Test, Work Your A** Off, Recover & Repeat

Some History

Long before fitness became a leisurely activity, Ancient cultures used as a means of preparing their soldiers for combat, such as the Babylonians, the Ancient Greeks, and the Ancient Egyptians.

They focused on training in the harshest of conditions to prepare their soldiers for the environment around them, not just the upcoming battles themselves.

Some of these cultures focused on performing their cardio sessions during the must brutal weather conditions and focused on bodyweight and skills training.

Can you picture the Romans training in an air-conditioned gym? It’s ludicrous!

Some of the warriors of these cultures fought with heavy armour and moved around with great ferocity and speed. They were able to wield heavy weapons in battle, sometimes, for hours.

This is a great showcase of strength, speed, and endurance.

In fact, some of the earliest concepts of Fitness Periodization comes from Ancient Greece. This is how they were able to build strength, speed and endurance. Although, I can guarantee you it would be for the purposes of winning a battle so their civilisation could find some peace and be protected from invaders.

The Present Day

In the present day, we think of fitness as something to improve our health and wellbeing. It is something that we use to set our minds right and to feel a sense of accomplishment.

Cardio and lifting something heavy, tends to make us feel good. It gives us that rush of endorphins and gives us a type of “high.”

Both lifting heavy and cardio represent two major fitness components that people tend to focus on: Strength & Aerobic Endurance.

If you’re training for any competition, such as a CrossFit Competition, or a Half-Marathon, the ratio of both of these components of fitness changes.

If you’re training for CrossFit, then it’s imperative that you train both Strength and Endurance equally; however, for a Half-Marathon, you’re more likely to train Aerobic Endurance, primarily, and use Strength to Supplement your Cardio.

An Audio Overview of Periodization

Components of Fitness

Fitness, at its core, can be broken down into 9 components:

An athlete or gym-person who wants to improve any of these components of fitness needs:

Once you have these fundamentals down, you need to make a definitive decision on which components of fitness you want to improve and why. Then write them down with a pen and paper.

Take an information sheet with you, or just use an app on your phone with the info on, to follow whilst you’re in the gym.

Fitness Testing

Next, you want to test each of the components of fitness you want to work on. Below is a short-list of some tests you can perform. I strongly recommend you perform these tests with the supervision of a professional.

1. 1-Rep Max Bench Press

2. 1-Rep Max Squat

3. 1-Rep Max Deadlift

4. Sit & Reach Test

5. Illinois Agility Test

6. The Bleep Test

Once you have a baseline, you can then work to improve upon them. These numbers are important, because they reveal your weaknesses and your strengths; and more importantly, these test give you information that you can use to your advantage.

It is important, to first, ‘know yourself.’

If you have any health concerns I urge you to consult with your doctor first before participating in any form of strenuous exercise because during these sessions, you will be working hard to achieve the body and abilities you desire most.

General Physical Preparedness (GPP)

Following this guidance, you need to adhere to General Physical Preparedness (otherwise known as GPP): This is where you focus on improving your general fitness, such as strength and endurance; and it is the first phase of your training.

The GPP phase of your training takes the most time and must NOT be rushed. Think of it as your major preparation phase, in-which, you’re acquiring the necessary base level of fitness and understanding of your body.

GPP is part of the Russian Conjugate System, that was developed with the intent to create and identify the very best young athletes, like the next Michael Jordan, for example.

The selected children took part in activities that involved running, jumping, throwing and catching. They too part in swimming, baseball, martial arts, and other sport that included the afore mentioned skills.

During this phase, they developed the necessary stamina, and generalised motor skills need for those sports

Specialized Physical Preparation (SPP)

The next phase of your training builds upon the GPP phase, and is when you introduce more specific movements and a training regimen suited to improving your desired components of fitness.

For example, if it’s power and speed you want to improve, then this is the phase of training where you swap out general exercises for more power- and speed-based exercises such as Heavy Ball Slams, Heavy Squats, Bodyweight Jump Squats, and Sled Sprints.

Movements that require explosiveness.

Furthermore, the generalised movements are reduced during this phase, and the specific movements for your desired outcome, are increased.

The intensity during this training phase is increased, and the movements begin to mimic those of the competition or personal best (PB) you’re training for.

Misleading Messages about SPP

There has ben some misleading messages about what SPP actually stands for. For example, in one article, it was stated that SPP actually stood for ‘Strength-Power Phase,’ and historically speaking, this was false.

SPP has always stood for ‘Specialized Physical Preparation.’

Can you special in strength and power during this phase? Absolutely. But it doesn’t mean it is the strength and power phase.

BONUS - Prepare, Specialise, Recover, Repeat

It’s important to realise, that like any skill, it is perishable. Therefore, it is important for you to realize that no matter how difficult and/or mundane it may seem long-term, this approach is vital for your success, even as a person who wants to be the best at what they do in the gym . . .

If you like this article and are interested in more FREE content, then please visit Bradley (@brads_coaching) • Instagram photos and videos, Or my YouTube Channel: Phoenixphorm - YouTube, that’s still under development, but has some great stuff on there!

One more way to support me is to go to Amazon or any other digital platform, and purchase my e-book: A How-To Guide In Developing Functional Strength, Power & Adaptability: A 'HOW-TO' GUIDE in DEVELOPING FUNCTIONAL STRENGTH, POWER & ADAPTABILITY eBook : Abbott, Bradley: Amazon.co.uk: Books

Thanks for Reading!