“It’s a Different Exercise”: 28-Time Olympic Medalist Michael Phelps Left Surprised at Random Guy’s Claims of Doing Faulty Workouts

Michael Phelps may have retired from swimming, but that doesn’t mean he’s quit the gym. His goals have changed, but health and wellness are never on the back burner for the Olympic champion. When he was competing, he spent about three to five hours a day in the gym.

So, of course, he knows what he is doing with the equipment. But some specialized exercises to train his body for swimming have seemed to leave some people confused and worried.

Michael Phelps on getting interrupted in the gym

If you are familiar with gym culture, you know fitness enthusiasts like to help each other out with workouts. It is easy to injure yourself if you don’t know what you are doing, and with the heavy equipment lying around, it can be hazardous.

So it was out of genuine concern that one day, Michael Phelps found himself on the other end of peer coaching. After all, his workout regimen can be confusing. “I have this exercise. It’s on a flat bench. It’s a bench press, but you only have weight on one side,” Phelps explained.

“So it is basically working your core and trying to stabilize your core. I did it the other day, and this guy ran over to me.” That’s right. The man was worried that the 23-time Olympic champion didn’t know how to do a bench press.

Phelps, ultimately, had to reassure him and explain that it was a legitimate workout. “No, it works your core. It’s a different exercise,” he told the distressed stranger. If you’re familiar with Phelps’ workout routine when he trained for the Olympics, you know that he knows his way around the weight room.

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Change in Phelps’ routine since retirement

For about 20 years, working out had been an intricate part of Michael Phelps’ life thanks to his career. While he spent most of his time training his body in the pool, he also spent considerable time in the gym around the weights. 

But since his retirement, things have considerably calmed for the swimmer. He still keeps his body fit and his diet healthy. But he is no longer consuming 10,000 calories a day with a trainer and a team at his heels. Phelps revealed to GQ that he keeps a healthy balance of vegetables in his diet.

Plus, he often hits the gym with his wife. The GOAT gets plenty of weight training and does cardio through the elliptical or hopping into the pool. He may not be as active in the pool, but he still trains like he’s aiming for another Olympics in the gym. Of course, the time he can dedicate to fitness has reduced. After all, he has three sons he adores to take care of.

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