GUIDELINES
·  20-60 minutes
·  Work to rest ratio b/w 2:1-4:1
·  3-6 different cyclical activities w/in circuit
·  Strictly nasal breathing
·  Heart rate 60-80% of max
 
BENEFITS
·  Exercise Efficiency: improve ability to sustain higher levels of output aerobically
·  Recovery: promotes blood flow to muscles at low intensities
·  CO2 Tolerance: increases amount of oxygen available to muscles to utilize
·  Blood Flow Redirection: by rotating through different movements that emphasize different body parts, it forces blood to constantly be pumped to different places
·  Heart Rate Awareness: focus on controlling heart rate during rest periods
·  Resting Heart Rate: by increasing stroke volume and cardiac efficiency through more blood being ejected each beat
 
MY GO TO IMPLEMENTATION
·  40-60 minutes: 40s ON/ 20s OFF
·  Exercise Rotation: A) Single Under, B) Ski Erg, C) Rowing, D) Curved Treadmill, E) Assault Bike
·  Nasal Breathing & Heart Rate 140-160bpm
·  I prefer the 2:1 work to rest ratio because it allows me to perform the intervals at higher outputs since I have time to partially recover during the rest.
·  I also have found this to be the best way to order the exercise because
1.  It prevents me from utilizing the same major muscle groups for two continuous intervals, so I’m avoiding metabolite build up in the muscle (staying aerobic) and am training my ability to redirect blood flow
2.  It’s ordered from lowest to highest output (in my opinion), so by the time I finish E) my heart rate is peaking, then during A) & B) it drops back down until it builds back up again, teaching me how to use certain exercises for recovery and control my heart rate

ADAPTATIONS
-  LOCAL MUSCULAR ENDURANCE/WORK CAPACITY: target a specific muscle group by holding one position for an extended duration
-  ACIDOSIS TOLERANCE: performing an isometric in the bottom portion of a movement when the muscle is stretched, causes occlusion leading to a large build of metabolites
-  LACTATE UTILIZATION:  when these metabolites are built up and trapped in the muscle, it improve your ability to recycle them and use them as an immediate fuel source, since there is minimal new blood flow into the muscle
-  TENDON HEALTH: increased tendon and connective tissue thickness and load tolerance
-  INCORRECT COMPENSATION PATTERNS: simplifies teaching individuals how to drive through/fire the correct muscle groups to perform the movement maximally and efficiently
-  MECHANICAL STRESS ON JOINTS: due to the minimal amount of movement and impact that takes place the joints experience nearly no negative effects
 
HOW TO
·  COACHING CUE: when performing isometric don’t think about resisting going down agonist muscles, think about pulling self-down with antagonist muscles (IE: in Bench Press think squeezing scaps down and back to get bigger stretch in chest)
·  Perform the isometrics for 3-5 MINUTES at a near maximal intensity
·  Hold the isometric in the disadvantageous/bottom position of the movement where the muscle is stretched
·  Choose exercises that mimic/utilize muscle groups that are important to high performance in your sport
 
IMPLEMENTATION DURING GPP
(Block 2: Option B)
·  PRESCRIPTION
·  1 set each exercise: 3-5 minutes work/ 3-5 minutes rest, 1-2x per week
·  Start with 15-25% of max for load
·  EXERCISES
·  Right Split Squat, DB Bench Press, DB Chest Supported Row, Left Split Squat, DB Z Press, Glute Bridge w/ Plate Pullover

HOW TO
·  LACTATE RETENTION METHOD is completed by performing an isometric movement immediately following an exercise interval that produces lactate/metabolites
·  The ISOMETRIC MOVEMENT that is used must utilize the same muscle groups as the previous exercise interval and be held at a long muscle length for 20-40 seconds
·  The EXERCISE INTERVAL must produce lactate/metabolites (generally meaning it must occur 20-40 seconds at minimum and be performed at a high intensity)

 
ADAPTATIONS
·  Improved LOCAL MUSCULAR ENDURANCE/acidosis tolerance
·  Increased ability to SUSTAIN HIGH POWER OUTPUTS for longer/lactate tolerance
·  Enhanced LACTATE UTILIZATION
·  Increased time under tension/HYPERTROPHY

 
OTHER BENEFITS
·  Experience LESS MECHANICAL DAMAGE on joints when performing isometrics for extra volume instead performing more repetitions
·  Train at HIGHER INTENSITIES during volume phases because a large percentage of work is made up by submaximal isometric movements
·  Improve BODY AWARENESS by correcting positions and ensuring the right muscles are firing during isometric
·  MINIMIZE fatigue and soreness during high volume training

 
IMPLEMENTING LRM
·  It can be done with any form of exercise that produces lactate
·  For conditioning purposes, I prefer to use bike sprints, stair sprints, jumps squats, and jumping lunge
·  For hypertrophy purposes, I use compound movement like squats, split squats, presses, and pulls
·  When using LRM the adaptations are not global and are only applicable to the muscle group being utilized, so choose the exercises based on the needs of the individual you are working with

Click Link Below to Lactate Retention Method Article
LACTATE RETENTION METHOD

-  MUSCLE ACTIVATION: highest level of motor unit recruitment
-  INTRAMUSCULAR COORDINATION: turning the right muscles on/off for efficient movement
-  VASCULAR SYSTEM ELASTICITY: decrease RHR, limit metaborerlex & remove blockages
-  FAST TWITCH FIBER CAPACITY: increase mitochondrial density and oxygen utilization capabilities
 
HOW I IMPLEMENT THEM IN GPP
(Block 2: Option A)
-  PRESCRIPTION
-  3-5 sets: 5-10 sec work/ 30-60 sec rest, 1-2x per week (circuit fashion)
-  EXERCISES
-  Split Squat Deadlift, Bench Press, SL Hip Thrust, Chest Supported Row, Mid-Thigh Pull, Z-Press

It depends because..
• CARDIAC LAG -> when exercise intensity suddenly increases it takes awhile for your heart rate to climb and match the high outputs you are training at, so it not an accurate measurement of your exertion during short high intensity intervals

INSTEAD, use another metric like watts/speed to measure your perceived exertion when performing high intensity intervals that last less than 60 seconds

UNLESS, you are using the monitor to track your recovery capacity, by measuring how it takes for your heart rate to drop

-  GPP = GENERAL PHYSICAL PREPAREDNESS
-  For future training to be as effective and efficient as possible, time must be dedicated to preparing for the high level of stress you will be gradually encountering
-  This is done by developing a well-rounded foundation that can be built off of
-  DAILY GPP OUTLINE
-  BLOCK 1: Isolate & target lagging or injury prone joints & muscle groups
-  BLOCK 2: Improve neural drive, tendon integrity, and full spectrum energy system development
-  BLOCK 3: Develop oxidative system via both delivery and utilization limitation-based adaptations

Click Link Below for Ultimate GPP 
ULTIMATE GPP PROTOCOL

By: Regan Quaal

​WHAT IS GENERAL PHYSICAL PREPAREDNESS?
            There are many terms in the fitness/strength & conditioning industry that are overused to the point where people can no longer actually define them.  GPP or general physical preparedness is an example of one those terms, that is often spoken about, but hard to define. 
            In its simplest form GPP training is any training that isn’t specific to what is required in your sport or occupation.   Even though GPP training is not specific itself, the idea behind it is that improving your general physical qualities will transfer over to improving your sport specific performance by making you a more robust individual. 
            Robustness is developed by minimizing your weaknesses in your general physical skill set and by widening your scope of physical capabilities to answer any performance related problems you may encounter.
 
GPP: WIDENING THE BASE
            As we have all heard many times, a pyramid can only be as tall as its base is wide.  Essentially, this means having a wide base is very important if you want to reach peak performance.  GPP is the base of the pyramid, so spending a dedicated period of time establishing this is essential for long term success and development.  In order for this to happen certain components of training must be included in the program to lay a solid foundation.
            The major components that should be focused on are motor pattern learning, work capacity, and movement variability.  Obviously, there is a long list of other things one may choose to focus on as well, but these three components cannot be overlooked because of the pivotal role they play in athletic development, as I will discuss later on.
 
GPP: MAJOR COMPONENTS
In the fitness industry everyone loves advertising the flashy training methods like max strength, speed work, and power development because it is what people like to see and think is most important.  In reality though, those methods are only a fraction of what goes into an individual’s training. 
Today, many athletes are specializing early in a specific sport, so they are spending their time only developing the qualities they need for that sport.  This does not make for a robust individual and limits possible future development.  Leading them to reach their peak too early in their careers, since a base (GPP) was never developed in the first place.
Time must be spent developing general physical skill sets for peak performance to be reached.  Remember Rome wasn’t built in a day.  Below I explain the main components of GPP training:
 
-Motor Pattern Learning:
-All individuals should master the 4 basic human movement patterns before moving onto more complex and higher intensity training methods.  This is because they are the basis of everything we do.  These movement patterns are the push (squat), hinge (rdl/deadlift), press (horizontal/vertical), pull (horizontal/vertical).  You can think of these 4 movements as the base of the movement “pyramid”.
 
-Work Capacity:
-In order for an individual to train at high intensities in the future they must first develop a capacity to handle training at lower intensities.  During GPP the focus of training is on volume, not intensity because the goal is to build up work capacity.  If work capacity is improved future training will be more effective.  This is because they will be able to train at higher volumes, both within a week or a single session, presenting more opportunities to improve. Also, the ability to recover between training sessions will amplify, so performance will be optimal more often.
 
-Movement Variability:
-With training intensity typically being lower during GPP, it is a great time to introduce a wide variety of movements to the individuals you work with.  Giving them the opportunity to become proficient with them before they intensify in future phases.  Also, you can drill in the finer details of all these movements, so no compensation patterns are developed, minimizing the risk of future injury.
 
WHEN TO USE IT
            A GPP phase is applicable at many times throughout a training year for every individual, below I will go over the particular times I have found it most effective.         
 
-Start of off-season/post-break training:
-After finishing a competitive season most individuals take a break from training to recharge their batteries from the physical & mental stress they endured.  A great way to gradually re-introduce training after period or rest is with a GPP phase because it rebuilds the base of the pyramid that was discussed earlier.  This ensures training does not advance to quickly and capacity is developed before intensity.  The same applies above for an individual who has taken time off from training due to reasons other than competition.
 
-Post-Injury:
-Returning from an injury is similar to taking a break from training, except the process is much more stressful due to the body working hard to recover.  A GPP Phase is a good option for them early in their return to play for building capacity back up, like mentioned above.  Also, it will reintroduce a large variety of movements at a low intensity, so any compensation patterns that were wither develop while dealing with the injury or that caused the injury in the first place, can be corrected while intensity is low.
 
-Deload:
-After a period of intense training it is very common for trainers to implement a deload, so the individuals they are working with do not overtrain and have an opportunity to recover.  A brief GPP phase is a good option for a deload because its shifts the focus of training from intensity to volume.  Giving the trainees nervous system an opportunity to recover while the focus is on work capacity.
 
-Active Recovery:
-A GPP type workout is a great choice for an active recovery workout because ample blood flow is generated, there is minimal eccentric loading, and the training intensity is low.  All these factors contribute to individuals feeling better leaving the gym than they did when they entered.  Active recovery workouts are typically applied when individuals are feeling run down as a second option from their normal training session or as a way to break a sweat and get some movement in on an off day.
 
HOW TO IMPLEMENT
            Now that you have an understanding of what GPP training is, why it’s important, and when to use it I am going to go over some general points on how to implement GPP training.
 
-Phase length:
-The length of a GPP Phase is dependent upon what your purpose for using the phase is.  If your using it at the beginning of an off-season after time off, it can last anywhere between 1-4 weeks depending how much time was taken off.  If it is being utilized for deload purposes, then it will normally only last 1-2 weeks.  Lastly for active recovery, it should be used 1-2 days a week pending the individual’s needs. 
 
-Major training variables:
-Due to the nature of GPP training being more volume driven than intensity driven, the focus will be on maximizing the individual’s work capacity.  This will be done by adjusting two different variables, volume and density.   The first is gradually increasing the total volume of work that is performed on a session or weekly basis.   The second is increasing training density by either minimizing rest between sets or speeding up the rate at which sets are performed.  Leading to more work being performed in the same amount or less time.
 
-Training method:
-For GPP training my preferred method is utilizing circuits because they are such an efficient use of time, especially when working with large groups of individuals.  They allow for large amounts of volume to be accumulated in short periods of time.  Many different movements can be used in one workout with the use of stations.  Also, the entire session can be based off specific work to rest ratios, allowing more control over the total volume performed.
 
-Movements to include:
-The bulk of the movements I prescribe during GPP are either bodyweight, dumbbell loaded, or band loaded to keep intensity lower.  With these movements I focus on improving movement proficiency in all three planes of motion, both unilaterally and bilaterally Also, if I have access to sleds and prowlers, I utilize them as well because they cause minimum muscle damage being a concentric based exercise and are effective at developing capacity.  Another great option is including isometrics because of the minimal mechanical damage they cause, since no movement takes place.
 
GPP GIANT CIRCUIT
            Below I have attached the GPP Giant Circuit, it is an effective training tool I have developed over the years to use during a GPP phase.  Below I will list the reason why I have found it to be an ideal option:
 
-Works well in a large group setting because each exercise in the circuit can be used as a station
-Controlling volume is manageable by adjusting work to rest
-Develops basic movement patterns in multiple planes of motion
-Targets every muscle group (both locally and globally)
-Simple to progress by increasing load or volume of each exercise
-Improves coordination by performing movements that include upper and lower body actions
-Enhances work capacity (aerobic system), preparing individuals for future high intensity training
-Can be performed individually as well with minimal equipment (great at home workout option)
 
I hope this article explained what GPP is and why it is important for long term development!  Also, I hope you utilize the GPP Giant Circuit and find it as effective as I have.