SubscribePicking the Right Tool for the Job, Part 1: GPP vs SPP
The wrong tool for the job at hand. Photo courtesy of Individual Thought
As I mentioned last Thursday, I attended a CrossFit certification this past weekend. I’m going to post some thoughts and notes here soon, but first I wanted to touch on a conversation that I had with a trainer (not one of the trainers running the certification) that I think is symbolic of a problem within the ranks of trainers of all types. Note that I’m using CrossFit as an example because that is what I’m most intimately involved with, but the problem is not CrossFit-specific.
So the conversation started while talking with a Level 2 certified CrossFit trainer (I’m only a Level 1). I mentioned that I am training for the Bluegrass State Games in July (100m, 200m, and 400m sprints specifically) and she made a comment that I “need to do lots of CrossFit to prepare.” I informed her that with only 2.5 months until the track meet, my time was better spend using more sport-specific training, namely sprinting with some explosive lifting and plyometrics thrown in, just as the top sprint coaches use. But she was insistent that CrossFit would take care of it for me. She also suggested that I do Tabata sprints for my training. For the uninitiated, “Tabata” is a protocol of 20 seconds of work followed by 10 seconds of rest, repeated 8 times. Tabata sprints do have one particular place where they could be useful in my training, which I’ll touch on in a few paragraphs.
Now, I think CrossFit is awesome. I’m far more athletic since picking up CrossFit five or six years ago than I ever was pre-CrossFit. But CrossFit is “General Physical Preparedness” (GPP) and it is only GPP. When training for ANY event that is not strictly CrossFit, one must incorporate sport specific training, or “Specialized Physical Preparation” (SPP). That’s obvious when looking at sports like basketball, football, baseball, and soccer, but what about a sport like sprinting, marathon running, powerlifting, or rowing? Could the power, strength, and endurance gains from CrossFit be enough for those sports?
Will there ever be a world champion powerlifter that ONLY follows CrossFit workouts? What about an Olympic-level sprinter? Or an elite level Olympic lifter? I submit that the answer to all of those questions is an emphatic “no!” And I doubt that many of the top trainers at CrossFit affiliates would disagree with me. However, judging from my conversation this weekend and discussions I’ve seen on the message board, there seems to be an inordinate number of trainers at the lower levels, for instance the Level 1 certification that I attended, that have this shiny new hammer (CrossFit) and think every problem is a nail.
Participating in a sport is all about motor recruitment patterns and training the central nervous system to fire properly, along with having the proper conditioning. If I train with a CrossFit workout such as Helen (3 rounds of Run 400m, 21 1.5 pood kettlebell swings, 12 pullups), yes, I am doing 400m runs. But the other two events are taxing me so much that my intensity on the runs is pathetic. I am training myself to not run explosively, the extreme fatigue resulting in faltering form. Training the CNS, is a double-edged sword. You can train yourself to be a great Olympic lifter by nailing every single lift as perfectly as possible. You can also train yourself to be a poor Olympic lifter by not giving too much thought to form and just throwing the weight up there. So if my sprints become something less than sprints, what am I training? Even the days when the training is at a pace slower than full out top speed or acceleration (like tempo days), the focus is on form and maintaining a set pace. When either is lost, the workout is over. I don’t continue plowing through a shoddy workout just because.
What am I getting at? A GPP program has a definite place in the programming of any athlete, be that CrossFit or some other GPP program. But, when you are training for a specific sport, you must train sport specifically. In the three months leading up to this track meet, I need to be training the elements of sprinting: speed, speed-endurance, tempo, acceleration, with some explosive plyometrics and lifting (power cleans, dynamic effort lifting, max effort lifting) thrown in for good measure. I don’t need to be doing something completely unrelated, such as Helen, or worse, Fran (thrusters and pullups), which has no applicability to a 100m-400m sprint. I need to have days where I am working on accelerating quickly to top speed and maintaining that speed (speed and speed-endurance) and days where I focus on maintaining an 80% max speed over time, doing repeats (tempo days) to increase the ability of the body to tolerate lactic acid and exertion by-products. Sure, a set of Tabata sprints (8 rounds of 20 seconds on, 10 seconds off) is venturing into the speed-endurance realm, but that’s only one very specific application, and then again, Tabata is not a CrossFit developed modality, but merely a tool in a vast repertoire, so even if I’m incorporating Tabata sprints, I’m still not doing CrossFit.
As I said, this doesn’t apply solely to CrossFit trainers, so don’t think that I’m picking on that program specifically. I love CrossFit. It is the best GPP workout that I have found. There may be a better one out there or there may be a better one developed one day. But as it sits, today’s CrossFit is the best program I’ve seen for all-around athletic preparation. CrossFit constantly evolves, incorporating new ideas as new information becomes available. That’s just good science. Anywho, I’m digressing.
Trainers from all types of GPP programs seem to venture outside of the realm that their program exists in and want people to train their sports, especially “non-skill” sports like track, marathoning, powerlifting, and Olympic lifting through a program designed for GPP. (Track athletes, marathoners, powerlifting, and Olympic lifters don’t be offended by my use of “non-skill”. Obviously there is huge skill involved in lifts as complex as the Olympic lifts. I just mean that it’s not learning to throw a football or shoot a free throw.) Understanding what one’s program is and what it isn’t is essential to being a top trainer. I’ll lend much more credence to a trainer that tells me s/he can’t meet my needs for my sport with their specific program and, even better, either tells me a good source or spends some time trying to help me figure it out.
Also note that understanding where your program falls in the realm of GPP vs SPP also opens up an opportunity: leveraging your program in a way that allows a sprinter or a basketball player or a football player to continue using it during the transition to full-on sport practice. CrossFit has done just this with workouts like Fight Gone Bad (to simulate 3-5 rounds of a UFC fight) or Quarter Gone Bad (to simulate a football quarter). Neither of those are going to produce a better fighter or better football player, but they are bridging the gap between GPP and SPP by building a better athlete, an athlete used to the time-efforts of the particular sport.
I suppose that the big key for a trainer is to understand that GPP programs don’t build better sports players. GPP programs build better athletes, or at least properly implemented ones do. Becoming a better athlete allows better use of sport-specific training to become a better sports player.
So, thoughts? Can anyone tell me a sport that can be prepared for specifically using a program like CrossFit? Trainers, what have been your experiences and how do you help your athletes be better at their sports versus just being better athletes?
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Filed in Fitness 11 Comments so far
sarena on 30 Apr 2008 at 9:22 am #
Great solid post here. I was CFing for a while but stopped following WODS when I decided to do competitive Olifting. My Oly coach tore my form apart and we basically started from scratch. To a Level II CFer, this was tough as I went back to less and now several months later and finally edging toward my CF intense numbers on Olifts!! But I have learned so much after competing 2x on the platform and improving technique. And no I do not regret it at all!!
My CF buddies do not understand why I cant come in and do a Fran or such. But I understand the differences and cannot tax my body the same anymore with metcon etc. While I may at some point decide to do metcon intense workouts, that will be at my choosing and may include tweaking as well:)
Thanks
Steve Liberati on 30 Apr 2008 at 10:15 am #
Right on Scott! While I love CrossFit as much (maybe more) than the next guy…it is NOT the be all end all solution to athletic training. Take a regular Joe Schmo and have him follow the main site WOD (making sure his diet, sleep, etc is also in place) and there is no question he will become a better stronger fitter, more powerful athlete. However, that same logic will not always apply to the elite (or above average) athlete specializing in a specific sport much much closer to his genetic potential than the regular Joe Schmo. Like you said in your post one should train using the same movement patterns and systems used in their chosen sport. Just like having wrestlers run miles and miles around the track during practice (sadly running is still the preferred method of training throughout high schools across the country) is just downright silly (as wrestling matches are anaerobic in nature and short duration) so is thinking that a GPP program like CrossFit automatically the best way to train for a specific sport.
What it comes down to is this: Just like there is no one-size-fits-all diet, there is no one-size-fits-all fitness program. Some are much better (and worse) than others, but it really only helps when its applicable to the goal(s) of the individual.
Allen Yeh on 30 Apr 2008 at 10:22 am #
Great post.
I echo your sentiments. Too often do you see people asking specific questions and getting the answer “do more Crossfit.”
The latest discussion I can remember in this realm was with Donny Shankle on the PM board as well as the CF board and there were people making the comment of “if he did more GPP he’d be a real beast” and other comments to that effect. Thankfully there were more experienced people that were voices of reason explaining specificity.
Keith W. on 30 Apr 2008 at 11:47 am #
Scott
Great post. Very ripe topic for debate. Whether GPP or SPP is appropriate for the athlete depends on their specific level of GPP or SPP of the athlete. If you told me you were going to be a competitive sprinter but I saw that in the weightroom you couldn’t deadlift your bodyweight, I would be concerned. It would be unlikely in that scenario that you would have the legs to be very competitive as a sprinter. So I would get you doing more GPP. Increasing your overall strength will probably do more for your sprint speed than more running.
As people are more athletic it becomes less transparent whether they have serious flaws in their GPP that would hinder sport specific performance. However that’s the fun of being a trainer, trying to figure out how to improve an athlete’s performance. I would look at things like the athlete’s ability to actually complete an SPP training session without deterioration in form/performance. For example if you’re running 200m x 6 and there is a noticeable drop in the last two splits (or your form goes to crap), I would be concerned that the athlete isn’t as prepared as they should be and would want them to do some Helens and Frans and Nancys to get their work capacity up.
Of course athletes need to train in their sports and at a competitive level. A good GPP program like CrossFit can better prepare most athletes for long and hard practice sessions than say more running. It also provides some variety and prevents burnout and repetitive stress injuries.
I don’t know how fast you run or if you are an olympic hopeful so I don’t know what is right for you, Scott. However, as a CrossFit trainer I have seen more novice and intermediate runners increase their times doing nothing but CrossFit. I haven’t personally witnessed any elite level runners increase their times with nothing but CrossFit. I would say that the benefits of GPP to someone who is not a high level runner are probably more profound than to an elite runner with regards to sport specific improvements.
Another thing that I find is often overlooked is training your weaknesses. Often training your weaknesses even though they seem unrelated to your specific sport often leads to unexpected gains. I wouldn’t totally discard handstand pushups for example just because they seem entirely unrelated to your sprinting. It’s weird and unexpected and hard to believe but if you keep hitting your weakspots on top of you SPP you’ll probably break through some plateaus.
You seem to know your body and have your training and food under control so I wouldn’t worry about it. I would focus on the running and kick a$$ in competition! Good luck.
Marc on 30 Apr 2008 at 12:05 pm #
GREAT GREAT POST!
You see this behavior across the board. From the martial arts circles (my style is best) to diets etc etc. I guess it’s human nature. Our little ego’s run around trying to convince everyone that “my/our” approach is best. I like to stick to the thought that we are “all the same unique individuals”
Marc
Eric Wu on 30 Apr 2008 at 12:51 pm #
Great post Scott. As a Level 1 CF trainer I’ve definitely seen (and even sometimes succumbed) to the attitudes you describe WRT thinking “Crossfit is all you need.” It’s easy to get dazzled when you hear stories of Greg Amundsen or others kicking ass in triathlons without any sport specific training, but harder to remember that regardless of the activity we’re talking about athletes who are most likely genetic freaks.
I think it’s important to note that even Coach Glassman recognizes that “sport” is at the top of the hierarchy of athletic development, with all of the GPP that Crossfit induces serving as a foundation. He’d be hard pressed to make the claims that a lot of new CF trainers make regarding Crossfit being the only training protocol required regardless of the training goal.
Adam on 30 Apr 2008 at 2:38 pm #
One of my fellow Circular Strength Training® Head Coaches has a great response to the question of how to define fitness. He contends that it depends what you want to be “fit for.” Every goal has its own requirements on many levels; physiological, mental, emotional, etc. So every training plan must build up towards the pinnacle of performance represented by that goal in a unique way. I think CrossFit’s shining glory is in physical preparation for the unknown and unknowable. The best example, and oft employed, is that of first responders who never know where and when they will be called to action and how they will need to respond. But even then, if they are broken down from their previous workout, how well will they be able to respond? I really like the mantra of Dev Chatterjee from Quanta Performance Evolution in Montreal: “Maximal Challenge - Minimal Breakdown.” I think that balance may be missing in CF - but the caveat is that I only know CF from the outside as a casual observer. And I must also stress that I find many aspects of CF to be quite outstanding.
To further the discussion about progression towards the specific needs of the intended goal, it may be of interest to note that in the CST system we actual distinguish even further than GPP / SPP into four progressive layers of preparation.
General Physical Preparedness:
In essence, GPP exists to prepare the client for the rigors of training specific to their sport or activity. So it is general only in that it specifically prepares the athlete for the general demands of the training which is to come. Therefore, the popular notion that it is sufficient to develop a broad GPP “base,” without taking the specific needs of the activity and individual into account, is actually a misconception which shortchanges the athlete and limits their eventual progress. To avoid a future ceiling to performance, we must at the outset identify and address any deficits carried by the athlete client which might affect performance in the sport/activity, increase risk of injury or affect general health.
Specific Physical Preparedness:
SPP builds off of the base of GPP. If building GPP is the development of one’s general athletic capacity, SPP is concentrates on the specific energy systems that dominate a particular athletic endeavor - they are more tightly relevant to the needs of the athlete and their endeavor. We will be sure we ‘Activate’ the athlete’s energetic and muscular needs without ‘Simulating’ the sport’s movement patterns. Our athlete/client has other technical coaches (or training facets), which address the exact movements/timing/strategy/etc. for their sport. Our job is to ready those necessary systems without coming so close to the movement patterns that the athlete’s Central Nervous System (CNS) has difficulty distinguishing between our conditioning drills and the actions in their sport – Activate rather than Simulate.
Activity Specific Preparedness:
By the time we evolve into the Activity Specific Preparedness phase of our training plan, 80% of the conditioning effect should already have been achieved. What is hard for many trainers and athletes to grasp is that the final 20% cannot be won through the same emphasis on quantity of hard work accomplished. The focus now becomes the particular quality of work which must be accomplished. The final conditioning edge comes from being more specific, not continuing to work harder. As we move into ASP, we are taking the great work capacity earned in GPP and SPP and funneling or focusing it into the cone of range and depth of motion specific to the sport or activity we are targeting. In this way, we are fostering prime conditioning for the sport or activity. Many systems fall short by continuing to pound away at the work capacity represented by the GPP and SPP phases. This makes for athletes who are never fully restored for peak performance.
Mental/Emotional Preparedness:
Mental and emotional preparedness involves the development of the athlete’s ability to recover from failure and perform without distraction or as quoted from Coach Scott Sonnon in his 3DPP Manual, “Mental toughness refers to your ability to resist failure when faced with hopelessness, overwhelming odds, surprise or shock. Mental toughness builds upon the physical.”
Scott Kustes on 30 Apr 2008 at 3:45 pm #
Sarena, I did my second fastest Fran ever this past weekend at the cert, followed by another tough workout Sunday and then a 500m row only 4 ticks off my PR. That’s pretty well hurt my training up until today.
Allen, I recall those discussions. Sometimes it gets a bit ridiculous with the “yeah, well I wonder what Jerry Rice could do Fran in.” As if Jerry Rice cares…
Keith, good advice. I have a 2.5x bodyweight deadlift, a nearly 2x back squat (below parallel), a 4:30 Fran, and 9:30 Helen…not sure what level you’d categorize that at. It’s not elite, but I think it’s probably 75th percentile of CFers just looking at the comments. Unfortunately I’m far from an Olympic hopeful, just wanting to go out and have a good time at the amateur event. My conditioning is in great shape from CrossFit-type workouts, but I’ve been out of true sprinting for so long that my major weakness is my start. The main focus is improving my top speed through lots of fully-rested short sprints (up to 60m) and acceleration as well. My weight sessions are built around Westside Barbell Maximum Effort and Dynamic Effort days…really exploding the weights up. Other power related stuff is plyometrics: hurdle jumps, high box jumps (40″+, not metcon style like CF uses), bounding, A skips, B skips, etc. I do think the CF workouts have bumped up my ability to deal with lactic acid as my tempo workouts have been fairly easy thus far. This is the last week in my first cycle with a 1-week back off period before entering my next phase where I’m going to really crank up the intensity on the tempo days…I used the first 4 weeks to get my legs into shape and get things moving properly. More on how a 28-year old trains and eats in a future post though.
Eric, I actually meant to make note of that fact. The people running CrossFit specifically make note to put “Sport” at the top of the pyramid and Dave Castro and Nicole Carroll specifically used the term GPP in reference to “What Is CrossFit?” several times this weekend. I think Greg Glassman has said something to the effect of CF not being a replacement for sport specific training. But that’s why I definitely didn’t want this to sound like an anti-CF rant. It’s an issue in the training world all around.
Adam, very interesting way of breaking things down. So your ASP is actually more along the lines of traditional SPP whereas your SPP phase is more mimicking the time and energy demands of the particular sport?
Cheers
Scott
DaveC - DaveGetsFit on 30 Apr 2008 at 6:22 pm #
I recently visited the Gym Jones website only to find out that their section of exercise videos was gone. The brief explanation: “We removed them because they don’t represent the way we train anymore.” I questioned it and received an email from Mark Twight–the gist of which was that the Crossfit model on which their training was based, was inadequate as preparation for the particular events/disciplines that he and his clients pursued. Like your article, Scott, he praised it for the base level of fitness it provides, yet he curses about losing 20 years of hard fought-for endurance because he bought into the “short workouts are sufficient” dogma. I think for people looking for general fitness and health, Crossfit is fine (and I’m in that group). But for people climbing alpine peaks, or doing a 150 mile bicycle race in the mountains, a good Fran time ain’t gonna cut it.
Jay on 30 Apr 2008 at 8:57 pm #
Scott;
Good post, solid replies from your readers.
Speaks volumes to the quality of your Blog.
Chow On
Keith W. on 01 May 2008 at 7:26 am #
Right on, Scott. I wouldn’t change a thing. Go kick some a$$.