General Physical Preparedness (GPP)

So I was surfing the web a few nights ago, and I came across the term "general physical preparedness" or GPP. I have read about it previously in some online journals and was intrigued because none of my classes, certifications, books, etc mentioned this novel and fairly obvious idea. I read up on it a bunch and here is the gist:GPP is the ability of an individual to do any physical activity required (voluntary or involuntary). The voluntary is fairly obvious, an athletic competition, exercise requirements, marathons, and things of that nature. An involuntary requirement would be something we hope probably never happens, like being chased by a bear, avoiding a car collision while running/walking, or being in a life or death situation...hey, it could happen right?The higher someone's GPP, the greater ability they have across the board in every measurable aspect of fitness, and the lower it is, the opposite is true. So think about someone who is an offensive lineman on a football team, you know the big guys who push other big mountains of men back a few yards and try to cream the defensive linemen to create a hole for the running back to run through, or protect the quarterback. These guys are very strong at their particular requirement, low speed strength. Think about it, they don't move very fast while pushing another 300lb guy, nor do they run for very long, so they can't sustain that effort for more than 20 seconds or the average time of a football play. So they would have a low GPP, unless they did some other non specific sport training. Is this a bad thing, or just a component of being very good at one thing?This is the question I asked myself. What if an elite football player, could also have great endurance, great jumping ability, and flexibility, even if it weren't a required trait of his position? This is of course one example, what if a marathoner had great strength and muscularity and sprint speed too, wouldn't that make them an even better athlete overall, without compromising their primary sport?The answer is yes. Through minimum non sport specific training, we can increase our overall GPP. Even better, is when we're not super elite athletes, and then everything should be GPP style training. We should strive for great endurance, great sprint speed, great jumping ability, great strength and muscularity, and great agility and flexibility. If we can attain great proficiency in all things fitness-wise, and we have no weakness, we are holistically in good shape, rather than having glaring weaknesses. This is where training and programming come in.Being a trainer is great, because I get to constantly vary my non athletic client's program in such a way to increase their proficiency at all things fitness related. People always ask for programs, like written down programs. And I've always said that a specific plan for workouts is a plan to fail. Coach Glassman confirmed this with this old quote of his:“Variances in effort, intensity, enthusiasm, and performance are an inescapable part of life. The belief that these natural variances can be planned for months in advance in order to optimize performance at a later date is hogwash.” - Greg GlassmanSo basically every time someone comes in, we're doing something different, whether the intensity, weight, duration, exercise, or interval changes, it's different, and that's how you get good at everything, or in other words your GPP increases.I would say increasing one's GPP should be the highest goal for anyone looking to achieve fitness across the board. Even if you are a competitive athlete, you should strive to be good at everything, so that in case the demands of your sport change suddenly, you are good to go. Think of a situation in which an offensive lineman has to chase down a defensive back who intercepted a ball. In most cases, the linemen are slow, and run out of steam quickly. However, if he had just spent a little time working on his GPP, he could probably accelerate fast enough to catch the DB and prevent the touchdown. And it's not like it’s that hard for an already athletic person to achieve this level of GPP. Just an extra session or modified training session per week that focuses on glaring weakness in a smart manner can yield great results in the long term, which is not even including the health benefits of having better heart and respiration, better oxidative capacity, and a reduced body fat.So the next time you think that just doing the stuff you're good at will get you to your goal whatever it may be (for instance, a runner running, or a cyclist cycling, or a bodybuilder lifting weights for size gains), think outside the box with your training and realize that something you stink at is good for you, and will help be a more well rounded person fitness wise, but probably also increase your proficiency at your main goal, which is something we're all striving for.

-Jordan Feigenbaum CSCS, HFS, USAW-Club Coach
Assistant Director O'fallon South
jfeigenbaum@dfmfit.com

Some things I've learned

Putting the cap on the toothpaste pays in the long run.

Never give up. Never give out. Never give in.

The best IS yet to come.

Respect doctors and their knowledge 100%. BUT the human spirit is able to do BEYOND what they have been taught. YOU have the final word in your destiny.

When working out, always do a little more than you think you can. The worst that will happen is that you keep the same goals. The BEST that will happen is that you will set NEW goals.

It isn’t the falling down that counts; it’s the STAYING down. Do what it takes to get up again. Then help someone next to you who has fallen.

SEE it and you can achieve it. Believe it with the heart, mind, and spirit first. The rest is a cake walk.

God is not a genie here to grant wishes. Work WITH Him. It’s why He made us. Just remember - HE is God. You are not.

Never give up on love. It is in the smile of a child, the kiss of a puppy, the grateful hug from a friend, and sometimes just in the glance of a stranger. Never think because you don’t have a significant other that you do not have love. It is all around you. Just open your eyes - and your heart. If you DO have a signficant other - remember why you fell in love with them. And let them know that you still do.

Cougars rule.

I AM my brother’s (and sister’s) keeper.

God bless America and those who protect her.

You must move or you will die. If nothing else, shut the shades and dance if nothing else matters. Dance like you did when you went to a Junior High School sock hop (do they still have those??) with your girlfriends. Before you really cared. Just DANCE for the sheer joy of the moment.

Laugh more than you cry.


Never ever ever pick up a teething puppy who was recently weaned when coming straight out of the shower. Get dressed first. Nuff said. That band aid is going to hurt like heck when I remove it.

Life is short.

Regret is long.

It’s never too late to learn something new.

Don’t let your past determine your future.

Say “I’m sorry” more than you expect to hear it.

Carpe Diem.

God NEVER fails. Man, occasionally. God, never.

Have an above average day.

"Perhaps you should lie down"

A funny thing happened in Cancun that has become a catch phrase for me. I usually got up at the crack of dawn to see the sun rise over the ocean for prayer and reflection. One morning I felt the need to work out, so I went to a secluded area and did some Yoga stretching followed by 100 sit ups. I rested a few minutes and started walking on the beach. No small feat for me since as I’ve stated I just stopped walking without the cane a short while ago, and this was my first time on a beach, and walking in sand. By the time I was walking back I was flat out pooped. I passed this German couple, who assumed I was tipsy at 6:30 in the morning (which in Cancun, CAN happen). Anyway, as I stumbled past them the woman said to me, “Perhaps you should lie down”. Now for some reason this struck me as extremely funny, so I started laughing and stumbling even more. I heard “tsk tsk such a shame” as I went past which made me laugh so hard I almost fell.

If only she knew! But it was kind of cool that she DIDN’T know and rather than crawling on the ground I just looked drunk.

When I told Jake the story initially he laughed, then he said something pretty profound. “People have been telling you to lie down since you started this journey”. And you know what, he’s right. Doctors, family, well meaning friends all initially thought this was not a good idea for me. Rather than push myself, perhaps I should just accept my fate and lay down. Thank goodness I didn’t, and chose to listen to those people who believed in me. And more importantly, I listened to ME!!! And look where I am today! Had I just lain down I think the scenario would be different. Heck, I know it would.

So I will always remember the thick German accent telling me “perhaps you should lie down”. And I laugh, and say NO WAY. It makes me get up and do more. Now gotta run and take a walk before lunch is over. Have an above average day!!

:)

Ok, I know I just posted yesterday, but something really cool happened last night. I was walking my puppy around the condo after my workout with Jake the Great. I was talking to one of the neighbors that I only saw in passing before, but actually have a chance to talk to now. She wanted to know what happened to the woman I bought the condo from. I said I bought it from a man. She said no, the older heavier woman that had a hard time walking.

I had to laugh and say that was me.

She didn't believe me at first. She looked at me more and more close until she just opened her mouth in shock.

She said she and the other neighbors had been talking at the pool wondering when I had moved in because they didn't see the moving trucks.

From her reaction I think they kind of think they thought I'd died. And you know what? The old Janet DID. Make way for the new Janimal.

Learn to ride the waves

I just had one of the most wonderful times of my life in Cancun. Thank you Chad, Lisa, Jeremy and the entire DFM team. It was great on so many levels - physically, mentally and spiritually.

Something happened early one morning (No, not “Perhaps you should lie down”. I’ll talk about that another time.) But a really big spiritual rev. (revelation) as my pastor calls them.

Early one morning I was looking out on the ocean. The water was calm and peaceful further out. Then the closer it got to shore the more choppy it became. Then, when it reached the shore it became calm again. But it didn’t stop there. No, after a brief time the water turned around and went back out to sea.

I saw a man on a surf board – but the waves were too rough to ride – so he sat on top of the board and just road the waves.

It made me think – isn’t this exactly how life is? Everything seems calm and peaceful – the out of seemingly no where you encounter the rough waves. They get higher and higher. Now during these times you can try and swim against the current, exhaust yourself, and maybe drown. OR you can learn to ride on TOP of the waves. Riding it out. Not giving into it. Not fighting it. But learning when you should just relax, and ride out the rough times.

Then – as you reach your destination, all becomes peaceful again. BUT it doesn’t stop there. Because if the water STOPPED there it would become stagnant and die. No, it swirls for a second then goes right back to the sea – to start the entire process over again. Ever changing, never changing.

I want to be the person on top of the waves – laughing with pure joy. Because the more choppy the weather, the better the ride. KNOWING that it will not always be choppy – there are calm days ahead. But for this moment in time – simply feel the sun on your face, the joy of life surrounding you – and learns to ride the wave.

What a difference a year makes

When speaking to JC on the phone, he reminded me that it was around this time last year we first spoke. He had asked me to contribute an article to the DFM newsletter. So I searched and came up with out original correspondence of 6-30-09. Hope it makes you smile as much as me. Oh, and none of the 3 amigos are still in my gym. But I have a whole boatload of NEW Amigos. And of course, Jake the Great :)

My email to JC: Man has this been cathartic. I cried every time I rewrote below. And “verbose” is a wonderful way to describe me. As a matter of fact, when I looked it up in the dictionary it said “see Janet”.

Oh, and I’m much younger, thinner and prettier than the picture.

Hope this makes sense!






ARTICLE

Why am I so driven? Because last winter I felt myself slowly dying. Today I feel life inside me. My first medially diagnosed episode of Multiple Sclerosis was in 1994. Last winter I fell often, hurt, was in constant pain and after 15 years with this disease was just tired. In 15 years I have tried everything from weekly injections to acupuncture and crystals – all with little to no success. But I decided I would not go down without one last all-out effort. When I joined the gym in April I literally had to walk in using my cane. My 3 Amigos were waiting for me: my trainer extraordinaire and new friend-for-life Ryan, and the two Mikes. From Day One I was never treated like a 2nd class citizen. They told me they would be with me through my entire journey, and have been. It hasn’t always been easy. When I started, Ryan had to help me find where to place the cane within easy grasp because I needed it get on and off all the equipment, and around the gym. Today, 2 months later, I no longer even bring the cane with me. For the first time in YEARS I can stand up from a seated position without leaning on anything or anyone. It bears repeating because it is so significant: I feel life, not death, in my veins. My desire is for EVERYONE who has given up hope, to find it again. To know you are all here for them. To Ryan specifically, and to ALL of you, I say a heartfelt thank you – you are doing so much more than just helping people lose weight (which in and of itself is important). Every one of you has literally helped save my life. And one benefit I’ve discovered from working out – I’m too tired to be depressed. J

Roadblocks

You know, in life you will always have roadblocks on your path. Sometimes it is disease, injury, financial, job loss, companion loss, death, or maybe just a plateau in your weight loss. This has been a tough week for me, and I was at a point I was REALLY having a pity party, until a very good friend said “stop being a drama queen and get on with your life”. Now maybe I wasn’t initially receptive to her, but the words began to set in. It is so easy to over-react to people and situations. But we all have to resolve in our hearts that the decisions we make in life are forever, regardless of outside influences. The primary focus in my life currently is faith, nutrition, exercise, and a continuing commitment to health. Everything else, get out of the way!

So what do we do when these events occur? Well, first of all own up to our personal responsibility, change what we can, and vow to never repeat the mistake. And then learn to just let go and go on. And it is easier said than done, I KNOW. But really, what is the alternative? Because the one thing I have personally learned is negativity CAN and WILL influence your health. Is it worth it?

So I vow to start anew (again) with a new attitude. (Why am I thinking of Patti Labelle right now?) Want to join me?