Michael Phelps: The Merman in Flesh
- bxgenetics
- Jun 12
- 3 min read
BY SACHIN MISRA
Michael Phelps is undoubtedly the greatest of all time when it comes to swimming. The most decorated Olympian of all time, Michael Phelps won 28 Olympic medals during his career and has maintained three world records in swimming. A significant role in Phelps’ dominance is the extensive training he underwent, as he swam five to six hours six to seven days a week. Another significant factor that contributed to his dominance, however, is the genetic advantages he possessed over other athletes.
Physical Advantages:
Phelps stands at 6’4”, the ideal height for swimming, but nothing out of the ordinary. What begins to set Phelps apart is his abnormally long arms. The average person’s wingspan is equal to their height; however, Phelps’ span is 6' 7", three whole inches larger than his height. This is accompanied by a large torso, 6’ 8”, and short lower body, 5' 10”.
Each of these genetically caused features serves to minimize Phelps’ drag and resistance in water while maximizing his ability to pull and propel himself through water. In addition, Phelps has a lung capacity of 12 liters, twice that of the average person. In a figurative sense, Michael Phelps’ merman body has given him a significant advantage over many of his competitors.
Chemical Advantages:
Phelps’ genetics has given him a significant chemical advantage alongside his perfect swimming body.
During physical activity, one’s body produces lactic acid as a result of anaerobic respiration that occurs in the presence of low oxygen levels. Contrary to popular belief, lactic acid does not directly cause any muscle pain or soreness; however, it does impede in the moment physical activity by causing fatigue, and also slows recovery time between activities.
Athletes regularly get their lactic acid levels checked, and this has revealed that Phelps’ body produces half the lactic acid as other athletes do. This enables him to swim for longer periods of time without experiencing fatigue. While this endurance is a trait that all swimmers must develop through practice, Phelps evidently had a unique, and less naturally achievable, genetic advantage in achieving it. He was able to compete in multiple races in the same day because of how quickly his body was able to recover from swimming. This was a major contributing factor to Phelps earning so many more medals than his competitors.
Significance:
So what exactly is the importance of all this? Is Michael Phelps not deserving of being called the GOAT of swimming? Is he just a genetic anomaly that did not truly earn his records? Well of course not.
In all this discussion of genetics, it still must not be ignored that Phelps, during his prime, was swimming 80,000 meters a week. As mentioned before, he was swimming five to six hours a day alongside weight training exercises and a very intense diet. Anyone can have similar genetic traits to Phelps, but it was Phelps' own unique dedication and work ethic that allowed him to use these traits and dominate.
Michael Phelps is just a great example of why genetics are so important to one’s physical lifestyle. Starting a physical activity can be difficult from a motivational standpoint because one may feel a lot more sluggish and worse than others, but the reality is that one does not know what grounds everyone else starts from. Whether it be as simple as how long someone’s legs are to as intricate as a chemical or hormonal difference between two people, there are a lot of genetically influenced factors that will affect different individuals’ affinities to different physical activities.
When it comes to these activities, it really should be a competition against yourself to improve and become better than you were in the past. An understanding of the genetic hand you’ve been dealt will enable you to truly try your hardest and reach the maximum possible skill you can, without having to feel bad because you may not be as talented as others. Embracing the fundamental connection between genetics and physical lifestyle will only serve to benefit your motivation and potential to improve at physical activities.
De Bellefonds, C. (2020, May 14). Why Michael Phelps Has the Perfect Body for Swimming. Biography. https://www.biography.com/athletes/michael-phelp-perfect-body-swimming
Mikkelsen, S. (2023, June 5). Michael Phelps: The training regimen of the most decorated swimmer in Olympic history. Olympics.com; International Olympic Committee. https://www.olympics.com/en/news/michael-phelps-training-regimen-workut-diet
Let Science Explain: Why Is Michael Phelps the Undisputed King of Swimming? (2015, July 2). Science ABC.
https://www.scienceabc.com/sports/michael-phelps-height-arms-torso-arm-span-feet-swi mming.html#google_vignette
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