strength in untrained men. Journal of strength and conditioning research, 18(3), 518–521. https://doi.org/10.1519/13263.1
- Schoenfeld, B. J., & Grgic, J. (2020). Effects of range of motion on muscle development during resistance training interventions: A systematic review. SAGE open medicine, 8, 2050312120901559. https://doi.org/10.1177/2050312120901559
- Burd, N. A., Andrews, R. J., West, D. W., Little, J. P., Cochran, A. J., Hector, A. J., Cashaback, J. G., Gibala, M. J., Potvin, J. R., Baker, S. K., & Phillips, S. M. (2012). Muscle time under tension during resistance exercise stimulates differential muscle protein sub-fractional synthetic responses in men. The Journal of physiology, 590(2), 351–362. https://doi.org/10.1113/jphysiol.2011.221200
Featured image: @sam_sulek on Instagram
