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Michael Phelps is, arguably, the greatest swimmer to have ever graced the world of his sport. He has won 28 Olympic medals over the span of his career and is also the longest-standing swimming world record holder in the 400 metres Individual Medley.
Even if he has not received America’s prestigious Medal of Freedom so far, he was recently inducted into the US Olympic and Paralympic Hall of Fame.
Due to his various achievements and immensely successful career, his physicality has often been a source of interest to the general public. From him being double-joined to less lactic production in his body, the following article discusses how the Baltimore Bullet has been at the apex of competitive swimming.
What features of Michael Phelps’s body led to his successful swimming career?
The legacy of Michael Phelps is widely remembered. However, he had decided to retire after the London Olympics of 2012 itself, when he was just 27. He had commented after the 2012 Summer Olympics:
“I would not change anything, I did not miss anything, I have had these opportunities to do some things that nobody else had done before so I am very very happy with that.”
Thankfully for the sports and his fans, he recanted that decision and came back for more Olympic medals in 2016 Games in Rio.
This raises the question: What makes Phelps so special. Well, here, we give you a list of the physical advantages that made Michael Phelps one of the most legendary athletes in modern history.
The first reason is the relatively less production of lactic acid in his body. Lactic acid is one of the primary causes of muscle fatigue. However, Michael Phelps is lucky on this front as his body automatically produces less lactic acid.
This implies that the Olympian takes a lot less time to recover compared to his peers, which is a huge advantage when it comes to international tournaments. This is also one of the reasons why Phelps was able to compete in multiple events at a single tournament and secure a gold medal in most of the categories.
Michael Phelps is quite tall (6’4”). However, the reason why he is a good swimmer is because of his wide wingspan (6’7”). Due to the huge width of his wingspan, his hands have been compared to the oars of a boat that help to propel the body forward.
This also explains why he has performed brilliantly when it comes to Butterfly Stoke and has won eight Olympic medals in the category.
Another aspect that contributed to his successful career was his longer upper half and shorter lower half. His triangle-shaped torso helped him with his reach, thereby ensuring better performance when it came to strokes like Butterfly and Freestyle.
Similarly, his shorter lower body ensured that his kicks were powerful and turnings were smooth.
The combination of both makes his body more hydrodynamic compared to other swimmers. His massive hands and feet (size 14) also contribute to the fact that he is able to pull and push more water, thereby increasing his speed.
Moreover, Michael Phelps is double-jointed. This acts as a major advantage as it improves flexibility and mobility. While other swimmers have to work hard to make themselves more agile by stretching, the renowned American swimmer has more motion control that allows him to whoosh past his opponents.
All these factors have come together to produce the most successful Olympian of all time.
