Building muscle requires proper dieting, training, and recovery to make progress. Fitness influencer-turned-Pro Sam Sulek is familiar with this process and recently shared his dieting hacks for gaining muscle during his 2025 off-season.
Sulek’s trajectory in the sport attained worldwide fame before he stepped onstage. In February, he won his amateur debut at the NPC Legends Classic and nailed down his IFBB Pro card in Classic Physique at the 2025 Arnold Amateur.
Sulek needs more mass in his legs. Adding muscle is crucial for his continued success in a division that awards symmetry and balance.
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Sulek’s Dieting Hacks Explained
Sulek’s first muscle-growing hack is apparent, but essential: increasing calorie intake through carbohydrates. Carbs provide energy for workouts, replenish glycogen, and help individuals pack on more size. (1) They give the muscles a fuller appearance, which Sulek will need in his next contest. (2)
If I eat a consistently steady carbs, all my muscle fibers will be nice, plump, and full of sugar.
—Sam Sulek
Carbs aren’t the only macronutrient Sulek leverages for muscle growth. Sufficient protein intake is key for Sulek, who weighs 260 pounds. He aims for 50 grams of protein per meal in his five daily meals. (3)
Sulek recommends 100-120 grams of fat daily for someone of similar weight. Aggressive fat reduction can affect hormone health and work against fitness goals like muscle growth or fat loss. (4) Fats can mitigate oxidative stress from training, aiding recovery. (5)
The Ohio native favors simple and accessible food choices like tuna with buffalo sauce, egg whites, and white rice, which have predictable macros.
Beef and egg whites have complete amino acid profiles and help kickstart muscle protein synthesis. However, scientific literature does suggest that consuming whole eggs over egg whites induces an even greater response. (6)(7)
Batch cooking large quantities of beef and keeping rice on standby is another hack Sulek can’t go without. Reigning Mr. Olympia Samson Dauda prepares his meat for the week in one go to save time.
Minimizing meal prep time is a chef’s kiss in bodybuilding, enabling athletes to focus on gym performance and recovery.
Consistency and availability are the name of the game. Having a bunch of rice and ground beef already cooked to scoop into Tupperware is perfect.
—Sam Sulek
References
- Burke LM, Kiens B, Ivy JL. Carbohydrates and fat for training and recovery. J Sports Sci. 2004;22(1):15-30. doi:10.1080/0264041031000140527 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/14971430/
- de Moraes WMAM, de Almeida FN, Dos Santos LEA, et al. Carbohydrate Loading Practice in Bodybuilders: Effects on Muscle Thickness, Photo Silhouette Scores, Mood States and Gastrointestinal Symptoms. Journal of Sports Science & Medicine. 2019 Dec;18(4):772-779. PMID: 31827362; PMCID: PMC6873117. https://europepmc.org/article/PMC/PMC6873117
- Morton RW, Murphy KT, McKellar SR, et al. A systematic review, meta-analysis and meta-regression of the effect of protein supplementation on resistance training-induced gains in muscle mass and strength in healthy adults [published correction appears in Br J Sports Med. 2020 Oct;54(19):e7. doi: 10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608corr1.]. Br J Sports Med. 2018;52(6):376-384. doi:10.1136/bjsports-2017-097608 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/28698222/
- Whittaker J, Wu K. Low-fat diets and testosterone in men: Systematic review and meta-analysis of intervention studies. J Steroid Biochem Mol Biol. 2021;210:105878. doi:10.1016/j.jsbmb.2021.105878 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/33741447/
- Heshmati J, Morvaridzadeh M, Maroufizadeh S, et al. Omega-3 fatty acids supplementation and oxidative stress parameters: A systematic review and meta-analysis of clinical trials. Pharmacol Res. 2019;149:104462. doi:10.1016/j.phrs.2019.104462 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/31563611/
- Pinckaers PJ, Domić J, Petrick HL, et al. Higher Muscle Protein Synthesis Rates Following Ingestion of an Omnivorous Meal Compared with an Isocaloric and Isonitrogenous Vegan Meal in Healthy, Older Adults. J Nutr. 2024;154(7):2120-2132. doi:10.1016/j.tjnut.2023.11.004 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/37972895/
- Abou Sawan S, van Vliet S, West DWD, et al. Whole egg, but not egg white, ingestion induces mTOR colocalization with the lysosome after resistance exercise. Am J Physiol Cell Physiol. 2018;315(4):C537-C543. doi:10.1152/ajpcell.00225.2018 https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30133322/
Featured image: @gym.empirree on Instagram
