Has Phelps ever been tested .............

Yes. I remember reading an article about Michael Phelps before the 2004 Olympics and a test was performed on him and the results of those tests provided one of the reasons for his success. After a swimming race, Physiologists from USA Swimming put a needle to his ear to take a sample of blood to measure and analyze his blood lactate level. Latic acid forms when muscles burn during a race because of a lack of oxgen to them. When this oxgen defict gets high the muscles shut down and the swimmer has to fight this defict and avoid fatigue. His lactate level was taken immediately after his race and they found that it was exceeding low. It measured 5.0 (5 millimoles) per litter of blood. Other swimmers typically produce levels of 10 to 15 and sometimes higher after races. From this analysis, it was determined that his recovery was exceptional when compared to his swimming competitiors. Because he doesn't produce a lot of lactate acid, he can recover to pre race levels in 20 to 25 minutes sometimes less. This is a big advantage not only in meets he competes in but in training practice sessions because he could perform lacate tolerance sets and recover faster than others and his body can build up training adaptations to improve this. Because he creates very little lactate, he will be in less oxgen debt and will be able to bring his races home better than other swimmers because they will be fighting higher lactate acid rates and going into oxgen debt bankruptcy faster. One of the things that impressed me about Michael Phelps was his ability to get at least to 10 meters on every turn in his free. I have to watch the fly more carefully but he had an exceptional advantage in every race except the 100 fly because Crocker is very good also. In that race he had a slight advantage. In the last turn from *** to free in the 200 IM, he got an advantage over Ryan Lochte and Ryan is a very good underwater swimmer. Because he got that advantage, I believe it helped him win the 200 Free and 200 IM races. The less lactate production has got to contribute to this in some way along with other factors such as streamlining, and dolphin kicking strength. Streamlining and dolphin kicking swimmers can work on, but I am afraid that improving your lacate level to 5.0 is not going to happen.

..................... for Marine DNA? Humans are Mammals, so are dolphins and whales. But there must be a strand in Phelps's DNA that is just non-human. Should he get married (with another super-swimmer) could we see a new species of Marine-boys emerging?:bow: Kind of like Kevin Costner's character in Water World? Webbed hands and feet and both gills and lungs? LOL! Newmastersswimmer

The reason some think he might have taken HGH is the size of his hands and his feet and his pronounced chin. That said, there are plenty of people who have big feet and hands and a slight prognata (don't think that word exists as such in English) who never swim and never took any HGH. So who came first, the chicken or the egg? Does Phelps swim better because of his big feet or did that fact make him into a swimmer or the bad hypothesis is that drugs caused it all? I personally think he has big hands, big feet, a slight outward jaw and swims well; no drugs, no Darwinian conspiracy. billy fanstone

fanstone;85765 The reason some think he might have taken HGH is the size of his hands and his feet and his pronounce chin. .......snip............. bad hypothesis is that drugs caused it all. .......snip............; no drugs, no Darwinian conspiracy. billy fanstone I never meant to imply anything of the sort. I was just expressing amazement and admiration (not quite adulation, I'm not that sort). Watching him swim and breaking records (as well as other records being broken) reminded me of an article I read some 20 or 30 years ago, wondering at where records (swimming, running, jumping, lifting, et al, measurables) would reach a limit and come to a stop. But an argument was made that whatever one human could do, another human could do better and that eventually (22nd, 23rd Century) someone might run a 7 seconds 100m or swim a sub 40" 100 Free or polevault over 8m. Remember the hoopla when Johnny Weissmuller broke the 1-minute mark for the 100 free?

Never implied YOU had suspicions. You even mentioned DNA, I was just adding to your post. I, for one, always think everyone is clean, including Lance Armstrong. I think PHelps peaked, hope he has another peak in him for the next Olympics. Spitz peaked in 72, although had been shattering records since 1966. billy fanstone

Not offended so much as shocked. IMHO Water World was one of the worst movies ever, and no comparisons should between it and any other thing in this world (except the others on the list of Worst Movies Ever Made to find out who really does take the cake.). There has to be some other character in a movie that has gills that would be more suited for comparison… How about comparing him to Patrick Duffy as "The Man From Atlantis" ala the '70s TV show? :laugh2:

Kind of like Kevin Costner's character in Water World? Webbed hands and feet and both gills and lungs? LOL! Newmastersswimmer Please tell me I read this wrong and you didn't just compare Michael Phelps to Water World? And yes, Phelps should marry....me, we'd have great kids. ;) I may not be a super swimmer, but I'm tall and have pretty ok genes.

Please tell me I read this wrong and you didn't just compare Michael Phelps to Water World? And yes, Phelps should marry....me, we'd have great kids. ;) I may not be a super swimmer, but I'm tall and have pretty ok genes. I was responding to 3 strokes opening post about Micheal's DNA being non-human and his offspring being marine boys....So that reminded me of Costner's character in Water World because that character was a mutant marine boy with some kind of mutated DNA that gave him both gills and lungs.....I actually heard a commentator for ESPN on sportscenter just ask a similar question about Phelps in terms of having gills and what not....So my remarks offended you in some way Kyra? LOL! So if you do end up marrying the guy, then it looks like your kids will be mutant marine boys LOL!! :rofl: Newmastersswimmer

So my remarks offended you in some way Kyra? LOL! Newmastersswimmer Not offended so much as shocked. IMHO Water World was one of the worst movies ever, and no comparisons should between it and any other thing in this world (except the others on the list of Worst Movies Ever Made to find out who really does take the cake.). There has to be some other character in a movie that has gills that would be more suited for comparison. And it's not an "if" so much as "when". :rofl: And dont' be sexist against our unborn children...we could have girls that would also be kick a$$ swimmers. And to stay somewhat on topic: In response to what Frank said about his lactic acid levels. That's just amazing. I had a meet this weekend and can definately say I did not recover well. And agreed, his walls were amazing. The distance he was getting off them even at the end of the races was just incredible.

Not offended so much as shocked. IMHO Water World was one of the worst movies ever, and no comparisons should between it and any other thing in this world (except the others on the list of Worst Movies Ever Made to find out who really does take the cake.). There has to be some other character in a movie that has gills that would be more suited for comparison. And it's not an "if" so much as "when". :rofl: And dont' be sexist against our unborn children...we could have girls that would also be kick a$$ swimmers. And to stay somewhat on topic: In response to what Frank said about his lactic acid levels. That's just amazing. I had a meet this weekend and can definately say I did not recover well. And agreed, his walls were amazing. The distance he was getting off them even at the end of the races was just incredible. Don't get sassy with me now young lady! LOL! (I hope this doesn't lead to another limerick war or something LOL!)