What is General Preparation Period? How do we use it?

General Preparation Period, or GPP is the foundational strength and conditioning work. Generally associated with out of season work outs. This training is designed to be less specific to your goals or your sport movements. During GPP phases or work outs you will emphasize bringing up weak points but while also enhancing overall abilities such as work capacity, strength, conditioning, body mechanics, and endurance.

Training is a pyramid gpp is the basis of your body’s general abilities, without this foundation your sport specific abilities will lack in comparison to what they could be. This doesn’t mean everyone needs to train a specific way, exercise can have a huge individual component. What you enjoy doing is important so you stay consistent.

One of the great things of GPP Training is that multiple different sports can train together. This obviously is the aspect of general preparation. The closer an athlete is to the competitive season the more you can sprinkle in sport specific moves. I personally would make sport specific training completely separate from weight training depending on the sport. Non the less more unilateral and rotational movements will be added, sport specific sessions can happen mostly with technical work during sport practices. Or a dedicated session.

That being said here’s a simple week of work outs for an off-season combat sports athlete. 4 work outs, using a conjugate style program.

Day 1: Max effort lower

Warm up: x4

• Walking lunges: x20

• Band pull apart: x25

  Hip circle squats: x20

• Planks: 40 seconds

Workout:

Squat: 75% x3x3, 80% x2x2, 85%x1, 87%x1, 90%x1, 91%x1. 2 min rest at most

Superset 1:

• A1) Block pulls knee height: 75%x5x5

• A2) split squat: 5x12

• A3) kb swing: 5x20

Superset 2:

• B1) bb bent row: 3x10

• B2) KB snatch: 3x8 each arm

• B3) heel elevated goblet squat: 3x15

Condition:

10 min sled: 20 yard backwards, 20 yards Over the shoulder, 20 yards push handles if applicable. Use body weight plus or minus 25 lbs

D2: Push max effort

Warm up: x4

• Pushups: x20

• Db curls: x20

• Band pull aparts: x25

• Dead bugs: x20

Workout:

Push press: 75%x3x3, 80%x2x2, 85%x1, 87.5%x1, 90%x1, 91%x1

Superset 1:

• A1) Floors press: 75%x5x5

• A2) chest supported row or seal row: 5x12

• A3) Decline sit ups: 5x20

Superset 2:

• B1) DB Clean and press: 3x12

• B2) Dips: 3x15

• B3) chin ups: 3x5+

Conditioning:

2 rounds: airdyne 5 min zone 2-3 hr, 1 min rest rower 5 min zone 2-3, 1 min rest, jog 5 min, rest 2 min

D3: Speed lower

Warm up: x4

• Alternating Reverse lunges: x20

• Band pull aparts: x25

• Seated high jumps: x5

• Sit ups: x20

Workout:

High pull from floor: 50-65%x8x3, 30-40 second rest

box squat: 50%x8x3, 30 sec Break

Superset 1:

• A1) RDL: 5x5

• A2) Walking lunges: 5x 20 yards

• A3) pull ups: 5x8

Superset 2:

• B1) DB bent row: 3x15

• B2) Db Reverse lunges: 3x20

• B3) hanging leg lifts: 3x20

Conditioning:

10 min sled: 20 yards rows, 20 yards Lateral each side, 20 yards Over shoulder

D4: Speed upper

Warm up: x4

• Db Seated curl: x12

• Db Seated ohp: x15

• Db bench: x25

• Boxer crunches: x20

Work out:

Bench: 55%x8x3, 30 sec rest

Push press: 50-60% x8x3, 30 sec rest

Superset 1:

• A1) Incline bench: 5x8

• A2) Hammer curls: 5x20

• A3) front raise: 5x12

  Superset 2:

• B1) Dips: 4x20

• B2) chin ups: 4x10

• B3) Decline sit ups: 4x20

Conditioning:

Airdyne: 30 sec fast, 15 sec base x10, 10 min zone 2-3

With this 4 day work out plan I would keep the main exercises the same for 3-4 weeks building up to over 95% on max effort days, and closer to 70% on dynamic or add accommodating resistance on speed days. The secondary exercises will rotate ever 2 weeks, some movements like Dips and chin ups will stay in all the time but the reps will get altered.

These work outs should take about 45-60 minutes for the lifting the conditioning can be done immediately after or later in the day.

I hope this helped shed light for some on the reasoning to use general strength training. Strong thick muscles that can move through full range of motions will protect the body during your sport. This doesn’t mean don't do functional movements, this just means foundational strength is very important if you only have an hour a day to weight lift I would use compound movements due to the major benefits.

If you have more questions or would be interested in simple and effective exercise programing please contact me via email Adkbjj@gmail.com.

Thank you for reading

Justin.