Sam Sulek’s Opinion On Evidence-Based Lifting
In a Nutshell
Sam argues that most exercise science studies use untrained, low-effort participants and therefore have limited practical value for serious lifters, who benefit more from hard training than from over-analyzing protocols. He criticizes “grind slop” over-optimization in favor of flexible, principle-based habits like sleep discipline and food simplicity, exemplified by his signature giant mixing bowl of meat, carbs, and sauce. The core takeaway is that real-world results come from consistent, adaptable effort rather than chasing perfect routines or aesthetic presentation.
These notes were generated by AI and may contain inaccuracies.
Sam Sulek is annoyed that people studied in exercise science research are not like him or most serious lifters. The studies are based on ordinary people who do not work very hard. According to the FDA definition, an ordinary person is 5 feet 9 inches tall, weighs 180 pounds, consumes 2,000 calories per day, and gets 50 grams of protein. These individuals have no physical activity in their routine. The studies do not include many ordinary people who do cardio exercises. Sam believes these studies are not very relevant to serious gym-goers. He does not say the information is wrong, but going to the gym and working hard is more beneficial than sitting at home reading exercise books. There is a difference between intellectual value and practical value.
Intellectually, people might be interested in learning that a new type of fat was used in a protein bar. Sam uses David bars as an example, where there is something strange about them. People might think the bars are good and have benefits like making you feel full, but the calories do not add up that way. The end result of eating David bars versus not eating anything else is the same. People might see this and think eating 30 David bars every day will make them slim, but this is not a realistic solution. Some people have even tried that approach.
There is a trend online that represents a protest against over-optimization in health and fitness. Sam calls this 'grind slop' in his world, where people try to perfect every part of their day including the perfect morning routine, perfect diet, and perfect bedtime. In the process, they lose flexibility and normal balance in their lives. People tend to treat everything like homework. Sam is stressed about this trend. People are overwhelmed by the amount of information consumed through social media and artificial intelligence, job uncertainty, and geopolitical situations. Learning strong principles that work in different environments inside the gym is more effective than trying different strategies in each situation.
Sam tries to get enough sleep and go to bed when tired. Understanding principles such as discipline, stability, cold, darkness, and silence is a better policy than strictly following a specific routine. A rigid routine leaves inherent weaknesses and stops working if broken. Sam agrees this is an accurate comparison. He gives an example of someone whose house is burning down but cannot call 911 because their phone has blue light and they need to sleep, so they cannot look at the blue light. This is utter nonsense.
Sam gets comments about his eating habits throughout the day. He eats a bowl of egg whites and rice, his wife's chicken pot pie casserole, sweet and sour dishes, steak, and rice cakes. He eats whatever works for his goals. He would not say it is the best for others, but it is perfect for him. Sam calls all proteins S-tier or highest level, including beef, chicken, some dairy products, eggs, and fish. Someone commented about the protein in rice, calling it D-tier protein. Sam does not consider rice protein that way. The comment was about how Sam does not make fancy avocado toast with everything perfectly arranged. It is a fun way to show what he eats for Instagram rather than showing unrealistic aesthetic presentations like avocado toast with imported Himalayan salt.
Sam mentions the viral social media trend called boy kibble or guy kibble. It consists of some kind of meat, perhaps potatoes or rice, and some sauce in a large bowl. If there are vegetables, they are kept in a separate place. The trend is about taking a carbohydrate, a protein, and some vegetables or sauce and mixing everything together. Sam loves that every man and every gym buddy has a favorite bowl at home. He ate at least 50 percent of his calories from just one bowl for about 5 years. IKEA stopped making his favorite bowl, which he considered as valuable as Bitcoin.
Sam believes a perfect bowl is a very effective but overlooked technique. The edges of the bowl should be high so all types of food can be placed in it without spreading. The bowl needs to be microwave-safe because food often needs to be heated more after being taken from a glass container. Sam wants a big bowl so he can mix everything without spilling. The bowl should be a large sturdy bowl with a capacity of about 2 gallons. It should be like a beach ball with the top cut off. Plastic bowls will not work for this purpose.
Any bread tastes 20% more delicious when cut on an angle than when cut crosswise because of its aesthetic appeal. Rob Henderson has a great point that the food of working class people tastes better than it looks, while the food of the upper class tastes worse than it looks. If you post normal gymbro food online, it looks like a mess and nobody will care. But the food tastes better than any delicious food beautifully arranged on wood. There is a different kind of satisfaction in eating food in such a bowl. Most ordinary people look at food as something to be enjoyed in the moment. For someone like Sam, the joy of food is intact because it is enjoyable to eat, and there is extra joy from knowing it is beneficial for his goals. He enjoys it in two ways instead of just giving himself pleasure or building health.
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