How to Swim Freestyle for Distance like Michael Phelps

With seven gold medals, Michael Phelps is considered by many to be one of the greatest, if not the greatest, swimmers to ever compete. Phelps makes a daily six-hour commitment, according to the MotleyHealth website, completing two swim workouts, circuit training and weight training, and he famously consumes 12,000 calories each day (almost five times the typical man's caloric intake requirements). You can train for distance swimming by following a less rigorous but still intense training schedule. This plan focuses on your freestyle technique and requires dedication to a swimming routine every day.

Things You'll Need

  • Weight room
  • Kickboard
  • Stopwatch
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Instructions

  1. Workouts

    • 1

      Plan your workout schedule for the distance you're racing, as long-distance swimming can be anything from 400m to marathon swims of 50 miles. Phelps' workout plan incorporates endurance swims, speed drills, weight training and circuit training.

    • 2

      Alternate between a pair of workouts, according to Game Time Workouts online. The first swimming workout consists of a warm up, main set, pulling set wherein you swim while carrying a buoy, speed set, abdominal workout and stretching. The second swimming workout consists of a warm up, main set and long swim set.

    • 3

      Perform weight training. Complete three sets of 10 to 16 repetitions for the standing dumbbell press, dumbbell front raise and dumbbell lateral shoulder raise. To see more specific instructions on how to complete each exercise if you do not know them already, check out Web resources like Game Time Workouts (GameTimeWorkouts.com) and MotleyHealth (motleyhealth.com).

    Technique

    • 4

      Extend your stroke as you turn your head for air to improve the balance, decrease resistance and synchronize the movements of your body as you're swimming for distance. This means reaching as far forward as you can with each stroke and making the line between your fingertips and your toes as straight and long as possible. This will streamline your body, thus decreasing resistance, and maximize your access to air as well as increase your distance-per-stroke efficiency.

    • 5

      Regulate your breathing so that it is in sync with with the rhythmic pattern of your strokes. This will come with practice. Make sure to exhale completely while your face is in the water so that you can inhale as deeply as possible when you come up for air. The deep breaths will keep you calm and prevent you from hyperventilating or fatiguing yourself due to lack of oxygen to your muscles.

    • 6

      Experiment with different intervals of breathing to find the one that works best for you. For example, try breathing on only one side, or "skipping" a breath by coming up for air only every other stroke, which is sometimes called 2-to-1 breathing. You can even limit breaths to once every three strokes in what is called 3-to-1 breathing.