Michael Phelps, the 23 year old American swimmer, has been hailed as the greatest Olympic athlete of all time after winning his eleventh gold medal. There is no doubt that Michael Phelps is extremely well suited to swimming. He has size 14 feet and a 6ft 7in arm reach, which is 3in longer than his height. He has relatively short legs for his height, which gives him an additional advantage in the pool. Also his knees are double-jointed and his feet can rotate 15 degrees more than average, allowing them to be straightened fully so that his mighty feet act like flippers. These genetic advantages help him to kick off the wall and propel himself dolphin like 10m before actually have to swim. This is how he got the name, “the human dolphin”.

A little known fact about Phelps is that in his youth, he was diagnosed with Attention-Deficit Hyperactivity Disorder (ADHD). He started swimming when he was seven years old, partly because of the influence of his sisters and partly to provide him with an outlet for his restless energy.

Michael Phelps’ Body

Michael Phelps’ heart pumps 30 litres of blood each minute to his muscles, which is double the amount of the average adult male. He also produces only one third of the lactic acid that the average swimmer does, meaning that he does not suffer from muscle burn during intensive exercise like his competitors do. He says that after a race is lactic acid levels are the same as a person who is at rest.

Michael Phelps’ Diet

Michael Phelps consumes a staggering 12,000 calories each day. An average man only needs 2000 calories a day, and powerlifters consume in the region of 8000 calories a day. Michael Phelps is a real powerhouse of fitness.

His breakfast typically consists of three fried egg sandwiches topped with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise; toast, an omelette, porridge, three pancakes and two cups of coffee. This breakfast could easily feed the average family. This is not all eaten at once though, before practice, he eats cereal or oatmeal, and then after practice, it’s the eggs, omelettes and veges. Sounds like he is on an egg diet.

Phelps lunch usually consists of a pound (500g) of pasta, with two ham and cheese sandwiches and approx. 1000 kcal of energy drinks.

For dinner Michael Phelps has more pasta, another pound of it, with a pizza and more energy drinks. In addition to this he will take protein supplements to keep is muscles in top condition.

Michael Phelps’ Workouts and Training Routines

Phelps trains for six hours a day, six days a week, without fail. Even if Christmas day falls on a training day, he does a full day of training. Total dedication to his training program has made him a world champion.

He swims approximately 50 miles (80km) each week, which is over 8 miles per training day. He has two massages everyday and also takes icebaths to help his body to recover.

Michael Phelps’ Olympic Success

So far Michael Phelps has won 5 gold medals in the Beijing 2008 Olympic games, with a possible 3 to come. In the Athens 2004 games he won 6 gold medals, winning the 400m individual medley, 100m butterfly, 200m butterfly, 200m individual medley and the 4 x 200m freestyle relay. This year in Beijing he has not only won each race in which he has competed, but has also broken the world record in each case. The results so far are:

Some people have been critical of the claims that Phelps is the greatest Olympian of all time. Swimming provides an opportunity to win a lot of medal. Decathlon athletes have to excel in 10 events to have a chance of winning just one medal, and boxers, judoka, archers and road racers all only get the one chance. Some say that Daley Thompson is still one of the greatest Olympians for his success in the decathlon in the 1980’s, or Michael Johnson for his total dominance on the track during the 1990’s. However, there is no denying that Michael Phelps is the greatest swimmer not only of the Beijing 2008 games, or the greatest swimmer of the 21st century, but so far the greatest swimmer of all time, and certainly the greatest Olympian of this millennium.

Read more on swimming and swimming for fitness. Here Chris Chew asks if swimming is an effective way to lose weight, build and tone muscle?.

If you wish to take up swimming as a sport, then contact your local swimming club. Swimming clubs are a great way to improve your swimming and many actively encourage club members to compete in local competitions.

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