Ben Monson’s eating challenge road trip
“Big” Ben Monson has started a bodybuilding.com thread with pictures about his recent road trip throughout the southwest where he completed the following eating challenges:
- Quadruple Bypass Burger, Heart Attack Grill, 1:49, second to Joey Chestnut
- Big Texan 72 ounce steak, Amarillo, TX, 9:40 (3rd person after Joey Chestnut & Frank Pastore to break 10 minutes
- Chillz 8 waffles & frozen custard, Albuquerque, 11:12 new record
- 5 pound Sopaipilla, Sadies, Albuquerque, 7:56 new record
- 6 pound burrito, NASCAR Cafe, Las Vegas, 12 minutes, new record
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anonymous said
August 31, 2009 @ 10:20 am
Nice job. I would prefer to see this guy on man vis food instead of richman. First off he is young with a vibrant personality and in shape.
spraymucus said (Registered July 1, 2009)
August 31, 2009 @ 11:21 am
Ben is taking his first crack at the IFOCE on Sept 19th with me (Damon Wells – my second IFOCE event) in NM for the World Burrito Championship. Expect him to put up serious numbers.
I may sound like a broken record here, but he and I are are still very raw, barely at CE for less than 2 months now, while I’m no slowtch, Ben’s capacity is a good 30-40% greater then mine (he’s also a full 14″ taller then me to though)… Don’t be suprised if he put down 10-12lbs of burritos on the 19th. He’s gonna be really good.
As for Man v Food, I think Adam does a great job hosting the show, he’s witty and entertaining. Watching him suffer through the spicy challenges are my favorite, he doesn’t back down from those. If the producers of the show want to see him beat the larger food challenges they should be more picky on where to go, cuz he’s only good for 4-5lbs of food, anything over that he’ll fail unless he works on expanding his capacity.
anonymous said
August 31, 2009 @ 11:31 am
Thats great news. Ben is smart unlike Pete who made a huge name for himself and screwed himself in the interim because eating organizations are scared to take a chance with him. I expect him to do well in Burritos.
spraymucus said (Registered July 1, 2009)
August 31, 2009 @ 12:52 pm
Ben is extremely smart for a guy who just turned 22.
Pete I think got mixed up with the wrong organization to soon. CE is still in it’s infant stage and is slowly growing into something big, I’m lucky to have learned from Pete’s mistake and I think Ben did as well (Ben and I are both active on the bodybuilding forum and novice bodybuilders ourselves)… I’m sure Pete didn’t think at the time the IFOCE would have rejected him later on down the road.
With that said, I think Pete is doing okay for himself without the IFOCE, but I also don’t feel sorry for him. IMO, although he has overcome anorexia Pete seems a tiny bit full of himself, last thing he needs is more people stroking his ego if he were to become big in the IFOCE.
anonymous said
August 31, 2009 @ 1:05 pm
IFOCE realizes that Pete would be endorsed by other sponsors and if IFOCE is not getting a piece of that pie they dont need him. They also prob realized that even if Pete signed the contract it wouldnt stop him from making moves on his own somewhere downthe line. Thats why those ape idiots dropped him
Ben Monson said
August 31, 2009 @ 1:22 pm
Life is at best a game and it is impossible to incure the result of victory you want if you don’t play but sometimes the moves we all make at one point or another seeming to be beneficial to our development result in quite the opposite effect on our lifes and the direction they take us in. so i cant feel bad for anyone because misfortune and fortune are the same and all a crucial part of life.
A good example is that Pete would not be the man he is today if it were not for the adversity of overcuming anorexia but in the inverse because of some of those decisions he is being outcasted from certain groups.
It’s not my place to judge but i belive when the day copmes to an end we all make our own bed and lie in it.
anonymous said
August 31, 2009 @ 1:40 pm
Ben you are true role model for the sport and i wish you luck at burritos
Mega Munch said
August 31, 2009 @ 4:33 pm
Damn, this guy is the real deal. Good luck Ben & Mucus in burritos. Maybe you guys can shed some light on a question I have:
What’s with the bodybuilders having great capacity and skill when it comes to CE? You’ve got Juris Shibayama, Furious Pete, and now Ben.
Is there something about your dietary habits that stretches your stomach and makes you better eaters or is it just a coincidence?
KevinRoss said
August 31, 2009 @ 5:00 pm
Building muscle requires a great amount of calories. Cutting/losing fat requires knowing how to control calories and probably drinking copious amounts of liquid to keep the hunger pangs down. And of course, bodybuilding in general requires discipline, determination, planning/training, and a great tolerance for pain. So I think all the factors that lead to a good bodybuilder also make a good competitive eater.
BTW, very impressive stuff Ben. I look forward to meeting you soon.
spraymucus said (Registered July 1, 2009)
August 31, 2009 @ 5:12 pm
Mega Munch,
It might be a mix of both, as you grow (more lean muscle mass) you require more calories to maintain that muscle or to build more. Bodybuilders generally have clean diets 90%< of the time, and if you have a clean diet, foods such as lean cuts of meat and veggies are not very calorie dense, so we have to consume large amounts of these clean foods to get the calories required. We also eat anywere from 5-8 times a day along with plenty of fluids.
I always awarded myself one meal a week (up to an hour) where I would eat anything and everything in sight, kinda like my weekly pat on the back for a job well done in the gym. Speaking with Ben he did the same. So I think in that sense I built a good starting foundation for CE.
But we have worked on upping our capacity even more lately by traing our stomach much like we do our bodies… Also speaking from myself, I think bodybuilding is beneficial to CE cuz when you’re lifting you constantly try to push yourself past your limits. 2 more reps when you’re already burned out, 2 more bites even though it fills like ur stomach is maxed out, the mind over matter aspect of bodybuilding can also be applied to CE.
Again, We’ve only been at this for 2 months so we have much to learn.
Thanx for the good wishes for the burritos, we’re both really excitted!
spraymucus said (Registered July 1, 2009)
August 31, 2009 @ 5:38 pm
Oh I also owe a lot of thanx to Kevin, he was nice enough to let me pick his brain and encouraged me to take a stab with IFOCE.
Kevin, there is still room for you if you want to go to NM with us. just sayin!
Gastroboy said
August 31, 2009 @ 6:06 pm
People practicing any sport usually eat more food on a daily basics than sedentary people. Runners, for example, eat a lot. Bodybuilders also eat a lot but usually not as much as i.e runners in terms of calories. However, it’s very common that they do extreme, someway unhealthy or at least risky dieting (not sure if “clean” is the proper word) as low carb dieting that other sportmans don’t. Low carb dieting implies loading your stomach with veggies or other low carb or no carb foods so you can fool your body, so to tell him you are not hungry though you are not giving him carbs. Loading your stomach to make you feel full or at least satisfied. I guess that is an explanation for their big stomach capacity.
However, swallowing food faster is a diferent thing. Probably those who succeed at this(not every bodybuilder does) does it because they do it at least to some extend on a daily basics too. I think that the fact that Ben ate that 6 pound, very big burrito, eating regularly in under 12 minutes makes my hypothesis.. right :P.
Not sure if the pain bodybuilders go through when they weightlift helps at eating when your stomach is already filled up with food though.
Good luck Ben and spraymucus!
spraymucus said (Registered July 1, 2009)
August 31, 2009 @ 6:33 pm
GB,
the point I was trying to make about BB and CE is the mind over matter aspect. Will being able to bench press 300lbs help me down 60 krystal’s? No! It’s when your body is telling you to stop and you deny that by going further, pushing yourself slightly past what you think are your limits was the connection I was trying to make here.
Thanx for the good wishes! 🙂
Gastroboy said
August 31, 2009 @ 7:10 pm
I got you the first time spraymucus ;).However i still doubt it helps in the mind over matter aspect. It maybe does, but so sightly in my opinion that it’s just not really worth it.
I think you would overcome your mind at CE anyway even if you weren’t doing bodybuilding, and someone else wouldn’t even if they were doing bodybuilding, it doesn’t matter for how long they do it. So bodybuilding itself doesn’t help you build tolerance to stomach expansion, because for benchpressing like you do you first went through the mind over matter thing, not the other way arround. It may speed things a little, but that’s all, and i don’t think it speeds up things a lot, not for every bodybuilder.
Moreover, when you are suffering from benchpressing you suffer from lactic acid and other things i can’t really translate right now (English is not my mother language, sorry). When your stomach sketches you suffer because stomach muscles are relaxing too much, so the pain you suffer is not the same you overcome at bodybuilding from a phisiological view pint, so your body can’t relate one to another, and you can’t probably be accostumed to it at first in any way.
However, it’s my opinion, based on my own little experience, not facts in any way. Just letting you know i got you right the first time and why i think it doesn’t help that much.
A-Bomb said (Registered May 7, 2009)
August 31, 2009 @ 7:40 pm
Hey Ben or spraymucus, do you guys have video of any of these challenges like you had video of that pizza? Way to kick some @ss on these! Can’t wait to see how you guys do with the burritos!
Ben Monson said
August 31, 2009 @ 9:36 pm
No more videos because we opted to abstain from informal comps at the moment in light of recent relations with IFOCE and MLE.
Ben Monson said
August 31, 2009 @ 9:47 pm
Gastroboy with no “HATE” intended; I don’t think your really taking into fully comprehension the gambit of neurological processes taking place in the brain during the sensation of pain. The mind doesn’t simply see a connection between lactic acid and stimulation of damaged/exposed nerves it only synthesizes to relation of neurochemical responses between nodes in the brain. so to say that the management of pain through mental control is a non-cohesive argument is diminishing the limits of the brain substantially. Most pain control is a response of serotonin and dopamine (along with other neurons and neurotransmitters) so being able to regulate those responses would allow greater satiation/relaxation of the gastrointestinal muscles.
The Icebox said (Registered August 16, 2009)
August 31, 2009 @ 11:16 pm
I agree with Ben. Being able to over come pain thresholds definitely transfers. Neurologically, if you have trained yourself to be able to override those signals, it is transferable. Mentally, the experience ignoring them becomes second nature eventually, no matter what endeavor is at hand.
Personally, my vast experience in the weight room has definitely helped with eating from a physical point as well as mental.
Gastroboy said
September 1, 2009 @ 9:32 am
Ok Ben, if i was missing something i don’t mind being told it. I like it indeed. Thanks. I did know most of what you just told me, however i didn’t take it into account. You are probably right, at least it sounds logic to me.
eatchugmore said (Registered December 16, 2007)
September 1, 2009 @ 11:21 am
It seems to be that guys that were born after 1980 had some kind of gene that helps them to eat a lot and fast, congratulations, those eating records are impressive, I am sure you will have a great future as a competitive eater, the right age range to do that is in the 20’s, after in the 30’s you can do it but it is harder, after 40’s you better be sure to be in prime physical condition to still try it, exception Mr. and Mrs. Lefevre but I think they are retired now? As well as the old times league like Moses Lerman, Cookie Jarvis, etc. Age and physical or health issues are a big problem to keep a competitive eater career. Again I think there should be a league for over 40 competitive eaters and one for under 40 and also platinum for professional and reknown eaters, gold for good eaters but still not in that top level yet and silver for the guys who can eat a lot but not as fast and in amounts out of this world but still higher than an average person.
Benjamin Monson said
September 3, 2009 @ 5:22 pm
Just bumping this to let everyone know i did the Broken Yoke Special today and shattered the record with a new time of 11 mins!
Honestly could have done better but it was rediciously hot when they brought it but I said F it I’m not gonna let some pain stand in the way (mabye it made me swallow faster because of the intense heat). All i know is that i was pouring buckets of sweat even on the food as i eat it.
Craig Reed said (Registered February 21, 2009)
September 3, 2009 @ 5:24 pm
Not even a video of the 54″ x 54″ Pizza this month?
Benjamin Monson said
September 3, 2009 @ 5:37 pm
ummm sorry but spraymucus is signed now and cant do those type of events and only if i can find a sub while I am still eligible to do challenges will this happen and given the extreme difficulty of compiling our current team I don’t believe that is going to be possible.
Benjamin Monson said
September 8, 2009 @ 7:09 pm
Got back yesterday from my last Food Challenge Road Trip and i set some more new records.
1. San Francisco Creamery “Kitchen sink” 7min 45 sec.
2. Some 8 pound burrito for fun in 13 mins and i ate some of my friends.
3. Pizza Party Belly Buster Challenge finished in 6 mins and 5 secs
Should have pics up tonight and will no longer be doing any more challenges because i am signing with I.F.O.C.E.
ojrifkin said (Registered July 27, 2005)
September 8, 2009 @ 7:18 pm
Congratulations. There is a Los Angeles wonton eating contest awarding $2,500 in October if you want to consider deferring signing.
http://www.bamboodlesrestaurant.com/
Benjamin Monson said
September 8, 2009 @ 7:27 pm
i have contemplated that option but have come to the conclusion that the likelyhood of my acceptance to The World Burrito Eating Championships in Albuquerque are very slim if i am not with I.F.O.C.E. This being the reason i belive my decision to sign would be a prudent decision in the long run regarding my prospective potential in competitive eating.
xquick said (Registered December 24, 2008)
September 8, 2009 @ 10:10 pm
congrats Ben, that’s awesome news
aro said
April 25, 2010 @ 9:45 pm
“Big” Ben Monson, he and his 6 friends today finished a 54″ x 54″ square pizza “Giant Sicilian” under 2 hours today at 5051 Hollwyood Blvd; Los Angleles CA. Big Mama’s & Papa’s Pizzeria. http://www.BigMamasPizza.com. And they wond $1000 US Dollars plus $250 Pizza and “Well Fed” Big Mama’s T-Shirts.