The legacy created by Michael Phelps stands above most other athletes. Winning 28 Olympic medals is remarkable. To achieve this, his training methods included the amount of conviction and focus required by a world-class swimmer. Throughout the years, he crafted his body to perfection by following strict diets and unique training methods under coach Bob Bowman. But, when one dives deeper to investigate the strenuous training levels, the final results would make us think about his greatness.
Genadijus Sokolovas is a sports-scientist who calculated Phelps’ intensity while swimming. The results are eye-opening as a person can understand what he went through to become a successful swimmer. The total time he spent inside the water amounts to the victories in various events.
Michael Phelps swam endless nautical miles!
The sports science director equated his swimming technique to marathon runners running various rounds. He said, “I recently calculated how much Michael is going to swim in Beijing. We don’t know his final schedule yet, but if it’s similar to Athens, the total time he’ll spend in the water preliminaries, semifinals, finals, warm-ups, cool-downs will be the equivalent of running eight or nine marathons over the course of the Olympic Games.”
(Photo by Salih Zeki Fazlioglu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
Usually, marathon runners run around 25 or more miles for two hours or more to compete. Now imagine a marathon runner going around nine times. On average, it equals around 250 miles or more, and it is stunning to see this feat by Phelps. Regular people cannot comprehend what he does inside the swimming pool. Notably, it fetched him eight gold medals at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.
Swimmers might compete in the morning and jump right back for their next competition later in the evening. Hence, endurance swimming is crucial for swimmers to stay fit and keep their batteries charged. Under coach Bob Bowman, Phelps trained 365 days a year to let him compete in the Olympics.
Training tips from the GOAT
Phelps embraced the process. Swimming is one of the most monotonous sports to train for because there is one singular motion inside the water. Swimmers spend hours inside the swimming pool, training hard to become some of the best athletes of their generation. Loving what you do is something that counts for every swimmer. Phelps followed his passion and became a superstar.
(Photo by Salih Zeki Fazlioglu/Anadolu Agency/Getty Images)
To swim more than marathon runners is a testament to his hard work and commitment. He swam like a machine and kept the right mindset to be the best. It is what set him apart from the rest.
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