Joey Chestnut Reveals Diet, Training and Strategy for Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest

Competitive eaters may not have to be in peak physical condition, but major events can require a serious training regimen like in any other sport.

Legendary eater Joey Chestnut told Meredith Begley of Yahoo Sports he started his preparations for the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest in mid-May. The 16-time winner said he hadn't consumed a Nathan's hot dog in over a year, which he had to account for as well.

"The natural casing is a little more work on the jaws," he said. "For practices, I stop eating for about a day and a half — almost no solid food. I make sure I go in empty and loose. I do a bunch of burping and stretching exercises to make sure my whole core is ready.

"Before Nathan's, I like to do eight or nine [practices]. It gets more and more intense toward the end. Some practices take longer to recover from, especially if I'm doing it outside and it’s hot."

Chestnut said his approach for the contest is much simpler.

"Sometimes I find myself overthinking it," he said. "There’s not that many steps: Put it in my mouth, chew it, swallow it, breathe. The breathing is one thing that a lot of people forget to do. They end up holding their breath and then get winded."

That dedication to his craft helps explain why the 41-year-old has dominated the Hot Dog Eating Contest like nobody else before. The 76 hot dogs he ate in the 2021 event remain the all-time record.

Chestnut is making his return to Coney Island this year after he received a ban in 2024 for endorsing a rival hot dog brand. In his absence, Patrick Bertoletti won the men's contest with 58 dogs.

Based on how seriously he prepared for Friday, Chestnut is focused squarely on reclaiming the Mustard Belt.