Healthy Hollywood: Wellness Wednesday — Ryan Lochte: Swimming’s New Superstar!

If you haven’t heard the name Ryan Lochte – just wait!

The swimming sensation is about to make a huge splash next month in London. This week, he outswam swimming champ Michael Phelps at the U.S. Olympic swimming trials. And, many predict this is just the beginning of his Olympic dominance.

Ryan flaunts his well-sculpted abs on the cover of Men’s Health July/August issue. He and his strength and conditioning coach, Matt DeLancey, share with the magazine an insider look into the Olympian’s training regimen. Four days a week, DeLancey puts the 27-year-old Ryan through a grueling 90-minute session, which includes a circuit of medicine ball slams, heavy deadlifts, weights and sprints.

“This high-power, low-rest approach extends Lochte’s endurance by forcing his muscles to adapt and burn lactic acid more efficiently,” DeLancey reveals to Men’s Health.

“Pain, tolerance, endurance – when it comes to that point, there’s always something left. You just have to find it,” reveals Ryan of his intense approach to training. Ryan also averages 40 miles of interval training over nine swim practices a week and he’s often rigged up to a contraption “designed to make a hard sport harder,” notes Men’s Health magazine.

“Swimming is 90% core driven,” the athlete says. And, for that reason, he does 30 minutes of ab work everyday.

While, Ryan was named FINA swimmer of the year after winning five gold medals at the 2011 World Championship, he tells Men’s Health that his best swims are yet to come. “I know I haven’t had those perfect swims yet.”

Let’s see what London 2012 brings to this swimmer on the brink of international stardom.

For more on Ryan, head over to www.menshealth.com.

— Terri MacLeod

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