Michael Phelps knows himself.
He knows if he doesn’t exercise throughout the week, he’ll turn into some “big ass ogre that no one wants to be around.”
He knows Post Malone’s music has recently worked best for cardio days and Eminem’s for heavy lifting.
He believes in structure, which is why he has his four sons place their shoes and backpacks neatly by the door.
He understands that while he hardly ever swims these days, it’s still the one thing that will help him through a bad mental health spell. And he knows that peace, for him, is cooking breakfast and dinner for his wife and sons each day.
There is an easy answer for why Phelps, the most decorated and accomplished Olympian of all time, knows these idiosyncrasies about himself: He writes down even the most minuscule details of his day in a journal, then reads over his entries later on, viewing it as a tool to better understand himself.
“I have to be the best version of myself and give myself that chance,” he told me.
We talked about many things: his love for old school hip-hop, the scorpions that have recently been hiding around his house and how he’s able to maintain a positive headspace in part because of journaling.
I swam competitively for 15 years and, like most swimmers, idolized Phelps for his 23 gold…
