"Michael Phelps was taking ownership"- Coach Bob Bowman opens up on how the Olympic gold medalist's initiative helped him derive better results

Michael Phelps' coach Bob Bowman spoke about how a swimmer's initiative in planning their workouts alongside their mentors has a profound impact on the overall output leading to a better result in races. Bowman revealed how Michael Phelps began taking a lot more interest and ownership in having a discussion with his coach towards the end of his career which eventually improved their relationship as well as led to better results.

Bob Bowman has been training some of the best swimmers in the circuit over multiple decades. The American coach appeared on 'The Daily Stoic' podcast and spoke about a variety of topics ranging from his coaching style to training the legendary athlete Michael Phelps.

Bowman revealed how during his early days as a coach, he tried to control every aspect of a swimmer's training to achieve the desired outcome however, after a period of time, the process became exhausting which led him to contemplate whether it was actually good for his trainees or not. He implicated a small change and wanted his swimmers to be more involved in planning their training with him.

Bowman revealed how Michael Phelps became more involved in the later part of his career.

“Michael, good example, right? So by the end, we were kind of working together much more and he was taking ownership. And, you know, I remember there were times that later in Michael's career, and I'll give him some credit because he's like raised to think the coach is always right, which, you know, sometimes we are,” he said,

“You know, those sort of things. They grow better. We have a much better relationship and I can guide them much better than I can drive them somewhere,” he added.

Michael Phelps on Bob Bowman's training methods

Phelps and his coach at the Arena Grand Prix at Charlotte - Day 1 - Source: Getty

Michael Phelps has been vocal about how Bob Bowamn's training methodologies had a profound impact on his performance and helped him improve focus and discipline. Bowman used multiple variations in the workout along with targets which helped his trainees improve effectively between seasons.

Phelps spoke to Forbes and revealed how Bob Bowman's training methods helped him to push his limits leading to multiple world records throughout his career.

"Every single day, our coach Bob is giving us certain challenges to prepare us for the moment those lights come on. The most pressured situations. That’s why Léon and I have been able to rise above the rest," he said.

Furthermore, training in race-like conditions with the mindset of competing alongside some of the best swimmers in the world helped him deal with the nerves of swimming in major competitions.