Working out has obvious benefits of better strength, improvements in body composition, and decrease in stress, however there is one advantage that is often overlooked: General Physical Preparedness (GPP). GPP is an individuals ability to conform to the physical and mental tasks that life offers them on a daily basis. Requisites will vary in degree from individual to individual, but not kind. A 90 year old man needs to move for long distances, pick up objects, and sit down and stand up as for example. That is no different than an 18 year old college lacrosse player, however the intensity in which these two individuals perform these activities will vary.
When an individuals GPP is high, they are able to excel at what life throws at them, and most importantly for the aging athlete, with little risk of injury. When an individuals GPP is low, ordinary tasks and deviations from their normal daily routine are not easily dealt with and increase the individuals risk for injury.
When an aging athlete plays a sport on the weekend, (basketball, golf, flag football, etc.) I consider these athletes as weekend warriors. In order to stay safe and perform well on the weekends, it would serve these athlete to increase their GPP during the week. Here are 3 simple ways to increase GPP:
Add 1 Long Endurance Workout Per Week-Most aging athletes have fallen in love with HIIT (high intensity interval training) and for good reason. Few workouts possess the numerous benefits that HIIT training has. However, the benefits of long slow distance (LSD) training are also great. LSD increases capillary density, cardiac output, and strengthens the tissues that are needed to perform long efforts. My preference is to do LSD workouts outdoors. Long bike rides or hikes are my personal favorites.
Perform Multi-Joint Movements-Swinging a golf club or running across a soccer field are examples of total body movements. Performing curls in the squat rack is a single joint movement (and will get you stared at by any self respecting person). There is nothing wrong with single joint movements, but in order to train the joints of the body to work in concert like they do in your sport or activity, you must work multi-joint movements into your training. Examples are deadlifts, tosses, squats, and presses. Not only will this improve your GPP, it will cut your workout time down as well as you are hitting multiple body parts at once.
Perform Core Work In Every Workout-Dan John, one of my favorite strength and conditioning coaches of all time has a saying, “If it’s important do it every day. If it’s not, don’t do it at all.” I would consider core work important, so you should be doing it every day. Your core work should not be 100 sit-ups for time. I repeat, STOP DOING SIT-UPS FOR YOUR CORE WORK. There are a million different exercises and sit-ups are but one of them. Work in rotational exercises, anti-rotational exercises, tosses, and plank variations on a cyclical basis and you will see your core strength improve and your hip, lower back, and knee pain disappear.
Want to learn more about being a weekend warrior? Click the link below to listen to Scott Hagnas and I’s most recent podcast. We do a deep dive on prepping for ski/snow board season!