“His Vein Looked Like a Second Neck”: Angry Coach Bob Bowman Made Michael Phelps’ Legs Look Like ‘Spaghetti’ During Training

Michael Phelps is probably the greatest swimmer of all time. He has 28 medals, including 23 gold, to prove this. Moreover, there is no one even near him in terms of Olympic medals. However, it is not possible for a player to become a legend without the push of a coach.

Phelps was training under Bob Bowman since his teenage years. Phelps talked about a day in 2004 in his book, ‘Beneath the Surface- My Story,’ when Bob made him train harder than he ever thought.

“We didn’t do them very well”: Michael Phelps

It was a Friday, in February 2004; Phelps wrote, “Fridays were supposed to be a light workout day”. However, they began their practice and probably didn’t get it good enough, which further escalated Bob’s anger. They were supposed to do eight sets of the drill, but after eight sets Bob said, “C’mon, get it right.”  And that was just the beginning.

The eight rounds became ten and Bob shouted, “No loafing.” And when they were up to 12 sets, Bob questioned, “If you’re not serious, why show up?” Around eighteen, Bob inserted “I said full speed.”

READ MORE- “Made Me Come Home Early”: Michael Phelps Missed Out on a Special Prize During 2000 Olympics Due to Mother’s Pressure

Phelps further wrote, “You know, when Bob gets really angry, there’s a vein in the right side of his neck that just gets bigger and more pronounced. By the time we were on our 24th set, his vein looked like a second neck.”  That day the eight sets of training became 24 sets and they were exhausted.

Phelps compared this incident to an incident with the US Hockey team in the 1980s

Both these incidents include a coach who pushed their players to the extreme before going big. In the 1980s, the Hockey team was about to play their Olympics matches in four months. On the other hand, Phelps was going to appear in the 2004 Athens Olympics. 

Phelps further explains his condition after getting out of that pool. Phelps wrote, “When I got out of the pool that day, you could have twirled up my legs and put tomato sauce on them because they felt like spaghetti. That was a serious burn.”

In both cases, the results were similar. Let it be the hockey team or Michael Phelps, they both won gold medals in their respective Olympic events.

Watch this story: Michael Phelps’ Long Torso Leaves Fans Shocked as His Image With 4’11 Ft Tall Gymnasts Resurfaces

These two stories narrate the importance of coaches who train players might be hard on them at times, but it’s for their own good.