Something Missing From Your Training? GPP

The missing element is…being ‘generally’ fit

So I was first introduce to this ‘generally’ fit concept when I read it in Supertraining by Yuri Verkhoshansky & Mel C. Siff (a terrific read, that you will have to re-read multiple times). However, I didn’t start using the principle until I was given it by my coach Greg Farris of Myobrain. Since doing it personally and knowing what it is about, I can really see why it holds such an important role. Simply stated, almost every athlete of any sport should be doing it to some extent.

What does it mean to be generally fit?
Verkhoshansky & Siff call this General Physical Preparedness or GPP for short, it is characterised by the progressive development of motor skills through a wide variety of non-specific exercises.

It’s role is to expose the athlete to a wide variety of physical fitness skills to enhance well rounded and healthy development. Exercises chosen are general in nature, but specific in function, allowing such improvements even though they are different than those of the desired sport type.

In essence you get fit to train, we are building and or maintaining a functional base for our sport.

Medvedyev describes the exclusive role GPP plays in the overall training programme:

1. The formation, strengthening or restoration of the habits which play an auxiliary, facilitatory role in sport perfection.
2. As a means of educating abilities, developed insufficiently by the selected type of sport, raising and or preserving the general work capacity.
3. As active rest, assisting the restoration process after significant, specific loading and counteracting the monotony of training.

When you combine Medvedyev’s three point description, with the above we come to some pretty awesome GPP prescriptions:

• It needs to be general in nature, but specific in function, using a wide range of different movements & modalities.
• It needs to be fun, different and non-exhausting.
• If the above two principles are met it will facilitate our sport, by enhancing our recovery and building general work capacity.

Exercise selection:
Exercises should consist of any means that elevates a certain trait required by the athlete, or found within the sport itself. They should be working on areas that are neglected by sport specific exercises.

So knowing the above would you wouldn’t give 2×5 clean and jerk to an Olympic weight lifter, but that may be suitable for a Powerlifter. Remember, the exercises chosen are general in nature but specific in function, so an Olympic Weightlifter clean and jerks all the time, so it is specific, but a Powerlifter would rarely perform such a movement, so it enhances their general fitness.

I think for GPP to build the best overall, all round general fitness it needs to be full body in nature, meaning the following movement patterns should be included:

• Squat
• Press
• Hinge
• Pull
• Bracing, Crawling, Jumping

This is because it is aimed at raising one’s fitness of many components of many tasks, and therefore should give all round physical development. We are looking to develop general endurance, strength, co-ordination and flexibility.

So you should look to alter load, duration, intensity, type of movement etc. However, remember it should enhance recovery and be fun.

What it might look like for a Powerlifter/Bodybuilder:

Exercise		Reps	Instructions
Push Up		1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10	Bodyweight Circuit- this should take 30 minutes to complete. You will do 1 rep on each exercise, supersetting, then 2, 3 until reaching 10 reps on each exercise, before moving onto the next superset/tri-set. Rest where needed.
Inverted Row
Squat		1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Squat jump
KB Swing		1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Goblet Squat
1 Arm Row		1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
1 Arm Press
Single leg glute bridge (right)		1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Single leg glute bridge (left)
Glute bridge
DB straight legged deadlift		1,2,3,4,5,6,7,8,9,10
Mountain Climbers

So what is missing from your training? General Fitness.

We are looking to improve the bodies functional capacity and therefore it’s general physical preparedness. We do this by incorporating exercises that enhance our sport, but are not specific to it. GPP needs to be fun, stress free and not take away from your recovery.

My athletes all seem to really enjoy GPP and there is no reason you won’t too, so go on, get fit!