Mike Sommerfeld is a German Classic Physique pro and a three-time Mr. Olympia runner-up. He finished second at the Olympia in 2024, 2025 and 2026, and he owns Arnold Classic titles from Ohio 2025 and the UK 2026.
This article lays out his diet plan and workout routine in his own words. Everything below comes from his YouTube videos and interviews — no meal plan, calorie count or training split has been invented.
Mike Sommerfeld Diet Plan
Sommerfeld has filmed two full days of eating: a bulking day in November 2024 and a muscle-phase day in December 2024. Both follow the same pattern — six meals built around eggs, meat, fish, rice and vegetables.
Photo: NPC News Online
Bulk day — November 2024
Meal 1: 3 whole eggs, vegetables, tostada crackers, and 100 g of avocado mashed into guacamole.
He said he was rebuilding his microbiome. During prep, his vegetables were only green beans, zucchini, asparagus and okra.
Pre-workout: 100 g of rice puff cereal with cinnamon cereal, eaten for an insulin spike. He does not count it as a meal.
Meal 3 (post-workout): 200 g of chicken, 200 g of cooked white rice, 150 g of vegetables, and salt.
Meal 4: 200 g of beef, 200 g of rice, and 150 g of vegetables, eaten after a TENS-unit massage.
Meal 5: 200 g of salmon, mixed vegetables, and rice. This is his favourite meal of the day.
Meal 6: 500 g of Skyr, M&Ms, almonds, berries, and nut butter — a high-calorie finish before 8–9 hours of sleep.
He calls the nut butter “Paleta, that’s a typical Mexican dulce.”
Muscle-phase day — December 2024
Meal 1: Frozen vegetables, butter, 2 avocados as guacamole, salt, 250 g of egg whites, 3 whole eggs, 50 g of chicken slices, and 2 slices of whole wheat bread.
That first meal alone carries about 45 g of protein.
Post-workout snack: 40 g of whey, 2 Rice Krispie Treats, and 4 rice cakes.
Meal 2: 200 g of white fish, 200 g of white rice, and a Diet A&W Root Beer.
Meal 3: 200 g of shredded chicken, onion, red bell pepper, and 150 g of white rice. Shredded chicken digests easier, he says.
Meal 4: 200 g of rice, 200 g of lean beef, vegetables, and sweet and spicy mustard.
Meal 5: 300 g of yogurt, 30 g of nuts, 100 g of blueberries, and 1 cookie.
Cheat day — 2025 Olympia prep
His coach told him to eat after his weight dropped at check-in. It was his first cheat meal since prep began.
Breakfast: pre-workout, 2 sunny-side eggs, broccoli, and water. Post-workout: cream of rice and soda.
Lunch: sushi, tuna, rice, and avocado with his wife and friends. Snacks: chocolate-covered sugar-coated nuts, brownies, Snickers, and Kinder Bueno.
He kept carbs below 350 g that day. His own verdict: “I’m a pizza, burger, I’m like a shit-food guy, but always try to stick with healthy foods because the next day, I feel like crap.”
The chicken shake — 10 weeks out from the 2025 Olympia
A dental cyst in mid-August 2025 left him unable to chew, so he blended his chicken. He mixed 600 g of chicken — 150 g of protein — into three 50 g servings a day.
Morning: 200 g of chicken breast, bone broth, turmeric, black pepper, and lemon. Post-workout: 200 g of chicken breast, coconut water, spinach, garlic, and ginger.
Evening: 200 g of chicken breast, almond milk, chia seeds, and fresh herbs. He was on low carbs then — 100 g of carbs a day in total.
Two of his meals that day were carb-free, and his post-workout shake was salted caramel whey with rice cookies. He also drinks a litre and a half of coffee every day.
He has also said he used the peptides TB500 and Thymosin Alpha 1 for recovery while injured. That is his own account, not a recommendation.
Week to week, he meal-preps minced beef and chicken, controls oil with a spray bottle, and seasons with pink Himalayan salt on his coach’s advice.
Mike Sommerfeld Workout Routine
Sommerfeld trains for the mind-muscle connection — headphones on, eyes closed during sets. His coach is Neil Hill, known as “Yoda”, and his training is built around an upper/lower rotation.
Photo: NPC News Online
The rotation runs upper, lower, upper, lower, upper, lower, rest. That is three leg days a week, with eight sets per leg day — and every counted set goes to straight failure.
Leg day: seated leg curls, standing one-leg curls, stiff-leg dumbbell deadlift, lying leg curls, leg extensions, leg press, barbell walking lunges, and hip adduction machine.
Ahead of the 2025 Arnold Classic he switched to a push day. Push day: Pec Deck Fly, Incline Chest Press, Flat Chest Press, Shoulder Press, Dips, Overhead Triceps Extension, Seated Side Lateral Raise, and Single Arm Rope Extension.
Pull day: stiff-arm pulldowns, single-arm pulldowns, machine rows, lying cable lateral raises, single-arm cable curls, and a treadmill walk. Reps are slow and controlled, with constant tension.
He does cardio seven days a week, and he trains with his eyes closed to feel every rep.
No full named-day weekly split of his has been published, so this article does not invent one. What is printed above is what he has described himself.
Mike Sommerfeld Contest History
Sommerfeld has competed in 20 professional shows and won 8 of them. He has stood on the Olympia stage six times, finishing second in 2024, 2025 and 2026.
Photo: NPC News Online
| Date | Contest | Place | Tag | Score | Field | Prize |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 2 Nov 2019 | Romania Muscle Fest Pro (212), Bucharest | 13th | — | — | 18 | — |
| 11 Oct 2020 | Europa Pro Championships, Alicante | 3rd | — | — | 30 | — |
| 4 Nov 2020 | British Grand Prix | 2nd | — | — | 10 | — |
| 15 Nov 2020 | Romania Muscle Fest Pro, Bucharest | 6th | — | — | 16 | — |
| 18 Jul 2021 | Xtreme Bodybuilding & Fitness Pro | 1st | — | — | 19 | — |
| 9 Oct 2021 | Mr. Olympia, Orlando | 7th | — | 36 | 26 | — |
| 24 Oct 2021 | Poland Supershow Pro, Warsaw | 1st | 93 | 6 | 14 | — |
| 17 Dec 2022 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 5th | — | 25 | 56 | $4,000 |
| 14 Jan 2023 | Saudi Classic Pro, Riyadh | 1st* | — | — | 10 | — |
| 3 Mar 2023 | Arnold Classic, Columbus | 4th | — | — | 7 | $7,000 |
| 3 Nov 2023 | Mr. Olympia, Orlando | 8th | — | 40 | 35 | — |
| 18 Nov 2023 | Battle of Bogota Pro, Bogota | 1st | — | 3 | 9 | — |
| 12 Oct 2024 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 2nd | — | 9 | 54 | $20,000 |
| 28 Feb 2025 | Arnold Classic, Columbus | 1st | 9 | 5 | 9 | — |
| 10 Oct 2025 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 2nd | 52 | 8 | 53 | $40,000 |
| 27 Mar 2026 | Arnold Classic UK, Birmingham | 1st | 6 | 5 | 9 | — |
| 26 Sep 2026 | Mr. Olympia, Las Vegas | 2nd | 35 | 10 | 41 | $40,000 |
| 3 Oct 2026 | Southern Muscle Showdown Pro, Dalton | 1st | — | 3 | 18 | — |
| 11 Oct 2026 | EVLS Prague Pro, Prague | 1st | 56 | 3 | 27 | — |
| 25 Oct 2026 | 365 Grand Prix Pro, Košice | 2nd | 30 | 6 | 16 | — |
Totals: 20 professional shows, 8 wins, 14 top-three finishes and 16 top-five finishes. His worst placing is 13th, from his 2019 pro debut in the 212 division. As an amateur he placed 3rd at the 2014 Arnold Classic Europe.
He did not compete at the 2026 Arnold Classic in Ohio after missing the weight cap, but he won the Arnold UK title a month later. As the 2026 Olympia runner-up, he is already qualified for the 2027 Mr. Olympia.
* The Saudi Classic Pro win is missing from his NPC contest history, but Fitness Volt’s results report confirms it: 14 January 2023, Riyadh.
❓ Frequently Asked Questions
What does Mike Sommerfeld eat in a day?
On his muscle-phase day he eats five meals plus a post-workout snack: eggs, chicken, white fish, lean beef, yogurt, rice, vegetables and a cookie. His bulking day swaps in salmon, Skyr and nut butter.
Who is Mike Sommerfeld’s coach?
Neil Hill, known as “Yoda”. Sommerfeld has said he did everything Neil told him to do.
What is Mike Sommerfeld’s workout split?
An upper/lower rotation — upper, lower, upper, lower, upper, lower, rest — with three leg days a week and eight sets per leg day, all to failure. No full named-day split of his has been published.
How many times has Mike Sommerfeld finished second at the Olympia?
Three times in a row — 2024, 2025 and 2026 — behind Chris Bumstead, Ramon Dino and Niall Darwen. He has competed at six Olympias, from 2021 to 2026.
Has Mike Sommerfeld won the Arnold Classic?
Yes, twice: the Arnold Classic in Ohio in 2025 and the Arnold Classic UK in 2026. He missed the weight cap and did not compete at the 2026 Arnold Classic in Ohio.
What is Mike Sommerfeld’s Instagram?
His handle is @mikethebadass, and his YouTube channel is MikeSommerfeld.
Read his full story in the Mike Sommerfeld biography, and see how his rivals eat in the Nick Walker, Samson Dauda, Ryan Terry and Andrew Jacked diet plans.
His latest results are in the 2026 Mr. Olympia results and the 2026 Arnold Classic results.