Michael Phelps is quickly becoming one of the greatest Olympic athletes of all-time.  So far, he has won 26 Olympic medals, 22 of which are gold, making him the most decorated Olympian ever.  His success can be attributed to many things: his insane diet, vigorous workout routine, genetics, but the one thing that makes him standout is his work ethic.  Though his commitment at practice was questioned by former teammate Tyler Clary in 2012, Phelps continues to prove that he is one of the most dedicated athlete out there and has proven his athletic abilities time and time again.

Work ethic is an important trait for any type of career.  Having the dedication to excel and push the boundaries is important, not only for Olympic athletes, but entrepreneurs as well.  Take a page out of Michael Phelps’ routine and see how it can relate to your business.

The Michael Phelps Routine

Having a daily routine is a great way to stay organized and focused on your goals.  Whether you’re an Olympic athlete or small business entrepreneur, it’s important to plan out the goals you want to accomplish and then plan out the best way to achieve it.  Michael Phelps obviously has it down, and with gold medals to show.

Fuel Your Business

During his career high, in the 2008 Beijing Olympics, Phelps’ was famous for his 12,000 calorie diet.  While this sounds like a disgusting amount of food to the normal person, this type of diet was important to fuel his daily workouts.  Although recently he has cut back on both his caloric intake and his exercise routine, it’s important to focus on the routine that allowed him to win 8 gold medals in Beijing.

Below is what a typical meal for Phelps would look like:

Here’s a full breakdown of his diet via this Wall Street Journal article:

Breakfast: Three fried-egg sandwiches loaded with cheese, lettuce, tomatoes, fried onions and mayonnaise. Two cups of coffee. One five-egg omelet. One bowl of grits. Three slices of French toast topped with powdered sugar. Three chocolate-chip pancakes.

Lunch: One pound of enriched pasta. Two large ham and cheese sandwiches with mayo on white bread. Energy drinks packing 1,000 calories.

Dinner: One pound of pasta. An entire pizza. More energy drinks.

This diet provided Phelps the necessary amount of calories to fuel his workouts and allow his muscles to recover.  While it may seem excessive and unhealthy, Phelps understood the amount of food he needed in order to train for six hours a day.

This methodology can also be used by entrepreneurs, as it is important to understand what business practices will allow them to be as efficient as possible.  Whether it’s your project management style, communication skills, or motivation, there’s a variety of components that can either hinder or help your business.  It may take some time to realize what types of methods will be most beneficial, but once you do you will begin to see a rise in productivity and sales.

Practice What You Preach

While it’s important to prepare your body and business for success, it’s whole other thing to actually execute it.  In preparation for the Beijing Olympics, Phelps trained 5 to 7 hours a day for 6 days a week.  With a combination of swimming drills and strength training, he uses a variety of workouts to keep him in Olympic shape.  He also cites listening to music while he swims as a motivator.

Here’s a peek into his intense workout:

Phelps’ motivation to commit to these workout almost every single day is incredible, and one of the reasons for his success.  By changing up his workouts he constantly pushes the limits of his body and challenges himself to improve.  Although his rigorous workouts pay off, his training also consumed most of his life, which forced him to make personal sacrifices.  Recently, Phelps has been vocal about how he cut back on his eating habits and workouts due to his age and family obligations as a father.

Entrepreneurs can understand this dilemma as one’s business can consume their life and sometimes take priority.  It can become difficult to juggle both your professional and personal life, but creating a successful business takes time and commitment.  Figuring out a schedule that can accommodate both aspects of your life is important for being happy and successful.  Create a plan for your business and set certain goals you want to achieve.  Setting to-do’s and completion dates for yourself will help you stay sane and give your business structure.  

The Innate Ability

It’s clear that Michael Phelps is the perfect physical specimen for a swimmer: 6’4, with a wingspan of 6’7, large hands and feet, double-jointed knees and ankles, and according to this Telegraph article, he produces less lactic acid than other swimmers allowing him to recover much faster.  

Michael Phelps was born to be a great swimmer, and he has successfully honed his athletic ability and seen huge amounts of success.  Entrepreneurs should do the same; if you have a certain skill or quality that you excel at, then utilize that in your business.  It won’t guarantee immediate success, but it will help steer you in the right direction.  Don’t try to create a business that you know nothing about and just assume you can hire experts to help you.  Choose a field that you personally are an expert in.  Then take the time, set the goals you want to achieve, and slowly become the best in your field, just as Phelps has done since his first Olympics.