General Physical Preparedness (GPP) is incorporated into strength and conditioning programs to build the strength and endurance necessary to prepare athletes to train for their sport. GPP training builds work capacity in the areas of endurance, strength, flexibility, speed, coordination, and balance. GPP exercises can include strength training, endurance training, plyometrics and cross training.
What the Experts have to Say
In outlining a periodized training plan the National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA) describes General Physical Preparedness (GPP) as a General Preparatory Phase. In this manner GPP is described as a key component of early off-season training that is designed to develop general motor abilities and skills through a high volume and low intensity training plan that incorporates a variety of exercises.¹ Former USSR Strength Guru Yuri Verkhoshansky takes GPP training one step further. He indicates that GPP is most prevalent during the early stages of training, prior to progression to sport specific training and event specific training, but GPP training should be included throughout the training year to maintain fitness levels. For example: sports like track and field have long seasons. Therefore, track and field training includes regular transitional phases that include GPP.
My Thoughts on General Physical Preparedness (GPP)
My simplified take on GPP is that each individual sport has different GPP requirements. There are too many variables in each sport to put GPP into a box. One athlete’s GPP may be another athlete’s sport. Mainstream sports like wrestling, basketball, football, baseball, volleyball, and track, and field don’t require athletes to perform max cleans, squats, deadlifts, or jump on plyo boxes during competition, but these exercises are sure important to prepare the athlete physically to perform at the highest level. In this instance Olympic lifts, powerlifts, plyometrics, and assistance are essentially part of their GPP. However, if you’re an Olympic lifter or powerlifter, some of these movements are sport specific training. When my daughter ran college cross country, they used to have a saying that “our sport is another sports punishment”.
My philosophy follows Verkhoshansky’s approach. I highly recommend his book Super Training. We incorporate a higher volume of GPP when the athletes come in during the off season, but we continue to include GPP throughout the year. There are periods when there is a break in the competition schedule, or around Christmas that present an opportunity to increase GPP. It only makes sense that if you’ve spent so much time building work capacity, that you will want to maintain this work capacity during the season. The sport of wrestling is a great example of a sport that requires a high amount of GPP training throughout the season. This is important due to the physical demands of the sport along with conditioning and injury prevention.
GPP Training for Powerlifting
It’s very important for the competitive powerlifter to include GPP. Legendary Westside Barbell has built its fame by producing very strong powerlifters. The late Louis Simmons was a big proponent of adding GPP through heavy weighted sled drags, pulls and pushes. These movements are added in at different times of the training cycle. For example: they include GPP focused sled pulls at the end of a max effort lower body training session.³ My powerlifting training approach the last 40 years has been to train a high volume of GPP between competition training cycles, and then concentrate more on training the squat, bench, and deadlift as the meet gets closer. My GPP work includes Olympic lifts, sandbags, sleds, farmers walks, log presses, and various other functional strength implements.
GPP Training for the Demands of Life
GPP is important for all athletes, fitness enthusiasts, or those that simply want to maintain health, wellness, fitness, and longevity. Personally, I have transitioned from being a highly competitive strength athlete to a guy that still loves to lift heavy weights. I place a little more emphasis on health and longevity these days along with maintaining functional everyday strength. I incorporate GPP training to maintain the strength necessary for the challenges of life.
Recent Minnesota snow fall reminded me of this… all that work capacity I built through heavy lifting, sandbag lifts, sled pushes, ball slams, and farmers walks was GPP training for removing snow during our cold Minnesota winters. My brother Karl trains his GPP by cutting, splitting, and stacking firewood in between his heavy lifting sessions. Day to day physical labor is much harder if you don’t train. Regardless of if you’re training for longevity or if you are training for sport; don’t forget to include GPP in your training.
Stay Strong!
Brad Gillingham
Enhancing GPP with myHMB®
To maximize the benefits of General Physical Preparedness (GPP) training, it’s essential to support muscle recovery, strength, and endurance. myHMB® (β-Hydroxy β-Methylbutyrate) plays a crucial role in this process by helping to maintain and build muscle, reduce muscle breakdown, and improve recovery—making it a great addition to any training regimen. Whether you’re an athlete looking to increase work capacity, a powerlifter focusing on strength, or someone training for the demands of everyday life, myHMB® can help you stay strong and ready for whatever challenges come your way.
References
- Essentials of Strength Training and Conditioning FE. Preparatory period. National Strength and Conditioning Association (NSCA). September 4, 2020. Accessed December 20, 2024. https://www.nsca.com/education/articles/kinetic-select/preparatory-period/#:~:text=Traditionally%2C%20the%20preparatory%20period%20is,general%20physical%20base%20(3).
- Verkhoshansky Y, Siff MC. Supertraining. Verkhoshansky ; Distributed by Ultimate Athlete Concepts; 2009.
- Sled workouts: Push, pull, and Drag your way to results. Westside Barbell. Accessed December 19, 2024. https://www.westside-barbell.com/blogs/the-blog/sled-workouts.
