Gym’ll fix it as the pounds just roll off!

• Posted by Nick Peet at 10:11 AM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ROLL UP, roll up for the Nick Peet Super Diet – the guaranteed weight loss fitness programme that will have you losing pounds quicker than a lottery winner at Aintree.
After exactly three weeks of serious training I'm ahead of my target weight and have trimmed down to a remarkable 13 stone – that's 10 pounds lighter than I was on my birthday, just 21 days ago.
Healthy, regular eating, a steady training programme and plenty of sweat have gone into my task so far, but I've enjoyed every minute of it.
Switching my mind from beer and burgers to fruit smoothies and fresh fish has been much easier than I ever thought possible.
Getting in shape has been made so much easier due to the fact boxing world champion Derry Mathews kicked off his training camp two weeks ago and trainer Georgie Vaughan has allowed me to work out with the champ every morning.
I've been getting stuck into circuits for the past fortnight, before going home for lunch and then running around Sefton Park in the evening.
It's been incredible watching how hard Derry and his team work every day – and, for the first week at least, that was without a date or even opponent for his next title defence.
The circuit sessions are tough, broken up into 10 routines, including half a dozen floor exercises like press-ups, sit-ups and star jumps and then a handful of boxing-themed exercises like punching with weights and moving around inside the ring.
All that after I've completed 20 minutes on the exercise bike and topped off with doing a couple of rounds on the heavy bag – to the amusement of the entire gym.
It goes without saying that I am thoroughly delighted that my own boxing 'mismatch' against Shea Neary at the end of the year is a long way off.
The frustrating thing, as far as working out is concerned, is staying away from the free weights.
I used to enjoy loading the big guns (sorry!) but as I am trying to lose as much weight as possible in preparation for my second challenge – Horse Racing in April – I am trying to strip my body down as much as possible.
I'm also finding one gastro habit increasingly hard to kick. But it's not a lack of chocolate, sweets or even beer that's got me twitching – it's cheese!
I'd empty my bank account (which at least sounds impressive) for a block of cheddar and a packet of cream crackers!
But being a professional sportsman is about sacrifice and hard work so not even a Dairylee triangle (Oh, I love them) will pass my lips until it's time to pack back on the pounds.
My running of an evening has also been going well and I completed my first ever eight mile run on Saturday, lapping Sefton Park a couple of times before jogging back home.
My time of 75 minutes is hardly one to worry the seeded athletes competing in the Half Marathon a week Sunday, but it’s a start and I am growing in confidence as the days roll by that I will be able to complete the 13.1 mile trek in around two hours.

Sportswear giants get behind challenge

• Posted by Nick Peet at 10:10 AM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

MY challenge was handed the perfect boost this week after retail giants JJB Sports came on board to provide me with specialist equipment for each of my challenges over the next year.
I couldn't have asked for a better sponsor as the store carries equipment that will be suitable for all but one of my eight sports events.
I popped into JJB's flagship Liverpool store in Williamson Square at the weekend and collected a new pair of running trainers, after a thorough assessment, and a load of climalite adidas running gear to help with my training and first event in two weeks time.
And the store also released an official comment this week, which read: “JJB Sports would like to wish Nick all the best for his brave 'Great 08 Challenge' and are happy to be supporting him on his way to achieving every success in each of his challenges.�
With all the variety of equipment available in the city centre store alone, I cant wait to get back in there now and pick up more stuff.
And the great thing about JJB is that all the staff have excellent product knowledge and they were able, in this instance at the weekend, to recommend a certain style of running shoe for a flat-footed 'athlete' like me.

Help support Rhys campaign

• Posted by Nick Peet at 10:10 AM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

THROUGHOUT my Great 08 Challenge I plan on raising money for the ECHO’s brilliant Liverpool Unites campaign against gun crime.
The initial aim of the campaign is to generate funds for a community centre in Rhys Jones’s name, but there are plenty of other initiatives to follow.
For each event I will be encouraging sponsorship from readers – with the added incentive that one lucky sponsor will receive a sporting prize in relation to my task.
For my first event, athletics, one reader who pledges a minimum of just £1 will be entered into a draw to receive a personalised and signed running vest from Merseyside’s leading Beijing Olympics hope, Southport’s 800m runner Michael Rimmer.
And that’s just the start of it. I have VIP racing tickets, a top of the range tennis racket, signed boxing gloves, a signed rugby league shirt and plenty of other goodies ready to lavish on Great 08 supporters.
I’ll also be opening a sportsbook online so you can bet – for fun of course – on how I will get on, ie: “Will Nick need to be rescued by a lifeboat during his swim across the River Mersey?� Tick yes!
So, play your part over the next year. Make a donation to a great charity online or through the post to the usual address.
Visit: www.liverpoolecho.co.uk today.

Really paying for my shins!

• Posted by Nick Peet at 10:09 AM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

ONCE again I was suffering with my shins earlier this week and had another run spoilt by fatigue in the muscles on the outside of my lower legs.
My physio assured me that it is simply due to me overworking the muscle and that it's not a serious problem, but after the relief I got from a bit of acupuncture last week I think I'll have another bash at the pins this weekend to help the area relax.
It really hit me on Monday night as, despite completing a circuits session in the morning, I'd had Sunday off after my big Saturday run.
All last week, when I was running every night, they didn't bother me at all. I guess that's down to not stretching properly on my rest day and maybe not spending ten minutes before my run on Monday to warm them up.
I just hope that they don't flare up again on March 2 because the pain was frustrating and I was forced to stop-start my way through just three miles before returning home not even out of breath.

Coming out of my comfort zone!

• Posted by Nick Peet at 5:26 PM | add or read comments (1) | TrackBacks (0)

FINALISING my Great 08 Challenge was always going to be a tough assignment. After all, Liverpool is jam-packed with sporting highlights every year, never mind one labelled with the Capital of Culture logo.
The key was to concentrate on not only the events which matter most to the city, but sporting fields that will take me out of my comfort zone and test me to the limits – both physically and mentally.
As popular as sports like angling, snooker and darts are on Merseyside, the editor was never going to give me six weeks off to train in the pub.
I know, because I tried to pitch it!
The fundamental reasons behind the final eight were a combination of factors.
Firstly, they had to not only be popular on Merseyside but feature a showpiece event that I could work my own challenge in or around.
Each sport had to be played at the highest level in its discipline and all eight also boast strong roots in the region, which would allow me to work with some of the best coaches.
My training for each event will range from anywhere between six and eight weeks full-time, while in some cases the technical aspects mean I will be focusing on them much sooner.
As you can see from the order of the events, I am aiming to drop my weight to its minimum in time for event number two, using event one as the perfect preparation, before building my body back up towards the end of the year.
Now, you can see what all that jogging has been for . . .

1. ATHLETICS
TO compete in the Liverpool Half Marathon on Sunday, March 2.
In my three decades on this earth I have never even contemplated a distance run. That's what is making this first event so tough – all 13.1 miles of it.
With my bow legs and flat feet, running more than 30 yards has always been about as tempting as a weekend in Manchester but no pain, no gain.

2. HORSE RACING
I'VE always loved the races. I am an Aintree veteran and enjoy nothing more than having a flutter on a hot tip or two. But can I actually do it myself?
Well, I hope so, because in April I'll be racing against a handful of the region’s best known and most successful jockeys in an after-racing gallop at the city's leading race track.
I'll be spending around six weeks in training with one of Merseyside's most successful stables and then I'll jump in feet first – all 6'2� of me – and take on the little guys at their own game.
Nervous? You'd better believe it.

3. TENNIS
TO play a match at the Liverpool International Tennis Tournament in June.
No strawberries and champagne in the Press tent for me this year, I'll be training with one of the city's finest young coaches for a few weeks before being let loose to take on a current ATP player or, perhaps more realistically, a tennis legend at Calderstones.

4. GOLF
WITH the Open Championship returning to the banks of the Mersey again this year I couldn't miss out on the opportunity to test myself at the famous Royal Birkdale course. Paired against one of Merseyside's leading European Tour stars, I'll introduce the Southport course to my trusty £12 three wood and show Tiger Woods and co exactly how to get their mitts on the Claret Jug!
I hope the greenkeepers up there know what they're letting themselves in for. There’s a bandit on the prowl!

5. FOOTBALL
HOW could I even attempt a multiple sporting challenge here in Liverpool without including a large slice of the national game?
With three major clubs within shooting distance of the river, the options are endless and at least one of our local top flight managers will find himself with an extra player come pre-season in August.
And, hopefully, I'll prove myself on the training ground to be worthy of a shirt come the Saturday.

6. SWIMMING
WHEN the fellow architect of this dastardly plan is a former Olympic butterfly medallist, then it's only natural that I would find myself in at the deep end at some point this year.
And what could be more challenging than racing said champion – Mr Stephen Parry – across the River Mersey?
Starting at Rock Ferry and ending at the Albert Dock, the annual summer swim is for experienced swimmers only, but with Parry drawing up a training programme he could discover that this pupil is more than ready to take on the master.

And then the fun really begins . . .

7. BOXING
WHAT kind of boxing reporter would I be if I didn’t include the sweet science on my final shortlist?
But how about this, I plan on meeting a Merseyside boxing legend in the ring and going at it for four rounds, headlining at one of the city’s small hall fight venues.
The editor showed a real interest in this one – so who have we selected to be in the opposing corner?
None other than the man himself – the most popular fighter of his generation and a former world champion, ‘The Shamrock Express'.
Yes, Shea Neary is coming out of retirement for one night (or possibly round) only. The Champ v The Chump!

8. RUGBY LEAGUE
LAST, but certainly not least, I'm going to have to pack on the muscle in order to survive the opening weeks of pre-season with Super League giants St Helens.
I'll be joining the reigning World Club and Challenge Cup holders in December for a week or two (if I survive) as they gear up for Super League XIV in 2009.
And with coach Daniel Anderson heading back Down Under at the end of this season I'll have a new gaffer to impress to try for a run out in the first friendly of the new campaign.

So that's it. That's my year. No holidays. No breaks. And no darts!
Naturally, I have one or two back-ups in reserve in case of injuries and I also have a surprise training session or two that should help me along the way.
But right now I am all about one thing. My life is about 13 miles on Sunday, March 2. God help me!

I'm done . . . put a pin in me!

• Posted by Nick Peet at 9:49 PM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

Great 08 Blog entry – Feb 11 2008

AFTER almost two weeks of pounding the streets I geared up for my first eight mile run on Sunday.
Unfortunately, my calf's, which usually burn up for the first mile or so, went on fire and they just never calmed down.
I went running in a daft pair of football socks – I don't know what I was thinking, Paula Radcliffe marathon style I think. But I was in the worst pain ever.
In the end my planned eight miles were chopped down to around three miles as I had to keep stopping and stretching every half mile or so.
I was so frustrated (check out my latest video diary) – I almost jumped in the lake in the park were I run, my legs were that sore.
Thankfully, I got my Dad around a couple of hours later and he, being a physio, gave my lower legs, front and back, a deep rub down and come this morning they felt fine.
I completed a one hour circuits gym session before lunch today, then hit the streets for a four-mile run.
I stretched like never before and I, despite worrying about my shins all the way around, they were fine.
But I stopped off at my Dad's sports clinic on my way home and got a pretty serious shock when his business partner started throwing needles in me.
I've never had acupuncture before but it was an amazing feeling and really relaxed the muscles running down the outside of my shins.
Apparently, when you start serious jogging – especially when your body is not used to doing any – this kind of injury is pretty standard.
After worrying last night that I may fall at the first hurdle, now everything is back on track and I am really looking forward to the next couple of weeks and then getting stuck into my first challenge.

Sporting need to be lean machine

• Posted by Nick Peet at 12:38 PM | add or read comments (4) | TrackBacks (0)

OVER the past decade I've probably used one phrase thousands of times, but it's only now that I fully understand it's meaning.
“Making the weight.�
I came through my first Great 08 medical this week with flying colours, but the true task I've undertaken has sharply come into focus.
I have 20lbs of useless body fat on my frame, giving me a body fat total of 20%.
Most professional footballers and rugby players operate nearer to 10%, while boxers and jockey's often come in a whole lot lighter.
So, to be taken seriously this year, my first task is to cut my body fat total in half. That means dropping around 20 pounds.
That's the equivalent of nine bags of sugar, nine litres of water or 12 tubs of ice cream. Hell, losing that much weight is going to be like giving birth.
However, according to exercise physiologist George Wilson, that's exactly what I've got to get rid of in order to succeed this next year unscathed.
I ended my first week of training at Wilson Health & Fitness Centre, based at Executive Fitness in the Old Haymarket off Dale Street and, fat issues aside, things went as well as I could have hoped.
George has worked with plenty of the north west's top football clubs and tons of acclaimed jockeys, including Frankie Dettori.
However, whipping me into shape presents a whole lot of different problems.
After going through a series of tests, George shaved my chest – in a very doctor and patient kind of way, I might add – then got me on the exercise bike and wired me up to the ECG for a stress test.
This was to measure the condition of my heart.
I had a target of 165bpm to achieve – that's just above 85% of my heart rate maximum - while keeping the bikes speed above 70.
Meanwhile, George was upping the resistance on the ergometer every minute.
At first it was easy enough and I was chatting away and sitting back on the saddle.
But all too soon I was sweating like a pig in a blanket, panting like a dog on heat and shaking like a . . . well, you get the picture.
I made it past my target but fatigue kicked in fast and within a matter of minutes I was spent – thighs burning and dripping with sweat.
The problem is down to my higher end fitness. When I tired, I tired fast.
Like my standard health check, my fitness is fine for any normal person my age, and with my sporting habits.
But compared to professional athletes my fitness is farcical.
What I need to do is increase my energy, strength and stamina which will take me those extra miles.
Another area that needs work is my flexibility. Sitting up with my legs out straight I could only manage to push my finger tips 12 cm over my toes – which is about 40% short of what I need to be capable of.
Also, while I have good grip strength, my left hand is substantially weaker than my right. No jokes required, thank you.
And while The Great 08 programme starts a lot sooner than you might imagine, my target now is to drop the extra 20 pounds inside 10 weeks – in time for event number two on the calendar for which I have to be at my lightest.
Have I got you curious yet? Then don't miss next week's column to find out exactly what I will be competing against over the next year.

WATCH IT: See an interview with George Wilson and watch Nick struggling through his medical online at: www.liverpoolecho.co.uk/videos

Stick from the stars

• Posted by Nick Peet at 12:38 PM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

OLYMPIC champion Stephen Parry rolled back in his chair with a wiry grin and a glint in his eye at the Sports Personality of the Year Awards this week.
I sat facing him, under a barrage of questions and the butt of a ton of cheap jokes.
Monday night's awards at the ECHO Arena gave the region's sports stars the first opportunity to quiz me on the year ahead and Parry was loving every minute.
Tranmere boss Ronnie Moore's smile and shake of the head said it all, while Saints skipper Paul Sculthorpe's hearty handshake and best wishes masked what was really on his mind.
Needless to say the best abuse came from my own table.
Young swimming sensation Francesca Halsall stared at me open- mouthed while I talked her through my plans for the year ahead, while the array of boxers simply poked fun at my current condition and made plans to take their turns putting me through a 'real' training session.
Meanwhile, Mr Parry just sat back and enjoyed the show.
It was Steve who inspired the challenge and I get the feeling that he's going to enjoy this year as much as anybody else.
“I can't believe you're actually going to try and do this,� Parry finally offered, once the giggles ceased. “Good luck. You're going to need it.�

Sacrifices to achieve my goal

• Posted by Nick Peet at 12:37 PM | add or read comments (0) | TrackBacks (0)

WITH my first event already on the horizon, I am concentrating on my road work and pounding the pavement.
After a week of jogging – probably my least favourite type of exercise – I have stepped up to consistently run five miles inside 45 minutes.
But, after taking advice from George Wilson, I picked up a heart rate monitor this week so as to make sure I am working at my most productive levels.
And, aside from some seriously chafed nipples from all that running, I am also injury free.
My weight is already dropping off, while I have also started to eat breakfast, which I now understand to be the most vital meal of the day.
Despite a night off on Monday, my beer intake has been replaced by smoothies packed with semi skimmed milk and fresh fruit, while cheese and mayonnaise is off the shopping list until next Christmas.
Thankfully, my new diet plan isn't a million miles away from what I eat anyway.
Plenty of fresh pasta, potatoes, white meat and good old H2O is the order of the day.
What I will miss though is Mexican food, crisps, cheddar cheese and my weekend blow-outs, of course.
But to compete like a champion, you've got to live like a champion.
My body is now my temple.

My god, my nipples are sore . . .

• Posted by Nick Peet at 4:09 PM | add or read comments (3) | TrackBacks (0)

Great 08 Blog entry – Feb 4 2008

ONE thing few people tell you about when you start jogging regularly is chafing.
I've been treated to a mini insight into what new breast-feeding mothers endure this week after failing to protect my man boobs from their new arch enemy – clothing!
It was only after I felt like I'd been given two of the world's most uncomfortable nipple twisters that a friend of mine belatedly reminded me; “make sure you put some Vaseline on your nipples.�
Apparently, he was serious too.
Instead I picked up one of those black skin tight sports tops that are being worn by practically every footballer these days.
Although, admittedly, I look more 'whale from the sea' than 'Stevie G'.
However, this grease revelation did give my next run a rather comedy twist.
It's great pottering around Sefton Park imagining all the people running in the opposite direction have, just minutes earlier, been rubbing lubricants on their nipples and groin.
Needless to say, I got caught ogling more than once whenever a pretty girl in a sports bra crossed my path.
Thankfully, my pavement pounding is going pretty well all things considered.
I'm not a runner by any stretch of the imagination, so to be doing five mile runs inside the first week is definitely one early target reached.
Now I've just got to master the extra eight and this initial Half Marathon challenge will be a cinch!