"No days off, no birthday, no Christmas"- When Michael Phelps opened up about his rigorous training routine to achieve greatness 

Michael Phelps once opened up about his rigorous training routine that stood as a testament to his relentless efforts to become the greatest swimmer of all time. The American swimmer shared that there was a time in his career when he had trained without taking a day off for "five or six years" straight.

The most decorated Olympian of all time shared that he always wanted to achieve something that had never been done before, and was very motivated to push himself to his utmost limits. He revealed that the dream of becoming a world record holder and Olympic champion played a pivotal role in driving him to get better every day.

However, his journey was not free from struggles. Phelps shared that he often received negative comments from people for having huge dreams; however, he remained undeterred and went on to work hard in pursuit of greatness. Phelps spoke about people's comments in an interview with Olympics.com.

“Growing up, people thought I was crazy wanting to do something different in the sport, do something that nobody else has ever done in the sport but I was excited. So, I would say, don't be afraid to dream as big as you possibly can. I mean, absolutely as big as you can,” said Phelps.

Michael Phelps opened up about his relentless efforts towards his goals under the guidance of coach Bob Bowman and shared that despite important occasions as well as holidays, he never missed a day of training for over five years.

“We went five or six years without missing a single day. 365 days. No days off, no birthday, no Christmas. We were in the water every single day.”

The American swimmer expressed that he was ready to do whatever it took to be the best in the world.

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Michael Phelps' coach opens up about the mindset that prepared the Olympian for races

2016 Austin Elite Invite - Day 3 - Source: Getty

Michael Phelps has been vocal about his coach Bob Bowman's training techniques that helped him dominate the swimming circuit for over a decade. In an interview with GQ, the American athlete's coach shared that he would often put his swimmers in high-pressure situations during training by giving them challenges that prepared them to compete with confidence in races.

Bob Bowman shared how such training methodologies, along with a strict disciplined routine, helped his swimmers to put forward incredible performances.

"If you’re not, adjust something to get back on track. We really think that in Olympic competition the key is being able to know who you are, what you’re about and what your job is. All the superfluous things take care of themselves,” he said.

Furthermore, Bob Bowamn stressed the importance of making little progress every day so that it can be beneficial in the long run.