The following are some thoughts on how the CrossFit model fits in with the training hierarchy of GPP (General Physical Preparedness) and SPP (Specific Physical Preparedness) in relation to the traditional strength & conditioning and sporting models:
General Physical Preparedness, or GPP, ‘is intended to provide balanced physical conditioning in endurance, strength, speed, flexibility and other basic factors of fitness’ (Siff/
CrossFit, by definition, is a ‘broad encompassing GPP program.’ It’s aim is to be generalised and to be proficient in ALL qualities, as opposed to exceptional in just one. CrossFit can be seen as a perfect example of giving athletes a ‘balanced’ GPP. The Sport of CrossFit however has flipped the conventional view of both of these preparatory phases on it’s head. Within the sport of fitness both GPP and SPP are inextricably linked. The training modalities cannot be filtered down as competition approaches, Gymnastics, Weightlifting, Powerlifting and the cyclical events along with their encompassing ‘endurance, strength, speed and flexibility’ as well as their differing energy systems will all be tested in-competition and so ALL must be trained in some fashion concurrently right up until the event. With CrossFit GPP IS SPP, and vice versa. You might be able ‘do some CrossFit’ to help get prepared for other sports but, as strange as it sounds, you MUST do CrossFit to get prepared FOR CrossFit. You cannot get truly ‘specific’ with a generalised event and this seems to be another scenario unique to this sport.
So if the movements and modalities cannot be filtered down, what must change during the preparatory cycle? In what way can we achieve specificity for a sport that isn’t ‘specific’? The focus must be on the changing of volume, intensities and energy systems as the competition approaches. In a Sport that is primarily a strength endurance sport two of the biggest traits that must be built are maximal strength along with aerobic capacity, as these are the ends of the spectrum that will have the biggest carryover to all the rest and are also the two which take the longest to build from the standpoint of physiological adaption. Each year the specified weights go up and athletes must get stronger, with the inclusion of heavy singles, doubles and triples becoming more prevalent in competition. With the exposure of the sport this will continue as heavier weights and harder workouts make for better entertainment, however punishing that may seem. The higher your ceiling in regards to absolute strength the bigger your strength reserve and so potential carryover to training readiness as the further away the percentages are from your max the easier and less taxing those reps will be to the Central Nervous System, an important aspect in competitions spanning multiple workouts over consecutive days.
Conversely, the higher the aerobic capacity the more volume an athlete can endure. CrossFit competitions call for unbelievable amounts of volume and a high work capacity must be in place to sustain this. When we say capacity we must make the distinction between capacity building and power building in the aerobic realm. For a majority of CrossFit athlete’s and clients aerobic development can mainly come from aerobic power workouts, which are workouts with higher heart rates, just under the anaerobic threshold, and the majority of the ‘AMRAP’ or ‘For Time’ workouts spanning more than a few minutes will fall into this category. Using this modality as your sole means of aerobic development however is comparative to utilising nervous system strength training protocols (1RMs/Dynamic Effort work etc) with novices who haven’t spent much time under the bar. For the necessary physiological adaptions to occur a preceding base must be in place or developments will inevitably stall.
Another massive factor in the success of CrossFit athletes is the ability to perform multiple reps close to their max*, often in the 80-90% range for some athletes. The ability to ‘recharge’ the Creatine Phosphate System, which is the energy system being utilised here, is key in doing well in such an event. The CP system must be trained also utilising the appropriate percentage/rest scheme, but this can also be directly related to how well prepared the athlete is aerobically. It is clear that the higher the aerobic capacity the faster the athlete can ‘recharge’ here and get back to the bar. Also the ability to deal with the build up of lactate is vital for competitors involved in multiple and daily fast paced workouts involving mid-to-high percentage weights. Of course Lactic Endurance training should also be an integral part of your program, but again it is the presence of a highly capable aerobic system that is responsible for helping the athlete utilise this lactate as a fuel source, allowing the athlete to continue to do work.
For these reasons it is our opinion that the aerobic energy system must take precedent alongside the building of maximal strength year round (alongside the vast array of skill work needed) for CrossFitters, with the middle ground systems being trained but not being as prevalent ‘off’ season or far out from competition. The athlete must focus on the systems which will have the biggest carryover and benefit to all other systems that will be called upon during competition, with these specific systems then becoming the priority pre-competition (aerobic power, CP battery, lactic endurance etc). For the CrossFit athlete it is possible that maximal strength and aerobic capacity should become the bulk of the athletes ‘GPP’ with aerobic power, the CP battery and lactic endurance systems serving as a form of ‘SPP.’
*Most times in CrossFit competition weights will be set, as opposed to at given percentages of a max, and this furthers the case for a higher ceiling of absolute strength.
**This idea is a generalisation of the GPP/SPP/Energy System argument as it will be mostly dependant upon the athlete at hand and where their ‘essence’ lies in relation to all this.
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