How To Get The Most Out Of Your Strength Training Program

How To Get The Most Out Of Your Strength Training Program

In this strength training article I’m going to inform you on how to get to use the more advanced strength training methods mentioned in earlier posts through improving your GPP or “General Physical Preparedness.”  In earlier posts, I brought to your attention the ins and outs of of “Max Effort Method-Max Effort Muscle” and “Dynamic Effort Training Method.”

As with anything to evolve and develop there must first be a base or foundation at which all is built upon.  Take a home for example, you can’t frame it up, add the plumbing, sheet rock, walls, and roof without the concrete slab or “foundation.”  The law dictates that we must first possess a learners permit for a minimum of 1 year prior to driving on our own allowing us to better develop there’s that word again “foundation” so that we are safer and better drivers.

This is true for any athlete of any sport because your body must first be prepared to handle the different stresses that you’ll endure while training.  GPP can be explained like this, “Get in shape to train, don’t train to get in shape.”

ROCKY BALBOA

Getting in shape to train

 If it takes you 2.5 hours to get through a workout one of two things is wrong, you’re either out of shape and lacking GPP or you’re socializing too much or hell maybe both. 

How Do You Increase Your GPP?

One of my favorite ways to increase athletes GPP is to perform our dynamic warm ups with our body weight in a fast paced circuit while still managing proper technique.  Now, this does not count as part of our strength training session and training time.  One of the best ways is to drag a sled with “Light Weight.”  Sled dragging is an excellent way to begin your general warm up while building your hips, hamstrings, glutes, quads, calves, and abdominal.  Here, she is using a heavier weight than one would use while performing GPP work but you get the idea.  Sled dragging may be performed forward, backward, and laterally. I also want you to notice the great forward lean, positive shin angle, and the back leg push off; kind of looks like acceleration mechanics.  This proves my point that strength training is speed training.  Don’t have a sled, then get one ASAP here at ELITEFTS.

a female athlete dragging a sled at Defranco’s Training Systems

After sled dragging, you may perform body weight exercises such as squats, push ups, mountain climbers, groiners, band pull aparts, jump rope, light med ball slams performing 10-15 reps of each moving from one right to the other. 

Example of a GPP Circuit

• Sled Dragging x 4-6 trips of 200′
• Body Weight Squats 3×10-15
• Jumping Jacks 3×10-15
• Push Ups 3×10-15
• Burpees 3×10-15
• Med Ball Slams 3×10-15

Perform these exercises in a circuit for the desired reps resting only after you have completed all the exercises at least once.  There is a reason for choosing exercises that involve only body weight, med balls, or light sleds and that is because these things don’t make you sore.  Think of the soldiers in the military performing hundreds of push ups each day of every week.  They continually get stronger and have virtually any soreness after the first day.  This ensures you can do the warm up everyday without fatiguing your main training session or recovery.

Other GPP Exercises:

• Battle Ropes with various hand grips and feet positions
• Glute Ham Raise
• Back Hypers
• Pull Ups
• Any Ab Movement
• BWT Lunges
• BWT Step Ups
• KB Swings
• Pushing the prowler

Be Specific With Your GPP

A football player and base ball player have different needs than a swimmer or cross country runner.  There is no need to increase to above your specific goals.  I suggest that you find your level of GPP needed and keep it there.  Should you raise it above you could be compromising strength or other areas of your training.

FITT Tube Video GPP

 Battle Rope Beat Downs!!

Coaches Corner

Remember, what good is that 4.3 athlete if he runs 4.7 in the 4th quarter.  If you’re lacking in conditioning and dragging through your workouts add these tips into your training.  If you’re a beginner then you may perform these movements in the beginning but if your stronger than you may want to do your conditioning at the end of your strength training session.