This is the time of year when everyone has made his/her New
Year's resolution that "this year is going to be
different." If you are one of those people, that is
awesome. Even if I did not have a calendar, I would always
be able to tell that it is this time of year due to the
exponential growth of joggers/runners I see on my short
drive to and from work. I kind of feel sorry for them as
they relentlessly pound the pavement, likely for several
miles at a time, traumatizing their joints and burning off
precious amounts of muscle. The phenomenon of running to
lose weight never ceases to amaze me because
jogging/running long distances at a slow pace is far from
optimal in terms of achieving desired body composition
results. The good news for those of you who may have
already started or are contemplating jogging/running is
there are better ways to make "this year different." I am
going to introduce you to a more desirable training method
that not only addresses fat loss more effectively but also
addresses the issue of time efficiency. This training
method is referred to as GPP. It stands for General
Physical Preparation. In basic terms, this type of
training is intended to increase your capacity to do
generalized work (i.e., to be "in shape").
In my estimation, 90% of the American population is
deficient in this type of physical preparation, athletes
included. Therefore, everyone can benefit by adding a bit
of this training to his/her regimen. Not only will it help
you drop some body fat, it also will help you function as a
human being. I don't care who you are. You are going to
be required to do some sort of physical labor in your life,
whether it is carrying boxes of files up four flights of
stairs, lifting and carrying several bags of cat litter or
food to and from your car, or just chasing your young one
around in the backyard. Not only will performing some GPP
help to prepare you for these events, it will also help
prevent injuries (fatigue and injury go hand in hand), and
it will help you keep from being totally wiped out after
such work.
I would like to relate a quick story about my experience
with GPP. I have been an athlete for the better part of my
life and lifting weights for physical preparation has been
an accepted norm during that entire time. However, during
my high school years I rarely touched a weight. It was not
because of a lack of desire, but more because I lived 45
miles from my high school weight room and there was always
plenty of work to be done on the farm. Well, during the
summertime when everyone else was going to the gym, I would
be in the mountains with my family hauling 50-200 lb. logs
all around the forest for the better part of an eight hour
day. I didn't realize it at the time, but I was doing some
serious GPP. It crossed over to my athletic endeavors and
allowed me to perform at optimal levels on the playing
field in the fall. Needless to say, I am a big fan of GPP
both for athletes and non-athletes alike. We are all human
beings and we all have to do physical work at some point in
our lives, so why not be prepared.
----------------------------------------------------
Troy M. Anderson is the owner of Anderson Training Systems,
LLC, a fitness coaching business based in Tempe, Arizona.
Troy is often referred to as "the MacGyver of coaching" for
his unique ability to build effective fitness programs
using only the most basic equipment.
Fitness Ain't Pretty-RESULTS ARE!
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