Michael Phelps - Good or Bad Role Model

I like your article.  I think Michael Phelps is a humble person and a great Olympian. I think he handles his success wonderfully.  Let's just hope he keeps it up.  As far as his caloric intake, I was a swimmer and I know what it is like to burn so many calories.  You just have to keep feeding the machine.  Although, he better not be eating that much when he is 30.  Great article!

Check out my article on Phelps.

http://hubpages.com/hub/Michael-Phelps--How-Bad-Do...

T.A. Northburg

Nice hub, although I'm not sure I would want to hold any athlete - even one as successful and disciplined as Phelps is - as a role model to my children.

I'd commend him for having the discipliine to eat that much. It's incredibly difficult thing to do and when you exercise at the intensity level he does, you must consume an enormous number of calories.

As for a role model of how to compete, work, and focus, yes. But, as someone I'd want my daughters to strive to be like, I think that's the parents role.

Honestly, have you ever tried to eat 12,000 calories per day? Most of us eat MORE than enough, and still average right around 3500 calories. Try multiplying that by 3 or 4 times. It would be next to impossible to eat that many calories and not eat some foods that fall into the fatty, high-calorie category. I balked, too, when I heard what his diet was, but honestly, it makes sense that in order to consume the number of calories that he burns, he's going to have to "take one for the team" and eat some less than healthy stuff to get there.

I think you explain it to kids just like you explained it in this article, "Honey, Michael Phelps trains 30 hours a week, he is a young, strong man, with a body-type that burns through fuel in a way that almost no one else's does. He sometimes has to eat less than healthy foods just in order to try to maintain his weight while he's training to be the best. Maybe if you get to the point where you are training 30+ hours a week, you will have someone tell you to eat the way he does just to maintain your muscle tone. Until then, though, we're going to eat healthier foods."

I guarantee you he's not alone. Look at Lance Armstrong during the tour de france. Each day the cyclists burn at least 7000-10000 calories while competing, which means they have to eat at least that many just to be able to function properly and continue the race. Can you imagine how hard it is to eat that many calories after you've been killing yourself all day on a course? Of course athletes sometimes take the "easy way" and consume some foods that are going to be more calorie-dense.

I'm not knocking this article. I think you bring up some good points, but I also don't think Michael Phelps' diet would throw him into the "bad role model" category. I think as an athlete, you sometimes function as an exception to the rule, simply because your body is working so hard.

True, Dara Torres probably doesn't eat the way he does, she's also almost 20 years older, smaller, works out fewer hours per week, & she's a woman. All of which would pretty much guarantee her metabolism works at a slower rate than Michael Phelps.

And as far as kids having to decide good from bad, that's where parents come in. It shouldn't be up to the kids in the first place. And if parents are doing their job right, even if kids prefer the fatty foods, they will understand that healthier options are what fuel THEIR bodies.

Nice hub! I think overall as an America I'm very pleased with how Phelps represents our country and shows himself as a role model.

I loved watching some of the morning shows today with Phelps and his mom who has devoted so much time and energy to help him get to where he is today. My oldest son (nearly 11) has expressed an interest in swim team for the first time as a result of Phelps's accomplishments. I say that is truly a role model!

Michael Phelps is an exceptional athlete, no question. He clearly pays a high price to collect his prizes in the pool. Meer mortals marvel at what it takes and for those hoping to emulate (or get close to matching) his achievements, they need to ask some serious questions about how they would get there. The prize comes at a long term price too - you are what you eat! I agree he is not a food role model......but he is a great role model in so many other ways.

Its a well written article, but I don't think he does qualify for being a bad role model because of his diet. You can bet he has carefully managed nutritional requirements. This would be part of that devotion. Training 5 hours a day for 6 hours a week burns a huge number of calories and he would need that kind of intake to stay healthy. This would be part of that meticulous detail.

Clearly this diet isn't for everyone, and anyone who eats this many calories a day, better be prepared to expend enough energy to accommodate. I wouldn't call him a bad role model though.Anyone who says they can eat that without supllementing it with the right exercise is probably the bad model.

Michael Phelps has taken swimming to new highs of performance. He's a phenomenal athlete and deserves his success and his time in the spotlight. However, I don't think his eleven golds necessarily qualifies him as the greatest ever Olympian. Track & Field competitors simply can't enter that number of events. I'm more impressed with staying power. Steve Redgrave, competing in 5 consecutive Olympics (rowing) and achieving a Gold in each one. That's dominating a sport for 16 years. Michael Phelps has a long way to go to beat that record!

I was a college swimmer, and I know I ate more than football players twice my size. there is something about swimming that requires more calories, and I would worry more about the endurance athletes who are not eating enough. Runners and swimmers have a tendency to worry about their weight, and eating disorders are common in that many athletes aren't willing to increase their intake when needed.

I did struggle with slowing down my eating when my athletic career ended, but after a while a person with the kind of discipline Michael Phelps has will take care of themselves and eat a healthy diet to control their weight within the parameters of their new lifestyle.

I think endurance athletes do have admirable qualities that make them great role models... but I also think you are right. It might have been a little irresponsible for the media to make such a hoopla about his caloric intake.

it is interesting that you should mention protein... sports drinks have recently started adding protein because they have found that contrary to former thinking, endurance athletes get more benefit from sports drinks that have protein in them. It prevents the muscle loss that occurs from heavy endurance training and minimizes muscle damage, thus speeding recovery. Michael Phelps is sponsored by one and appears in their ads. I think it is called PureSport.

Great hub and comments following.

In my opinion Michael Phelps is a great athlete and to hold records he holds is one great accomplishment. However, you cannot really explain to young children why he can eat so unhealthy but still be a great athlete because they are just too young to understand why he eats that way.

If you were to tell an eleven year old what he eats, they would probably go out and eat like Phelps and expect success like him. Well obviously they will not get the same results, but when they become older and more mature, they will understand why he had to eat all of that even if it was unhealthy.

He trains very hard, hours per day, and I am no swimmer but I am an athlete, and I am sure he burns TONS of calories by swimming hours per day to train.

The way he draws on that bong deserves a gold medal every time.

Phelps = loser in my book now. Yeah, "everybody makes mistakes" I am so sick of hearing that for an excuse. Yes, everybody does make mistakes. But everyone also makes CHOICES.

Good one Michael. Real good.

athletes and entertainers are not role models,their people like you and me.role models are parents,teachers,and pastors,you can't have a total stranger be a role model to your child no matter how succesful he/she is.being a role model is firmly the mother and fathers responsebility,if your child is on the same path as some one like phelps you can use him as an example,or a standard(after all phelps is the best ever at what he does)but being a role model is not his job or anyones job but the mother and father.

looking outside at someone in a field that you are interested in entering is O.K.But we must remember that values,and habits,attitudes,are learned in the home.

I'm pretty sure as a professional athlete he probably has his own nutritionist who will be thinking about trying to get a balance between future health and convenience. Also I agree with Hub-ninga, that it is worrying how many young athletes actually don't consume enough calories. I am know swimmers who train four hours a day, and spend time at school, yet still only consume about 2000 calories a day. Which for someone who is still growing is certainly not enough. This is due to the fact they are either worried about putting on weight, or they don't want to 'eat like fatties' in front of their friends. Overall eating habits have been publicized far too much in the media, whether they are good or bad and I believe this is an issue to be addressed separately to good sporting role models.

You should just tell your child about the good aspects of him (dedication, training and medals) and leave nutrition as a separate issue, which as a parent you ought to be teaching yourself.

Doesn't look like this diet is doing him any favors so far.

An article about Michael Phelps being a bad role model that doesn't mention his drunk driving record or marijuana use?

I call shenanigans.