Joey Chestnut is set to return to the Nathan's Hot Dog Eating Contest Friday, July 4 after a one-year ban due to a contractual dispute. What remains indisputable is his standing at an event that officially started in 1972. He is the GOAT. Over the past two decades, Chestnut has won the contest 16 times, 10 more than any other eater has won the men's competition in the history of the event. He also holds record for most hot dogs and buns consumed during the 10-minute contest with 72, 10 more than any other competitor has eaten. During an interview with USA TODAY Sports, Chestnut, 41, shared details about how he became the Greatest Of All Time after eating 32 hot dogs and buns in 2005 in his debut at the Nathan's contest. Chestnut said his inner drive remains high two decades later. "I want to push myself,'' he said. "There's room for growth. I've seen that there's little things I can do to get better at everything. I enjoy pushing myself at setting up these crazy contests at home." Despite winning 16 Mustard belts, awarded to Nathan's champion ever year, Chestnut said some things never change as the contest approaches. "I still get nervous,'' he said. "I mean, I definitely still care.'' On the day of the contest, Chestnut uses an electric stimulation machine on his abdomen. "To get everything working, get everything loose,'' he said. "I'm working really hard to get everything relaxed.'' For competitive eaters, the standard training involves drinking excessive amounts of water to stretch their stomachs and increase their capacity for hot dogs and buns and to simulate the hot dog contest. Chestnut, however, has elevated training and preparation to another level. Although he said he would not reveal all of his secrets, his novel techniques include neck raises with a 16-pound bag attached to a leather strap that hangs from a mouthguard, according to Chestnut. "When I'm raising up (his neck), I have to keep my jaw clenched the entire time,'' he said. "And when I'm raising up, I'm almost imagining I'm swallowing. So I'm thrusting my tongue against the leather strap the mouthpiece is glued to. "That's good for the jaws and my neck a little bit.'' Then there are the burping exercises, Chestnut explained. "If I'm outside, I can practice swallowing and then burp, getting all those muscles and my esophagus working together,'' he said. "It also helps my stomach because there's layers of muscle around your stomach and those muscles have to get used to stretching, and you can't stretch it all the time with food or even water.'' He also said he takes Primatene, an over-the-counter drug used for mild intermittent asthma. "I noticed early on right away, it helped me breathe through my nose while I'm eating,'' he said. "But it also helped (get) amped up. That's one of my little tricks.'' Few details escape Chestnut, such as the water he uses for dunking the hot dog buns. "I like my water about 116 degrees," he said. "Hot water, it helps digestion, helps muscles relax, helps fat stay liquid. The muscles stretching, the hot water really helps that.'' At home, Chestnut said, he practices with the water temperature as low as 111 degrees and as high as 121 degrees because it's challenging to get the water to exactly 116 degrees on the day of the contest. He also said he practices getting the water to the right temperature quickly because at Nathan's there is limited time between the introductions and start of the contest. "Everybody brings their own water, and I'll have a two-gallon bag within another bag that keeps it pretty close to (116 degrees). It will come out just a little bit hot and I'll just have a cup of cold water and just pour a little bit of water. "And (during training) I practice mixing it to the temperature I like really quickly.'' Generally speaking, Chestnut said, he's a mild-mannered guy. But he's learned to channel his anger when he's competing at Nathan's. "I kind of kept it hidden how competitive I was with it. I mean, it seemed really almost crazy to be that competitive for eating contest. ... "I like having this perfect mix of anger and I'm amped up. But then I can also breathe calm. It sounds really weird, but I can be angry and calm at the same time.'' The anger flared during the 2022 contest, when hebriefly put a protester in a chokeholdafter the man came onto the stage and bumped Chestnut. "I look at video and I look really, really angry,'' Chestnut said. "I felt embarrassed.'' Quickly, Chestnut resumed eating. He won the contest by a margin of 15 hot dogs and buns. Less sheepish about his intensity, Chestnut said this year he'll draw on lingering anger about being banned last year. "I'm going to let loose,'' said the GOAT. This article originally appeared on USA TODAY:Joey Chestnut reveals how he became the GOAT at Nathan's
