21-year-old bodybuilding sensation Sam Sulek doesn’t just have a legion of young fans, but old ones too. In fact, the 2024 Arnold Classic special guest recently met arguably his oldest fan. As Sulek’s popularity continues to skyrocket, more people recognize the fitness influencers inside gyms. In a recent clip by Sam Sulek Talk, a 91-year-old gym goer greeted the bodybuilder.

The fan page clip showed the 91-year-old man walking up to Sam Sulek and clicking a picture with the youngster. The fitness enthusiast’s zeal to train in the gym in his 90s impressed Sulek. So the former diver-turned-bodybuilder decided to address his younger fans. The bodybuilding turned to the camera and said the man “fell off a dump trunk and he’s still in the gym.”

The fitness icon found it inspiring that despite being in his 90s and after suffering an accident, the man hasn’t quit. So he used his oldest fan as an example for his “spry 18-year-old” fans. Although the youngsters who idolize Sulek have youth on their side, “You can’t even do your cardio,” said the bodybuilder. 

Sam Sulek has taken it upon himself to bust some myths as a fitness icon for millions. He has grown tired of people ignoring cardio. Many bodybuilding and fitness enthusiasts ignore it because they think cardio will cost them muscle mass. However, Sulek is aware that not doing cardio will have far worse results like diminishing training capacity and intensity.

Not training hard enough in the gym is far worse than thinking cardio will cause muscle loss. In fact, scientific studies have proven that cardio doesn’t eat into your gains. Some studies have found that certain kinds of cardio might improve muscle protein synthesis.

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Why Sam Sulek does cardio regularly

Several studies on sprinters, marathon runners, and endurance athletes have shown the effects of cardio on muscles. While sustained steady-state cardio does affect muscle mass, only long-distance and ultra-marathon runners have suffered muscle loss. A four-month study found that triathletes improved their muscle protein synthesis capacity by 22%.

Although cycling is an endurance sport, it’s been found to promote muscle growth in the quads. This is also why sprinters looked jacked. One study involving sedentary and endurance athletes found that grip strength and knee extensor strength improved more in endurance athletes under the same training regimen. Hence, Sam Sulek prioritizes regular short cardio sessions alongside weight training.

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Sam Sulek believes that if a 91-year-old man can train in the gym after recovering from an accident, young fitness enthusiasts can put in some more effort in the gym.