When you make history, you have to be committed. To yourself and to your legacy. For Michael Phelps, he wanted to make sure he put it all out there, and he didn’t look back.
We’re pretty sure he accomplished what he set out to do.
We sat down with his long-time trainer Keenan Robinson to get an inside look into how exactly Michael Phelps does Michael Phelps.
SLEEP AND WELLNESS
No more late nights. No more missed morning practices. Michael Phelps prioritized his sleep.
Per Robinson: “Michael has averaged 7 hours and 36 minutes of sleep over the last 373 nights. We can safely assume he receives this +/- 34 minutes in competition.”
And it paid off.
FITNESS AND TRAINING
Routine and intensity. Routine and intensity.
Michael Phelps has been performing the same warm-up routine since he was 16 years old.
- 800 meter swim
- Kicking
- Drilling
- Speedplay
Volume of training goes up and down. Intensity never wavers. Per Robinson: “We don’t taper. We peak.”
He never let up.
ACTIVITY
Activity is a conundrum for Michael Phelps’ camp because he is such a competitor that they worry he’ll go too hard in even the most innocuous activity like a pickup basketball game. This could cut into the all-important recovery time.
Per Robinson: “We try to keep training [as] training.”
Michael Phelps is too competitive for “activity.” Even legends need time to recover.
NUTRITION
Michael Phelps burns calories at an astronomical rate, which means his team focuses on continuously fueling him to maintain weight. Despite their best efforts, he always loses weight during competition.
Nutrition is that all-important, yet often neglected, key to success.
Robinson credits nutrition tracking with MyFitnessPal as critical in Phelps’ training. “If I had to put together a list of the top five apps for sports performance, [MyFitnessPal] would be in there,” Robinson tells Fortune.
It all matters. When you want to go out on top, it all matters. When you’re a 31-year old competitive athlete, it all matters. There is no room for shortcuts.
Tracking and wearable technology enabled Phelps’ team to constantly monitor Phelps’ body and balance aging with rigorous training, or what Robinson calls, “The cost of doing business.”
Eating. Working. Sleeping. When you’re the best ever, every moment counts. When you’re Michael Phelps, you need a custom UA Band. Track your training with a UA Band and own your day.
Per Robinson: “It’s a true report card, which is ultimately what training is all about: the day-to-day response of the athlete’s body to training. That’s what all these systems and details allow the team to see. When the margin of victory is so low (and especially with aging), this is crucial.”
Sleep. Sweat. Eat. Win.
Track every moment on your way to getting better.
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— Under Armour (@UnderArmour) September 1, 2016
Sleep. Fitness. Activity. Nutrition. UA Record collects your data and provides a 24/7 view of your progress. See your body’s dashboard. Get your body’s report card.