At this point, Ryan Murphy’s 5:15 a.m. alarm is largely unnecessary.
After more than two-decades of competitive swimming, the 29-year-old’s demanding daily routine is driven by instinct.
The Ponte Vedra Beach native and five-time Olympic gold medalist, who now lives in the Bay Area, leaves his Oakland condo before sunrise.
He still trains at his alma mater, the University of California at Berkeley, and is in the pool at the Spieker Aquatics Complex by 6 am for a nearly two-hour morning practice.
Then it’s back home for breakfast, which consists of a meticulously organized omelet. Operating in a world where milliseconds divide winners and losers, no detail is too small.
“I’m pretty regimented,” Murphy said.
“Because of the macros, I have to restrict the amount of fat I’m having it in that first omelet,” he said. “I’ll chop up some onion, some bell pepper, mushroom, I’ll put spinach in there, and then scramble everything up. I’ll put smoked salmon on the top.”
Having just opened a new swim school in St. Johns County with his parents and grandfather, Murphy said he’s often busy with calls related to the business in the morning.
“I’m also advising a Venture Capital Group in Berkeley and advising a private equity group in Menlo Park,” the business major added.
Idle time is a nonstarter — especially when the second swimming practice of the day starts at 1 pm back on campus.
“I’ll lift from one to two, go down to the pool, swim from 2:15 to 3:30 come home, I’ll have a smoothie, and then it’s recovery time,” he said.
After more than four hours of extreme physical exertion, Murphy takes mercy on his muscles with alternating trips to the sauna and cold tub.
The day’s easing process ends with some yoga to loosen back up for the following day’s lap labor.
At that point, Murphy’s routine begins to resemble that of a non-Olympian.
“Then it’s dinner and typically by 8 pm I try to try to end everything and get some chill time with the wife,” he said.
Murphy’s spouse, former Cal rower Bridget Kontinnen, is expecting their first child, a girl, in January.
