In Mind Gym, noted sports psychology consultant Gary Mack explains how your mind influences your performance on the field or on the court as much as your physical skill does, if not more so. Through forty accessible lessons and inspirational anecdotes from prominent athletes–many of whom he has worked with–you will learn the same techniques and exercises Mack uses to help elite athletes build mental “muscle.” Mind Gym will give you the “head edge” over the competition.
When it comes to planning out a daily diet, Olympian athletes have a few more things to consider than we do. From cardio-intense workouts that happen several times a day to certain sports that require a weight requirement to compete, the top-of-the-top in their field know a thing or two about nutrition. But they also know how to indulge (and we do mean indulge) when the time is right. As you watch these highly trained (and incredibly inspiring) athletes take the stage in Rio, give them an extra shout-out for all the attention they put into their epically healthy, balanced lifestyle—not to mention their epic cheat days. Here’s what Olympians really eat:
Michael Phelps, swimmer
Day in the Life:
When pressed on his motivation for getting in the water over 1,800 consecutive days, Phelps responds that it comes down to his competitive nature and “not wanting to lose… wanting to do something that no one else had done before.” Michael and Bob rationalized that swimming each Sunday for a year would add over fifty training days that his competitors would be missing, “… so they were always playing catchup. I was just getting that much further and further and further and further away.”
At eight years-old, as evidenced above, Phelps was already goal-setting and had his eye on making the US Olympic Team. Fast-forward twenty-two years, and he’ll be competing on his fifth Olympic team as the most decorated Olympian of all time. What is the secret to Michael Phelps’ stunning success? Is it his high calorie diet? Six foot seven wing-span? Owaves digs deep into his training to uncover insights that might be more generalizable to the rest of us…
Day in the Life: Michael Phelps
- 6AM ~ Wake Up
- 7AM-9AM ~ Swim
- 9AM-10AM ~ Weightlift
- 10AM-12PM ~ Eat
- 12PM-1PM ~ Nap
- 4-6PM ~ Swim
- 6PM-8PM ~ Dinner
- 8PM-10PM ~ Spend time with fiancé Nicole and son Boomer
- 10PM ~ Bedtime
Four years ago, you likely heard all about swimmer Michael Phelp’s 12,000 calories a day diet. And nope, that wasn’t a typo: That’s more than 10 times the daily recommended intake for men his age. But hey, if you’re going to do that much cardio in the water, you must need it. He shared everything he eats in a day with the New York Post, and it’s pretty incredible. (We’re jealous.) Here’s the breakdown:
Breakfast is “three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise.” Next comes “two cups of coffee, a five-egg omelet, a bowl of grits, three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar and three chocolate-chip pancakes.”
Lunch? “Phelps gobbles up a pound of enriched pasta and two large ham and cheese sandwiches slathered with mayo on white bread – capping off the meal by chugging about 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks. For dinner, Phelps really loads up on the carbs – what he needs to give him plenty of energy for his five-hours-a-day, six-days-a-week regimen – with a pound of pasta and an entire pizza.” As for the final lap: “He washes all that down with another 1,000 calories worth of energy drinks.”
Mental Training
Bob, already a vetted coach when he first met Michael in 1996, decided to invest his time into the eleven year-old because he saw the “competitive nature, focus and build” necessary for a future Olympic champion. Bob describes Phelps as one of the “most goal-oriented people I’ve ever met” and believes what separates athletes at the elite level is “their mental game”. As evidenced above, Phelps has an ancient habit of writing down his goals, usually in the form of times for various races, keeping them private, and checking on them daily.
Another long-held tactic Michael employs at Bob’s coaching is visualization. While lying in bed at night, Michael will visualize himself swimming the entire distance of a race, both from the perspective of someone in the stands and from his own point of view in the pool. He will visualize both best and worst-case scenarios, planning in his head what to do if his suit rips or goggles break. Phelps famously credits this part of his training for success in the 200m butterfly at the Beijing Olympics in 2008, where he won gold and set a world record despite not being able to see for the last 75m when water filled up his goggles.
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A final mental technique that Phelps credits for his success is an automatic resilience to “bad” performances. He is convinced that the only true metrics of his success are proper training and trying his best. As long as these two requirements are met, Phelps does not agonize over losses or dwell on past outcomes. He simply focuses on the next day of training and the upcoming race. This philosophy is instilled by Bob who learned from legendary Olympic coaches that “you need to focus [athletes] on the process of success, not the outcome.” By focusing on the process, athletes become more relaxed during otherwise tense situations and perform better.
Exercise and Nutrition
Much has been made of Phelps’ 12,000 calorie diet, but according to his interview with 60 Minutes it actually amounts to 8,000-10,000 calories per day. Per his trainers, he would lose 5-10lbs a week from his rigorous physical training if he didn’t average this load. He does not follow any strict nutrition guidelines – Phelps will order the burger and snack on chips, Oreos and Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups while at home. Eggs, crab meat and pizza are additional staples.
Michael’s physical training amounts to 25-30hrs per week, and includes at least three days a week of weight-lifting. “Eat, sleep and swim. That’s all I can do,” Phelps told NBC in 2008 when describing his routine. “Get some calories into my system and try to recover the best I can.”
Rest and Recovery
Now living in Scottsdale, Arizona, Michael gets to spend more time on the golf course, which is his favorite way to relax and unwind. He’ll leave his cell phone in the car, and unplug for the full session. Other favorite downtime hobbies include fishing and poker.
More formal ways to recover include cupping, hyperbaric pressure chambers, cold baths, stretching and massage.
Phelps claims to be a “homebody” outside of the pool and prefers spending time with his fiancé and one-month old son. Only times they’ll mosey out if not for work will be to get some food or run an errand. Watching the sun set over Camelback Mountain from their backyard usually ends the day.
Owaves 101 is a blog series showcasing tips for work-life balance from fitness experts and successful professionals. Olympians, Ironmen, inspiring yoga teachers, physicians, and clinical dietitians, among others collaborate and share ideas in a common mission of leading healthier, fuller and more balanced lives.
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Gabby Douglas, gymnast
By now, Douglas is a household name, and for (an incredible) reason: in 2012 at the Beijing Olympics, she became the first African-American woman to take home the gold in individual all-around gymnastics. She’ll be tumbling again in Rio, and she told Real Simple that the morning of practices, she’ll keep it light with oatmeal and a banana: “This gives me the energy I need to get through the first hours of training,” she said. But when she has a day off? She’ll opt for something more savory and filling, like scrambled eggs with cheese, kosher beef bacon and waffles. Breakfast is a big deal for Douglas and she made sure to add: ““Breakfast is the most important meal of the day! You can’t expect to perform at your best if you don’t take good care of your body.”
Usain Bolt, sprinter
If you don’t know this Jamaican sprinter’s name, you won’t be able to forget him soon: not only is he the first man to win six gold medals in sprinting, but he fuels all of that fancy-and-fast footwork with none other than… McDonald’s chicken nuggets. According to his autobiography, he said: “At first I ate a box of 20 for lunch, then another for dinner,” he wrote. “The next day I had two boxes for breakfast, one for lunch and then another couple in the evening. I even grabbed some fries and an apple pie to go with it.”
Nicole Barnhart, soccer player
While she’s not competing in the Olympics this go-round, this goalie’s diet sounds pretty refreshing. Why? It’s totally manageable. According to an interview with Epicurious, Barnhart starts her day with an (awesome-sounding) smoothie of bananas, strawberries, blueberries, raspberries, mango, pomegranate juice, coconut, milk, almond milk, flax seed, whey protein, Trader Joe’s peanut butter, and Vega Sport energy powder; 2 slices Trader Joe’s low-fat zucchini date loaf; and Emergen-C.
For lunch, Barnhart will take her black bean and cheese tacos with a side of milk and half of a grapefruit, she tells Epicurious. Dinner involves even more Trader Joe’s: “2 sushi rolls made with brown rice, honey, rice vinegar, cream cheese, eel sauce, avocado, cucumber, carrot, mango, sesame seeds, panko bread crumbs, tuna, salmon, soy sauce (gluten-free), ginger, wasabi; 6 Trader Joe’s chicken gyoza; 1/2 grilled artichoke with herbed goat cheese; lemon mayonnaise; seaweed salad; Emergen-C; hot green tea.”
Regardless of whether she’s on or off the field, this is what she typically eats in a day. Why? Because she likes it. As she said in the Real Simple interview: “The way I eat, in general, doesn’t really change too much whether I’m in training or not. I don’t like sweets or chocolate, so I don’t have to worry about eating any of that stuff ever, and I’m really not a big greasy-food eater.”
Brianna Decker, hockey player
Heather PcChie, skiier
Since skiing requires you to be nimble and flexible, along with maintaining your upper and lower body strength, having a diet that focuses on keeping her energy up throughout the day is important for Olympian PcChie. How does she do it? She gave the scoop to Cosmo: “I almost always have oatmeal in the morning — organic slow-cooked oats, which keeps me full for an entire morning. I usually throw in some fruit and some sort of protein like peanut butter or sunflower butter. I’ll snack on carrots and hummus. For lunch I’ll have a quinoa salad with greens and sunflower and pumpkin seeds. After training I’ll have a Luna bar. For dinner I enjoy red meat with cooked broccoli and steamed veggies. And ton of water throughout the day.”
Kelly Clark, snowboarder
If you’re not the biggest fan of green leafy veggies or taking a daily vitamin, like Clark does, juices and smoothies are a way of getting the nutrients you need pre-workout. Depending on whether she’s on the road training or competing or at home, this snowboarder switches up her diet: “When I’m home, I have the luxury of juicing, which I do every day. When I’m on the road, I make smoothies to replace that. I’m getting the bulk of my vitamins and veggies in the smoothie or juice format. Every morning I either have a smoothie or fresh juice and eggs and toast and bacon. A very traditional breakfast,” she told Cosmo.
Erin Hamlin, luger:
What does she eat? “When I’m training, for breakfast I’ll have an array of cold cut meats, two or four boiled eggs, bread of some form, some yogurt with muesli or granola and an orange or a banana. Lunch might be a plate of pasta…. Dinner is similar to lunch, but the portion will be a little bit bigger. I also normally have a protein shake after dinner to give myself some extra calories.” But she eats a little differently on race day: “My breakfast will be a lot lighter because I don’t want to feel uncomfortable while I’m racing.”
David Boudia, diver
Taking the diving platform this year is U.S. diver David Boudia, and his eating method is one you might recognize for yourself if you’ve ever tried to drop a few pounds. Instead of giant meals, he has smaller portions throughout the day to keep his momentum and endurance strong. In other words? This athlete has not one, not two – but three lunches every single day. He shared his typical diet with GQ:
“Breakfast: Protein pancake (egg whites, oats, yogurt, cinnamon, blueberries). Post-workout Breakfast: Smoothie with strawberries, blueberries, oats, spinach, peanut butter protein powder, Zico coconut water. First Lunch: Apple slices with peanut butter. Second Lunch: Turkey slices rolled with cheese. Third Lunch: Carrots and hummus. And Dinner: Barbecue chicken and polenta, with sliced avocado, and peaches.”
Taking the diving platform this year is U.S. diver David Boudia, and his eating method is one you might recognize for yourself if you’ve ever tried to drop a few pounds. Instead of giant meals, he has smaller portions throughout the day to keep his momentum and endurance strong. In other words? This athlete has not one, not two – but three lunches every single day. He shared his typical diet with GQ:
Ryan Lochte, swimmer
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