General Physical Preparedness 101

General Physical Preparedness or GPP is a phase of training to work on general fitness to improve strength, speed, endurance, balance, and mobility to prepare for more specific training.

The GPP phase of training is the first phase of training for a specific endeavor. You are recovered and ready to begin training. GPP is important to work on because it prepares you for the specific training related to your endeavor, reduces the chance of injury, and allows you to train more when you begin your specific training.

The following information provides specific training to create your GPP training. It is broken down by strength, speed, endurance, balance, and mobility.

Strength

Gaining strength in all these movement patterns will prepare your body for whatever endeavor you pursue. When in the GPP phase, your strength work is focused on the main strength movements of the body:

• A squat

• A hinge

• A vertical push and pull

• A horizontal push and pull

• Carries

• Rotations

Here are some example exercises to incorporate for your strength training:

• Barbell squat

• Barbell deadlift

• Bench press

• Pull-ups

• Shoulder press

• Dumbbell row

• Farmers carries

• Cable twists

Speed

Speed is king in a lot of sports, but it can also benefit your overall ability to produce power. You can increase your speed by doing:

• Hill sprints

• 100/200/400m repeats

• Jumps (box jumps, single leg hops, broad jumps)

• Shuttle runs

• Or apply these to any other sport such as cycling, swimming, rowing, etc.

Endurance

In the GPP phase, endurance training is focused on building your aerobic base. This is your ability to do steady-state work over a period of time. This is an effort that you can maintain for a while, where your HR is relatively low and you are not building up more lactic acid than your muscles can flush out. To build your aerobic base, work at a pace where you are not out of breath and can hold that pace for 45 minutes to 2 hours. Here are some example activities to use for your endurance training:

• Run

• Bike

• Swim

• Row

• Ruck

• Kayak

• Or any other activity that you can do at an aerobic pace

Balance

Balance is important in any sport as it allows you to maintain your coordination, use the amount of power or strength you intend to use, and helps reduce injury. There are many exercises to help your balance, but here are a few simple ones:

• Standing march

• Stand on 1 foot, raise your other knee

• Sit to stand and stand to sit

• Single leg Romanian deadlifts

Mobility

Mobility is key to be able to adequate move your body the way to intend to. This is imperative in any sport. In the GPP phase, focus on some of the main mobility movements:

• Deep squat

• Touch you toes with straight legs

• Bar hands

• Lung stretches

• External/internal hip rotations

Example Training Week During GPP Phase:

These are the main areas to include in your GPP phase. However, everyone’s GPP phase training can look different as it depends on what you are training for. Below is an example training week during the GPP phase with a goal to run a marathon.

Monday

• Aerobic base building

  • Run 45 minutes

Tuesday

• Strength

  • Squats, 3 set of 5 reps

  • Farmers carries, 3 sets of 30 ft

  • Push and Pull-ups superset, 3 sets of max reps

  • Russian twists, 2 sets of 20 reps

• Balance

  • Single leg Romanian deadlifts, 3 sets of 5-8 reps

  • Stand on one leg, lift other knee, 2 sets, 1 minute

• Mobility

  • 15 minutes of various mobility/stretching exercises

Wednesday

• Aerobic base building

  • Run 45 minutes

• Speed

  • 5 hills sprints

Thursday

• Strength

  • Deadlift, 3 sets of 5 reps

  • Shoulder press super set with dumbbell rows, 3 sets of 8-12 reps

  • Lunges, 3 sets of 20 reps

  • Cable twists, 2 sets of 20 reps

• Balance

  • Single leg Romanian deadlifts, 3 sets of 5-8 reps

  • Stand on one leg, lift other knee, 2 sets, 1 minute

• Mobility

  • 15 minutes of various mobility/stretching exercises

Friday

• Recovery

  • Walk, 30 minutes to 1 hour

Saturday

• Aerobic base building

  • Run 1 hour

• Balance

  • Standing march, 2 sets, 1 minute

  • Stand on one leg, lift other knee, 2 sets, 1 minute

Sunday

• Strength

  • Squats, 3 sets of 5 reps

  • Push-up and pull-ups super set, 3 sets, max reps

  • Dumbbell Romanian deadlifts, 3 sets, 8-12 reps

  • Hanging leg raises, 2 sets of 10 reps

• Speed

  • Box jumps, 3 sets 5 reps

• Mobility

  • 15 minutes of various mobility/stretching exercises