Fitness YouTuber Will Tennyson attempted eating Ronnie Coleman’s 6,000-calorie bodybuilding diet in October 2023. A month later, it was time to up the ante by eating the cheat meals from four Olympia champions, three Mr. Olympias: Phil Health, Jay Cutler, and Coleman, and the five-time reigning Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead. Check out Tennyson’s multiple feasts in the video below:
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Meal One — Phil Heath
Heath is a seven-time Mr. Olympia champion. When Tennyson asked Heath about his diet post-competition, Heath told Tennyson that he would lay out small portions of each craving without going all-out immediately. The reason for the self-control was that eating highly inflammatory foods before the photoshoots in the days after a pro show could significantly alter one’s physique.
Heath’s cheat meal menu includes ice cream, burgers, fries, pizza, and a salad to help curtail dry mouth from lack of hydration during a show. Heath was conscious to keep his gut microbiome healthy, so a few bites of each is all he allowed himself. When Tennyson prepared the cheat meal by dining at Five Guys, he opined that having a bit of everything was more challenging than engulfing a singular item.
Meal Two — Jay Cutler
- Water
Four-time Mr. Olympia champion Jay Cutler has a different approach to cheat meals for post-competition nutrition. Allegedly, all Jay Cutler consumed after posing for hours was multiple glasses of water. To maintain the desirable dried-out look on stage, athletes are fairly dehydrated, so rehydrating afterward was enough to satisfy Cutler.
After a pro show, a bodybuilder’s mouth can be so dry that eating something like a rice cake could lead to scraping in their mouth. Therefore, water is all that was on Cutler’s mind after walking off stage.
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Meal Three — Chris Bumstead
- Mug Cake
Five-time Classic Physique Olympia champion Chris Bumstead has a unique craving post-Olympia. Bumstead posted a picture on his Instagram with the caption, “Wasn’t joking about the post-show egg white mug cake.” Tennyson researched former Bikini Olympia champion and Bumstead’s fiance Courtney King’s mug cake recipe.
The treat called for Japanese sweet potato, pumpkin, one whole egg, protein powder, and chocolate chips. Tennyson’s verdict was that the cake was delicious and worthy of a post-Olympia cheat meal.
Will Tennyson’s Bodybuilding Workout
Before trying Coleman’s cheat meal, Tennyson went to the gym to perform each Olympia champion’s favorite exercise, which included the following:
- Smith Machine Squat (Bumstead’s favorite)
- Overhead Press (Cutler’s favorite)
- Incline Dumbbell Bench Press (Health’s favorite)
- Barbell Bench Press (Coleman’s favorite)
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Meal Four — Ronnie Coleman
- Champagne
- 10-12 Slices of Pizza
- Two McDonald’s Quarter Pounders
- Three to Four McDonald’s Chocolate Chip Cookies
Coleman’s cheat meals were different than the others on the list. Coleman went full-bore, eating 10-12 slices of pizza and drinking some Dom Pérignon as soon as he was crowned the victor. So, Tennyson swapped for sparkling wine — claiming the Dom Pérignon is out of his budget — and a box of Pizza Hut. When Coleman finished his pizza, he went to McDonald’s for two quarter-pounders with cheese. Tennyson did the same.
All in all, the cheat meals for the elite Olympians, aside from Coleman, were more tame than one might expect after dieting through an intense contest prep.
Featured image: @willtenny on Instagram
