While Michael Phelps has since retired from his competitive tenure in the swimming pool, he’s remained in tip-top shape.
“It was more of a chore — it was part of my job,” the Olympian told Muscle & Fitness in 2020 about his training regimen ahead of his Games’ appearances. “I could have days when [my weight] would fluctuate between five and 10 pounds, and that’s not water weight. When I’m swimming 10 miles per day, and spending more than an hour in the weight room or doing some kind of circuit cardio, it became a nonstop job. I was eating around the clock, getting my hands on whatever I could, whenever I could, and as much as I could.”
The Maryland native’s approach to fitness and wellness has changed since his 2016 retirement.
“To look back then, and now, fast-forward 10 to 20 years, it’s completely different. I’m not someone who always enjoys to eat, because it was such a part of my life, I had to basically force myself at times to eat food because I had to maintain that weight,” he recalled to the magazine. “So, I am now in a transition where I give my body what I think it needs. I don’t overindulge on a bunch of different things. I’m very specific in what I put into my diet, so I have transitioned more into a plant-based diet. I’m a lot leaner than I’ve probably ever been, in a post-swimming phase.”
Phelps — who married Nicole Johnson in 2016 — announced in August 2016 that he was stepping away from competitive swimming following the Rio Olympics.
“Done, done, done — and this time I mean it. I wanted to come back and finish my career how I wanted and this was the cherry on top of the cake,” he told the Today show at the time. “I’m done. I’m finished. I’m retired. I’m done. No more. … Between now and London, I was so much more emotional during these Games; I think that showed at times on camera. That’s the difference. Because I knew this was the last time. I knew this was the last race that I ever had, the last Olympics that I ever had. And everything just really hit hard.”
In addition to working on his physical wellness, the University of Michigan alum — who shares children Boomer, Beckett and Maverick with Johnson — is also an avid advocate for mental health awareness.
“It was all about being vulnerable. I think it’s scary for a lot of people to think about that word. I just wanted to change,” Phelps exclusively told Us Weekly in October 2017 of opening up about his battles with anxiety and depression in his Angst documentary. “I was to the point where I didn’t like who I was. I didn’t like looking at myself like seeing the reflection that you see in the mirror. I kind of just tackled it head-on.”
He added: “There are a lot of different things that we have going on and you’re starting to see more, whether it’s athletes or celebrities who are opening up and talking about depression and anxiety more. I think they’re understanding that it is OK to not be OK.”
Scroll below to relieve Phelps’ hottest moments through the years:
Two years ahead of his Olympic debut at the FINA World Cup in New York, Michael Phelps’ competitors shouldn’t have underestimated the power behind his skinny bod.
Shuji Kajiyama/AP/Shutterstock
At the Summer Olympics in Athens, Greece, the Baltimore, Maryland native was the U.S.’s big victor, bringing home six gold and two bronze medals. Here he is winning his first Olympic gold medal.
Andreas Altwein/EPA/Shutterstock
“I’ve always been the person who lets all of my swimming do my talking,” Phelps tells Us. “I’m not gonna go out and say something to a competitor or say something to fire somebody up. I’ve never done that and I never will. It’s just not how I am. I’ve always just been able to jump in the water and whoever is most prepared is gonna win that race.”
Patrick B Kraemer/EPA/Shutterstock
“It’s the whole package: the Speedo, the goggles, the cap. It makes me feel like a superhero.” Phelps tells Us.
Patrick B Kraemer/EPA/Shutterstock
Phelps appeared to transform into an amphibian-like creature with perfect swimming form as he exploded off the block at the FINA World Championships in Melbourne, Australia.
Barbara Walton/EPA/Shutterstock
Chiseled champion! Phelps became the first athlete to win eight Olympic gold medals at the Summer Olympics in Beijing, China.
Julian A Wainwright/EPA/Shutterstock
“I have goals that I want to accomplish. I know it won’t be eight medals again,” the 27-year-old tells Us ahead of the London games. “I’m going out there to try to accomplish the things that I have in my mind and in my heart. If I can do that and I can have fun then that’s really all that matters to me.”
Stephen Shaver/UPI/Shutterstock
Phelps took his first dip in the pool at just nine-months old. And with his 6-foot-4 frame, size 14 feet and double-jointed arms and legs, he was clearly built to swim.
Gero Breloer/EPA/Shutterstock
“It’s kind of cool that you know there is a possibility to rewrite history or be up there with some of the greats in Olympic history,” the athlete tells Us of his record-breaking achievements.
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“I needed to experience mistakes on my own and learn from those,” he tells Us of his party fouls, including getting suspended for three months after being caught smoking marijuana — a moment he calls “the lowest point in my career.”
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“After 2008, I knew deep down inside I wanted to [swim], but I just didn’t want to put in the work. There were times when I just wouldn’t come to practice and it didn’t excite me,” he admits to Us.
Mario Guzman/EPA/Shutterstock
He certainly has the height for it! Phelps put on his best catwalker persona as he strutted his stuff on the runway for Speedo’s FASTSKIN 3 swimwear technology in NYC.
Kathy Willens/AP/Shutterstock
“Ryan [Lochte] and I are gonna have our hands full of each other, I think, probably all summer,” he tells Us of his USA teammate and top competition. “We swim a lot of the same events so you know we’re gonna be able to go head-to-head. Hopefully I’m in a better spot than I have been over the last couple years and hopefully I’m in better shape!”
Matt York/AP/Shutterstock
“Once I hang my suit up I want to be able to look back and say I’ve done everything I can in my career — whether that’s having fifty gold medals or having sixteen total medals,” Phelps, who is set to retire from competitive swimming after the London Olympics, tells Us. “If I can say I’ve done everything I’ve wanted, I think that’s really all that matters.”
Barbara Walton/EPA/Shutterstock
Phelps earned a gold medal — his 23rd first place trophy — during the men’s 4×100–meter medley relay at the Rio Olympics, which was his last competitive event.
Richard Ellis/UPI/Shutterstock
The retired swimmer showed off his post-retirement abs in a selfie with Johnson.
Courtesy of Michael Phelps/Instagram
The married couple frequently hit the gym together.
Courtesy of Michael Phelps/Instagram
Still got it! Phelps gave fans a glimpse of his toned physique during a family vacation.
Courtesy of Michael Phelps/Instagram
Source : USmagazine
