It has been a quest for many to know about Michael Phelps training – athletes, sports enthusiast and the likes. He’s remarkably one of the most medaled Olympic athletes of all time when with his 16 Olympic medals- six gold, two bronze in 2004, and eight gold in 2008. And evidently, his trainings and lifestyle plays a major role to his success.
Michael Phelps training is strategize and just appropriate for him. When preparing for a competition, Phelps do rigorous training, he do: swims twice a day or more, 80,000 meters swim a week (approximately 50 miles), do vertical licking and underwater kicking, and sculling( a swimming stroke which you move your arms back and forth and forming like number eight). His training is actually subdivided into categories such as training for speed and form and endurance.
As for endurance, he does bodyweight exercises such as weighted pull-ups, push-ups, and other weight-based exercises (deadlifts, bench press, squats, etc.). The following trainings specifically strengthen his muscles but do not make Phelps’ muscles bulk. Though, the weight-based training was not the primary training routines of Phelps but it should be included. He successfully combined and balanced the bodyweight exercises and weight exercises because if it keeps him lean and do not add much additional weight that could affect his speed and movements when swimming.
Michael Phelps training for speed and form is composed of variation of drills. The vertical kicking and underwater kicking and sculling are the primary drills he does. Phelps also use swimming gears like pull buoys, snorkels, kickboards and training paddles. These gears help to exercise the upper body, abdomens, legs and glutes. It has also the convenience of providing rehabilitation for injuries.
Here is the strategically arranged Michael Phelps training course:
The warm up:
6x (50 free stroke-50 side kick-50 fly drill-50 pull buoy-50 IM)
20x 100 on 1:15 (25 fly–50 free stroke-25fly)
500 stroke (50 kick-50 drill)
The main set:
2000 timed kick stroke
Continuous 4x100 IM drill
The pulling set:
10x 200 on 3:00 odd = free (moderate)
10x 200 on 3:00 odd = even-fly (fast)
The speed set:
24x25 fly on :30 (1-EZ drill, 1-no breath, 1-sprint)
-ANOTHER SET OF WORKOUT-
The warm up:
800 mixer on 10:30
4x150 kick on 2:30 (50 stroke-50free-50stroke)
400 pull with buoy on 5:00 (breathe 3-5-7-9 by 100)
200 stroke on 3:00
10x50 on :45 (2-25kick/25drill 2-25free/25stroke 1-stroke)
The main set:
4x50 on 1:30
1x50 1:20
1x50 1:10
1x50 1:00
1x50: :50
1x50 :40
1x50 :30
Long Swim Down
100 to300 pull (lung busters by quarters)
400 choice kick
300-200-100 IM Drills
With high regards on training, Michael Phelps diet also deserves the highlight on his fit physique. It was revealed that his diet is amazingly enormous that it’s beyond normal for an average individual to manage. He has incredibly 12,000 calorie intake per day, thus approximately 4,000 per meal. Though, nutritionist and dieticians says it’s just enough and appropriate for him to have that diet, it is actually a typically Olympic athlete diet.