Discover Michael Phelps’ Insane 10,000-Calorie Diet and Brutal 365-Day Workout Plan That Fueled the Greatest Olympian of All Time
Michael Phelps is one of the greatest Olympians of all time.
He is also one of the greatest eaters of all time.
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The American swimmer won a record 28 Olympic medals – including 23 of the coveted gold variety – during his illustrious career.
The Baltimore Bullet’s exploits in the pool are legendary, but so are his diet and training regimen.
In the run-up to the 2008 Beijing Olympics – where Phelps won eight gold medals and broke Mark Spitz’s 1972 record of seven medals at a single Olympics – the flying fish made headlines when it was revealed that he was consuming up to 10,000 calories a day.
Although he weighed only about 180 to 200 pounds when he competed, Phelps gorged himself on a colossal amount of food—about 8,000 to 10,000 calories a day spread out over three large meals—to fuel his explosive work in the water.
“I just try to get everything I can into my body,” he once said. “I eat pretty much whatever I want.”
Phelps, who began swimming at age seven and set 39 world records before retiring in 2016, was known for eating like a family.
At the height of his career, a typical breakfast often involved a trip to Pete’s Grille in his hometown of Baltimore. Pete’s was one of Phelps’ favorite restaurants, and in his autobiography, “Beneath the Surface,” he revealed what a typical order looked like.
“Start with three sandwiches of fried eggs, cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise; add an omelet, a bowl of oatmeal and three slices of French toast with powdered sugar; then top with three chocolate chip pancakes.”
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The most decorated Olympian of all time burned so many calories while training that he could practically eat whatever he wanted, whenever he wanted.
“Eat, sleep and swim, that’s all I can do,” Phelps once said.
Phelps was also a big consumer of carbohydrates, as they helped him get the energy he needed to train.
Carbohydrates provide humans with energy in the form of glucose, which is then stored in the muscles as glycogen for later use. Phelps followed this diet during competitions to avoid glycogen depletion (the result of insufficient carbohydrate intake) and thus be able to fuel more quickly, allowing him to train more intensely.
For lunch, Michael would eat half a kilo of pasta, two large ham and cheese sandwiches on white bread covered in mayonnaise, and a set of energy drinks.
Pasta was also on the dinner menu, usually a pound of pasta with carbonara sauce, along with a large pizza and other energy drinks.
“Think about this: For 25 years, eating was part of my job, it was part of my profession,” he told GQ in 2021.
If that number of calories seems large, that’s because it is.
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But it was a necessity, given that Phelps trained relentlessly throughout his career. He was supposed to train nearly six hours a day, 365 days a year, including Christmas Day.
According to his former coach Bob Bowman, Phelps swam 8 miles a day, six or seven days a week, and worked out at the gym three times a week. He burned about 1,000 calories an hour while training.
It’s no wonder he has an 8% body fat percentage.
Phelps retired from competitive swimming for the second time after winning five gold medals and one silver at the 2016 Rio Olympics.
Retirement has allowed him to spend more time with his family, which includes his wife Nicole Johnson and their four sons, and to devote more energy to charitable work.
Phelps founded the Michael Phelps Foundation in 2008 and has become a vocal advocate for mental health support, which was explored in The Weight of Gold, a 2020 documentary produced and narrated by Phelps himself.
He also enjoys golf and was part of 49ers Enterprises’ takeover of Leeds United in July 2023.
Training and nutrition are never far from his thoughts, however, as he explained in a 2021 interview.
Phelps revealed that he prioritizes getting 7 to 9 hours of sleep each night, going to bed shortly after 7:30 p.m. and waking up between 5:30 a.m. and 6:30 a.m.
He’ll make eggs for breakfast and down a smoothie containing spinach, almond milk, cacao nibs, figs and Silk Ultra, a type of protein milk.
Unlike his competitive swimming days, Phelps consumes significantly fewer carbohydrates, instead incorporating more vegetables into his diet.
Unsurprisingly, the days of spending six hours a day in the pool are over.
Today, the 39-year-old indulges in high-intensity interval training (HIIT) — a training protocol that alternates short bursts of intense or explosive anaerobic exercise with brief recovery periods — typically lasting between 10 and 15 minutes.
Phelps also works out with his wife three times a week for an hour to an hour and a half. They sometimes do cardio together, or she does Pilates or yoga while he swims or rides the elliptical.
Phelps clearly enjoys the fruits – and vegetables – of his labor.
Although he won’t be competing in the upcoming 2024 Olympics in Paris, Phelps’ impact on sports and the Olympics will continue to be felt in pools for decades to come.
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