Keep it going!!

Apologies for not blogging for a while...anyway, I won't go into the reasons why...as that would start thing off negatively...



Workout of the day: 20 mins chaos workout

3 mins cardio of your choice - straight to 3 upper body exercises doing 1 set of each for 10-15 reps
repeat x5 with the only rest being walking in bewteen exercises

NB vary the cardio if you want e.g.run/bike/skip/X-trainer but keep it to 3mins
NB2 vary the upper body- try just bodyweight- 10 chins, 20 press ups, 10 dips

Enjoy


Tip of the day: After your workout if you've got access to a sauna or steam room try a cold shower(or plunge pool if you are lucky) straight after leaving the hotter atmosphere. Repeat this 3 or 4 times....you'll feel re-vitalised. If you haven't got the sauna/steam try 2 mins hot shower and do 20 second blasts under cold...

Train hard, train smart

Neil

Training, training and more training!!

I came across this recently...those of you that know me, know I'm all about physical preparation and true athletic performance... well these guys are amongst the greatest athletes ever...

Enjoy..



That sort of stuff just makes me want to go and train!!

As the tough guy is only 5 days away, my next post will be about peaking for the big day!

Don't forget I'm raising money for Cancer Research and you can still sponsor me at http://www.justgiving.com/neilparsley

I realised yesterday that I'd forgotten to post my training at the end of the last update. So here's the last 2 weeks or so of hard work!!

My Training log

Day 29
Pesonal Best!!
Did my usual bike loop for a Saurday morning, but decided as I had to stop to pick something up at approx. half way that I would go all out for the first part...well anyone who knows the Wirral should be a little impressed.. I think..I did from my house in West Kirby to the bottom of Beryl Road in Noctorum in 13 mins 40secs..and I stopped at pedestrian lights for an old lady to cross as there was plenty of people about!!! Total ride time 39 mins


Day 28
Early run
I knew I had a busy day planned so I set the alarm clock for 5.45, got dressed and left the house as quiet as a mouse so I didn't wake Josh or Alfie and did 3 miles easy run...nothing fancy..especially after yesterday's intervals. I did 50 press ups, 15 overhand chins & 25 dips 5 mins after getting back.HR 150-170. Job done & off to work


Day 27
Intervals!!
This was the exact same session that I was nearly sick on, 13 days previous (see posts below)
This time I managed 7 reps of the 1km treadmill intervals with bodyweight exercises in between..... for the last 90 seconds of the 7th and last 1km I was imagining every member of my immediate family standing right next to the treadmill and how they would be shouting at me to finish the last rep!!! Now that's a kickass interval session...and I know that's hard work in the bank!! Max HR 200!!!!


Day 26
Fresh head!!
You'll realise why I've mentioned 'fresh head' when you read the next day's info...but all I'll say is that I was up bright and early to run up a really steep hill to the highest point in Sheffield that I could see out of my hotel window on the previous night. Duration 35 mins.HR 160-192

Day 25
EIS National Conference
Ok, so here's where the discipline really was tested...The EIS National Conference held once per year is the only time that all 350 people who work for the Institute get together- a combination of interesting key note speakers and topic specific workshops..as well as a huge PI** up on the 1st night. (last year was a 6pm-4am session with numerous top strength coaches and performance analysts..crazy dancing and stupid drinking games!!)

As we were leaving at 11am for the Conference I made sure I got a fairly tough 4 mile run (HR 160-185) in before meeting the rest of the strength & conditioning coaches to travel to Sheffield in Jonesy's pride and joy...his new BMW!!

After Steve Cram (800m/1500m ledgend and our Chief Executive) offically opened the Conference and new National Director, Conor O'Shea (Ex Ireland & London Irish rugby player) gave his speech on getting focused and getting down to some hard work for the coming year but also mentioning long term planning for the biggest sporting event to ever take place in this country.. London 2012 Olympics...everyone got into the swing of the things with the excellent 4 course meal with plenty of free wine....except for me who had fresh orange all night and promptly snuck out before the dessert to get some much needed bo peep and unfortunately steer clear of all my crazy mates!!

Day 24
Rest Day

Day 23
Trail run.Had a great run around the marine lake, followed by the 'beast' (hill..see earlier posts) which I continued to run off after I got to the top...1st time ever!!..stayed on the fell for a futher 20 mins finding a couple of new trails in the process. Run time 55 mins. HR 150-196. 50 press ups & 10 handstand push ups when I got back. I did some some contrast showering (hot & coldx5 approx.20 secs of each) for a bit of regeneration followed by a really good stretch especially on calves and soleus


Day 22
Easy... again!!
40 mins easy bike ride. HR 130-145. I had to stop myself going at it hard as I knew I needed to be fresh for the much more important long multi-terrain run I had planned for Sunday.


Day 21
Easy run
3 miles easy before getting in the car to go to work. More about getting my legs continaully used to running so that I'm ready to step the mileage and intensity up next week before I ease down before the race. 25 mins HR 150-170

Day 20
Recovery day
45 minutes on the mincer...sorry the X-trainer...two of the other coaches I work with each have pet names for the X-trainer..Cookey (S&C coach for England Squash) calls it the mincer- as he thinks it's only for weak men or women..sorry if you're either...while Jonesy (S&C for GB water polo) calls it the 'the desperate housewife machine'...either way I didn't get off feeling like a real man but the goal of the session was recovery and to give my feet a rest from any impact..so it did the trick!!

Day 19
Wrestling circuit
Because the wrestlers I coach, have realised I've stepped up my training for the impending tough guy, they have been giving me a bit of stick about doing one of the circuits- the one's that I usually stand there, with my whistle and stopwatch, shouting at them and trying to push them to spewsville!!
So, I gave the whistle and stopwatch to Anatloi (GB head coach-former Ukranian head coach) and got stuck in!! 40 mins later the guys we're telling me that they thought I was quite.... fit for an old fart!! Cheers lads..
**The circuit was composed of 12 wrestling specific stations e.g rope climb, dummy throw, elastics, neck rolls etc.. Each station was 30secs with the rest being 30 secs of running around the outside of the mat...yes..there wasn't any rest!!!...a real tough circuit...we did 3 circuits with 2 mins rest between circuits..I was totally spent by the end, but obviously didn't let the lads see/know this!!

Day 18
Across the Mersey again!!
Rode to work in Liverpool again today, great ride...nice fresh day...great views of the world famous Liver building and new Echo Arena..ride time 1 hr 10. HR 130-145

Till next time

Train hard, train smart

Neil

http://www.justgiving.com/neilparsley

Will Smith show's why he really is the MAN!

Amazing & brilliant, yes??

So, it's not just luck that this guy is where is he is..........................
HE IS SO DRIVEN and PASSIONATE about achieving what he wants!! I guarantee that he doesn't bother with enegy takers!!

Now make sure that you treat the goal or goals you have set with the same drive, commitment and focus!!

Training Tip- Make sure to add some kind of overhead pressing from standing into your next workout. You can use dumbells, a barbell or any weighted object. Ensure you brace your core hard and don't arch your back and you'll get a great core workout as well as working your shoulders and arms.

Enjoy the weekend and get plenty of training done

Train hard, train smart

Neil

http://www.justgiving.com/neilparsley

Are you using the SAID Principle in your training and in your lifestyle?

SAID stands for: Specific Adaptation to Imposed Demands


For us all this is one of the most important principles of training- along with overload and progression principles!


In a nutshell it means that a certain exercise or type of training produces adaptations specific to the activity performed- Come on Neil that's obvious...I hear you saying...YES but there are hundreds and thousands of people that train, that don't get IT!!!!


Let me use some mistakes I saw in the gym only the other night as examples..

1. Why would someone who sits on their bum all day in an office go to the gym and sit on a bike or rowing machine!!!! Unless they are training specifically for a cycling or rowing competition this is madness!!! - The more you sit down the tighter your hip flexors become the less you fire your glutes (muscles of your backside) and generally these people are more prevolent to bad backs..they need to get on their feet get themselves into a good posture (shoulders back, chin up) and get running/walking or at worst on the X-trainer!!




2. Why would someone trying to lose bodyfat and increase lean muscle mass to speed up their metabloism do isolation exercises e.g bicep curls. They need to be doing multi-joint exercises using the big muscles of thier bodies e.g squats, pull ups, dips, standing shoulder presses etc..




3. Why would someone who has poor posture in their upper body i.e. rounded shoulders, go to the gym and do pec deck or bench press when these are the muscles that are already tight and producing the bad posture. They need to get off the chest exercises and start stretching the tight pectoral muscles and start doing some exercises for the upper back muscles e.g face pulls, seated row- anything that gets the shoulder blades squeezing together.
   

Now do you see what I mean...we all should have alittle think before we start training next time!

One more thing...for those people who realise that their posture is poor and are performing stretches and strengthening exercises to rectify their muscular imbalances....don't forget that there's no point in thinking just because you worked your back and stretched your chest in the gym for 1 hour, 2 or 3 times per week ,that everything will be solved...NO....it's back to the SAID principle...you must continually check your posture throughout the day (get up and walk around the office every 1/2 hour) or else nothing will change.

Poor posture...and correcting it, is something I'm really passionate about!! So I'll be posting more on this area in the future!!

**Finally, some of you may know that my wife's mum (Connie) is battling breast cancer at the moment and that I'm doing the tough guy race on the 1st Feb in aid of the Clatterbridge Cancer Research fund. Any sponsorship would be really appreciated, so click on the link below to see more info and donate, thanks.

http://www.justgiving.com/neilparsley

Train hard, train smart

Neil

My training log

Day 13 Friday 9th January

Steady as she goes!- 10 min row and 30 mins on the X-trainer with a HR max of 150. Nice easy session after the previous days intervals. I did 1 set of 15 hammer grip pull ups after the X-trainer.

Day 14

More fresh air- 1 hour bike ride. Heart rate 140-160. By no means an easy ride but as the temeperature was definately below freezing it felt good to push the heart rate a little more than I thought I was going to. I also did 8 handstand push ups and 12 wide grip chins when I got home.

Day 15

Big run- 60 minutes oudoor run. I got my ipod on (1st time ever running), cranked up some old school dance mucic and had a really great run. Towards the end I was feeling it in my legs but was really happy to complete this duration of run as it's been about 3 or 4 years since I last did.

Day 16

Day off-Really needed this rest day, my bodies in bits as I've steadily stepped up the intensity and volume! Trying to be really good with food intake at the moment to aid in recovery.

http://www.justgiving.com/neilparsley

One Week on

'If you always DO what you've always DONE, then expect to GET what you've always GOT!!'

For me this a great quote that says....1 week on from New Year if you decided to make a change to train better and eat better....then don't even think about slacking off because if you do, you'll be right back where you were....and didn't want to be!!!


'If you want to BE DIFFERENT, you've got to DO DIFFERENT THINGS!'


...So if you're out of your 'comfort zone' by eating healthier and training harder or more regularly...GOOD, you will see the benefits because you're doing something DIFFERENT....and strangely enough ,although most people think they want to change...they don't!!

Don't be like the majority...be DIFFERENT and keep making the changes...MAKE SURE YOU DO WHAT'S NECESSARY TO ACHEIVE YOUR FIRST MINI-GOAL-(If you haven't already, make sure you've got a mini-goal for the end of January e.g. inches lost around waist, weight on scales, bodyfat % etc..)

Train hard, train smart

Neil

My training-

Day 11
Got to work!!
Although I'd scheduled intervals on the treadmill it was never going to happen with the workload I have on Wednesday's....so I didn't train and will adjust my schedule so that my rest day is Wednesday in future.


Day 12
EPOC training at it's best!
Warm up jog for 5 mins
Repetition 1: 1km @ 14Km/h straight into 10 underhand chins, 15dips and 20 alternating shoulder presses
No rest
Repetition 2: 1km @ 14.2Km/h straight into 10 overhand chins, 10 clap press ups and 20 lateral raises
No rest
Repetition 3: 1km @ 14.6Km/h straight into 10 underhand chins, 15dips and 20 alternating shoulder presses
No rest
Repetition 4: 1km @ 15Km/h straight into 10 overhand, 15dips and 20 20 lateral raises
No rest
Repetition 5: 1km @ 15.5Km/h straight into 10 underhand chins, 15dips and 20 alternating shoulder presses


I found this a really tough training session (HR 192 at the end-pretty much max for me) but I think it will be perfect training for the Tough guy race- Although I actually think that this is a great session (for variety of training) as far as the combination of upper body endurance exercises and high intensity cardio...Give it a try you could bike or row instead of running just aim to keep the cardio to no more than 5 mins in duration.

**I'm going to aim to complete 10 repetitions by the end of Jan all at 15km/h+!!

Email blogs so far...

6th January

Hi all

After being sent several plans outlining goals, baseline measurements and training plan I have a really good feeling about 2009 being a year of change and success.

Even if you haven’t sent yours in, try to write them down as this will ensure more thought and commitment and will serve as a reference point in the coming months- 1 more thought, writing your goals down doesn’t only have to apply to your fitness and health, don’t forget financial and other personal goals…more about these in future blogs!

Training tip: If you’re doing cardio don’t just settle for doing minute upon minute of steady state exercise- alternate high and low intensity- aka. INTERVAL TRAINING.
As well as taking the boredom out of training the research (Haltom et al. 1999) backs up the fact that your metabolism can be elevated for up to 16 hours!!-this sustained oxygen consumption is known as the excess postexercise oxygen consumption (EPOC)- just think about the extra calories burnt off!!!
** A Parsley rule of thumb for intervals is, if you’re not fully focused on what you’re doing (i.e.not watching tv or talking) or aren’t thinking can I finish the number I’ve set out to do…. you need to crank up the intensity!! (See below for example session)

Train hard, train smart

Neil


Day 9-Monday 5th Jan
Interval hell!
Treadmill 3 mins warm up at 10km/h followed by 8x1 minute intervals starting at 15 km/h with the last one being at 18.8Km/h-recovery is jogging at 10km/h for 1 minute in between
I always try to increase the speed of the intervals as I go-although this time I thought I’d pushed the speed to high on the last rep..but through sheer determination just stayed on to complete the minute!

I didn’t have time to do the planned rowing intervals after the treadmill intervals today as I hadn’t really given myself enough time in the gym before I had to get to work and coach my track and field athletes. Even so, I thought the effort on the treadmill had the desired ‘high intensity’ effect (hopefully with a good EPOC) which was what the session was all about!
Before leaving work I did 8 handstand push ups followed by 12 wide grip chins just to keep the bodyweight training going.

Day 10 Tuesday 6th Jan
Ferry across the Mersey
Although I’d planned my recovery cardio for in the gym I couldn’t resist getting on my bike and cycling to work (I work out of a ‘satellite’ Institute of Sport gym at John Moores University on a Tuesday), this meant 60 mins (HR 120-140) cycling to Seacombe ferry terminal and nostalgic trip on the most famous ferry in the world across the River Mersey- see picture (what a great view)
On arrival at work I did 15 underhand chins and had a good stretch


4th January

Hi all

Ok, so hopefully you’ve all had a good think about your goals. (Make sure you’ve read my first email). Below is how I’ve set mine out. If you haven’t already written yours down, feel free to copy and paste my tables.

Now my weekly plan:-

Info:-
Cardio training: cycle 4 days on 1 day off- 2 of the 4 cardio days will be high intensity intervals with the other two being longer runs- Ideally I would prefer to do only one long run but as the toughguy at the end of the month is over ~12 miles I’ve got to get my mileage up as the last time I ran that sort of distance I was 21!!
Day 1 Run 8x1mins with 1 min jog recovery + Row 30secs hard rest 30secs x6
Day 2 10 mins row,20 mins Xtrainer, 20 mins bike –Heart Rate ~140-50
Day 3 **Run 1km x5 with bodyweight exercises between reps
Day 4 Run 6 mile or repeat day 2 -depending on how legs are feeling

Strength training: Some type of bodyweight exercise 6 days per week—again this is linked to my 1st mini goal as the race is basically one big assault course I’ll need to be extra good at handling my bodyweight for the climbing/pulling etc.

**Towards the end of this week I’ll combine the running and bodyweight sessions to be a bit more specific e.g run 1km do 20 press ups, 10 chins & 15 dips..trying to repeat this 3 or 4 times to begin with- but that’s next week!!

In the past I’ve set goals but failed to hit them for a variety of reasons, so last year I thought that I had to make myself more accountable for all of the areas that were involved in reaching my goal…..that’s when I came up with a daily ‘accountability sheet’ (DAS). Now this can be as in depth as you want but I’ve found after using it, the more in depth the better- I suppose it depends what type of person you are, some people do this in their head. If you do fail to hit your desired goal a quick look at your DAS will highlight where you went wrong.

Here’s my daily accountability sheet as an example, this was last Friday for me

As you can see not too bad but I think more of a regular pattern when I start back at work on Monday will help to get the desired 75%+.


Any questions about any of the above, just ask!


Train hard & train smart

Neil

Training tip: if you always train indoors try and find a way to get outdoors and do some training- variation is a great way to remain interested in your training!

Today’s preparation determines tomorrow’s achievement
Lance Armstrong


My training log

Day 7
Hills of doom
Training today was a 4 mile multi-terrain run on a cold but glorious day. I ran with my sister Kate, her good man Tony and my wife Louby. The pace was nice and easy for the first 2 miles which is a good job as I’d promised to take my little sister on this particular run for a while now mainly due to-the hill of death!! This hill is about 300m steep climb on road which flattens out while you cross another road, followed by an off road climb of about 300m which starts off that steep you are almost on all fours scrambling, flattens out…well not really, it just becomes steep and then finishes the way it began and all the time you are weaving in and out of heathers and being challenged with uneven terrain!!!

Fair play to all concerned maximum effort was put in on the hill and other than the abuse launched at me while I was nearly puking myself at the top, the hill reminded me personally that I’ve got a long way still to go to get in toughguy shape!!

I must add that Louby proved that a solid base of years of hardcore high intensity training cannot be underestimated as this was only her second run in 4 ½ months (not to mention the birth of Alfie 7 ½ months ago) and she finished the stronger out of the four of us!!

Day 8
Rest day
No training today- thank goodness…to be truthful I had planned to have yesterday off and run today but my sister was flying back to Amsterdam early today and I really wanted to show her the killer hill run we did (as I knew they’d both love it).

Anyway, really needed a day’s rest as I could feel myself getting slightly run down although I’m really looking forward to hitting the intervals hard tomorrow.



January 2nd

Hi all

Happy New Year

I’ve spoken to some of you about an idea I’ve had regarding a website which would look to, in a nutshell, convey everything I’ve learnt in the last 15 years of training and living sport as both a passion and a job. The site would have various components e.g. videos of correct exercise technique, up to date articles, info about athletes that I train, motivational messages etc. As part of keeping the site up to date and interesting I would look to keep a blog- A blog (abbreviation for web log) is supposed to provide insight or news on a particular subject on a regular basis.

So… to make sure that I won’t waste my time and money and to check that I can convey what’s in my head onto a computer-on regular basis, I’ve decided to start by writing a daily blog to the people I know will tell it to me as it is- My family and best mates!


OK here we go….
I know what you’re all thinking…New Years Resolution let’s get training more, get fitter and looking better, great let’s do it!!!……..but most people unfortunately won’t accomplish there goals as they don’t plan exactly HOW they are going to achieve them. Successful people no matter what they are doing have a plan….some people can get lucky and succeed without planning but the success rate is much higher with some simple planning.

Now I’m not saying you need an integrated periodised plan that world class athletes use but I do think you need to:-

Define your ultimate goal (amount of weight to lose, bodyfat % decrease, inches to lose, fitness improvement, amount of weight to gain!)

Do a bench mark test- could be a photograph, waist measurement etc, fitness test, weight on scales, obviously linked to your goals. Try to ake sure you do something!

Set some mini goals- Not too many but I suggest having at least one by the end of this month. e.g. lose 4lbs by 31st Jan or lose 1 inch off waist by 31st Jan or get fit for a race

Write down what could stop you achieving your goals- work, poor nutrition etc

Write down a simple training/ nutrition plan to achieve your first goal e.g run mon , wed, & fri with body conditioning after each run + in general increase protein intake but decrease amount of complex carbs and cut out any desserts/ treats mon-fri



Ok so have a go at putting your plan together and in my next email I’ll describe mine in a bit more detail.

As it’s the weekend tomorrow it’s a great chance for everyone to start their new regime!!

My training today- Day 6
25 minute run (which has a few nice hills included) followed by a good lower body stretch, 1set of 12 overhand chins and 1 set of 10 roll outs using the ab wheel. Total workout time 45 mins. I felt good at the start but struggled a bit later on a couple of the hills
** I have a little rule on hills, which is- Hit them hard and go as fast as you can on the up as you can get your rest on the flat or on the downhill!! It seems a bit sadistic but again it comes back to training hard physically and getting mentally tougher as well.


Good luck

Neil

The difference between a successful person and others is not a lack of strength, not a lack of knowledge, but rather a lack of will."
Vince LombardiNFL Coach (1913 – 1970)

PS Below for interest is a bit of background info to go with my training plan.

The past 3/4 months I’ve had a few problems from a health perspective in as far as my asthma has been getting gradually worse. I’ve put this down to a few reasons- which I think personally are all linked:-
Lack of sleep due to arrival of Alfie (now 6 months old)
Regular illnesses
Lack of cardiovascular training
Poor nutrition-my asthma is also triggered by various foods- I know what they are but unfortunately they’re some of my favourites- cheese, eggs, red wine!!!

So, if sorting out my health is my ultimate goal, I decided first of all I need a mini-goal to ensure that I had something to give me the required discipline to begin with. I chose the Tough guy race (http://www.toughguy.co.uk/) which will take place on 1st Feb 2009.
I’m basically going to write down all of my training and various thoughts as this may give an insight into a variety of training techniques for someone with a particular goal (a 12 mile cross country/assault course) with limited time to train due to work and family commitments.

I decided not to wait until the 1st Jan for 3 reasons-1. My lack of fitness 2. lack of time till the run and 3. I thought, get some discipline and get focused now!-that was on the 27th Dec so my first day of training and good nutrition was 28th Dec.

Day 1-28th Dec
Let’s get started!
1. 4 mile bike ride. Heart rate 120-140. I really had to fight with myself to take it easy throughout as over the last 4 months I’ve tried to return to cardio training and gone mad with high heart rate sessions (180+) which have consequently made me ill again.
2. 50 press ups just before I undressed to get into the shower- I’m going to aim to do some kind of bodyweight conditioning (chins, dips, press ups, sit ups, 1 leg squats etc) before every shower regardless if I trained or not!

[**In the past my cardio training has always been about high heart rate interval sessions with very little low intensity/ recovery sessions. The reasons for this type of training are twofold, firstly, I’d always believed interval training made you really fit (the good thing is I know that this is true as it is backed by many research papers) and secondly interval training makes you mentally strong- a quality that is great to have for all manner of situations.]

Day 2-29th Dec
Nice and steady!
20 Minutes slow jog on the treadmill. I only covered 4Km but again I didn’t want to push my heart rate too high as it was more about getting it done and being healthy again to train tomorrow. I followed the run with 1 set of 15 overhand chins(equalling my PB!) and 1 set of 30 dips.

Day 3-30th Dec
Time to try out my Christmas present!
Ok I admit, I gave a huge hint to my wife to get me a toddler seat for my bike for Christmas(see picture) as I thought that it would be a great way of getting some much needed cross training done as well as combining this with spending time with Josh (and I knew Josh would love going fast down the hills)

Day 4-31st Dec
A change of plan!
I arrived at work early to do some intervals on the treadmill. One problem the building was closed as I’d forgotten about the Christmas/ New Year opening times. So instead of cancelling the workout and sitting in my car on my laptop I braved the
-4 temperature and did ½ mile warm up jog followed by 6x150m hill sprints(with slow jogging back down the hill recovery) on a decent hill not far from Sportcity. After jogging back I did 50 press ups before showering.

Day 5-1st Jan
It’s cold
New Years Day saw the Parsley family head to the hills of North Wales in search of some much needed fresh air. Llandegla forest was the chosen destination picked by my brother Matty. So we eagerly set off with my bike with the toddler seat attached (for Josh and I) and the baby-backpack that my wife would wear for Alfie. As we got closer to Llandegla is was becoming more obvious to me that the temperature was decreasing and that the wind-chill factor would be seriously cold. On arriving and getting out of the car my previous thoughts were reinforced…it was bloody freezing!! That meant a plan a B was needed- as there was no way that a 6 month baby and 2 ½ year old could be out in the open let alone on the back of a bike. My sister Kate and her new husband Tony suggested a run on the mountain bike trail while my wife would push the two boys around the same track-PERFECT. So off we went fully ‘clad’ in Under Armour ‘Cold Gear’ kit for a 30 minute off road run in -3 temperature that actually felt more like -10…God love Under Armour- Cheers Tony