Singaporean swimmer Joseph Schooling defeated Michael Phelps at the recent 2016 Rio Olympics but the latter is still the most decorated Olympian of all time. Recently, Phelps revealed that music helps him during his training, particularly Eminem's song "Lose Yourself."
Eminem wrote "Lose Yourself" and co-produced it with Jeff Bass and Luis Resto. The song is from the soundtrack to the 2002 drama film "8 Mile" starring the Detroit rapper as an aspiring rapper named Jimmy "B-Rabbit" Smith, Jr.
"There's so much within this song that will get somebody ready for what they've been training to do for years," Inverse quoted music psychologist David Greenberg, Ph.D., as saying. He was referring to the generation-defining introduction of "Lose Yourself."
Greenberg compared B-Rabbit and people in the athletic world, such as Phelps. The music psychologist noted that "8 Mile" is "all about where you're coming from, where you're going, and what you're going to achieve."
In "8 Mile," Eminem had a scene spitting a rap song filed with aggression and violence. Greenberg explained that while this particular scene is a metaphor for the world of competitive sport, what song stimulates feelings of intensity in an athlete is subjective.
In an interview with People, Phelps talked about his pre-race music of choice. He said that he went back to the songs of Eminem in 2003 and 2004.
In 2002, Eminem released his fourth studio album titled "The Eminem Show," which included the songs "Without Me" and "Cleanin' Out My Closet." His fifth studio album "Encore" was released in 2014.
Eminem is not the only musician in Phelps' pump-up playlist. The 24-time gold medalist revealed that Lil Wayne, Steve Aoki, Skrillex and Nero are also in it.
Phelps explained that he was just trying to really get going and get amped right before he would walk out. To do this, the competitive swimmer said the music helped a lot as he was sometimes tired.
Watch the music video of "Lose Yourself" here: