I have just completed the first two days of the GPP Essentials Program and am experiencing intense DOMS - discouraging enough to deter me from completing the 2nd day of hill work. I had significantly lowered the volume on weights and did less than the prescribed number of medball throws to compensate for the slight increase in hill work than had been previously done. Would you guys recommend inserting an extra day of tempo/active rest before the next day of hill work to allow for more recovery, or would that devaluate the GPP’s purpose of preparing the body for the demands of the SPP? How do you go about lengthening the 7 week GPP program for someone who needs more recovery time or is not in the shape required to complete the prescribed program without taking away from what the GPP is trying to accomplish?
What were you doing before you started this GPP?
I think you should try to stick to it best you can. This isn’t SPP, this is general preparation to get your work tolerance up for the speed volumes in SPP. First couple workouts are going to give you DOMS if you aren’t used to this type of work.
If you really feel the extra day of active recovery then go for it, but stick to the set up (ie don’t try to add in an extra speed day to make up for the missed one). If the day is missed, just move on to the next planned session.
This GPP is an example for a mid-high level athlete who has trained for a few years. What training background do you have? How old are you? You need to adjust the workload to suit your own abilities. If it’s too much, you should certainly cut back in specific volumes and add extra recovery if needed.
You should be able to stick to the three high int days but the volume should be cut in half. What are your pb?
I am 19. I have played soccer, football, and basketball through age 16, and only soccer the last 4 years. Before I started the GPP this week, I had indoor soccer games once a week, plus some sprints/plyos/weights once or twice a week. The weights were higher volume than I used for the GPP.
I know, Charlie, that you say to improve fitness first. Coming off of indoor soccer season, my fitness is still pretty good. I do not plan on competing in anything until the Indoor track season, as I want to develop a proper base before competition.
I suppose the real question behind all this is what is the purpose of the GPP - to develop work tolerance, to develop acceleration, to prepare the body for SPP where more intense speed work will be completed?
I am trying to understand where to cut back volumes while still reaping the benefits of the purpose of the GPP and setting myself up for improvements throughout the year.
Should the weeks of the GPP considered as microcycles that could be extended to maybe 8 or 9 days instead of 7? Or are they structured in a 7 day structure for a specific purpose?
Sounds like tempo volume will not be the issue but speed/power vol will need to be reduced.
Hey CF would 10.5 count for a mid-high level sprinter?
Would it be best to reduce the volume of the work so that each week would still be completed on time -or- reduce the volume of the work slightly and reduce the frequency of the work so that each 7-day block would actually take 9 days, thus extending the gpp by 2 weeks?
I’d say yes but ultimately you need to be able to handle the workload. In your first year of anything you won’t be able to do anywhere near this volume of work. Everything must be a progression and a progression from nothing is 1 or 2 not 10!
I once met an athlete of Charlie’s who went from 21.5 to 20.8 in his first year of working with him. Having asked them about their training I was surprised to find they NEVER did more than a single longer speed endurance rep during this time! So none of this 2x150m lark, it was always warm up, a few 30s a few blocks and finish with ONE rep. First do it right then do more ONCE you have adapted to doing it right!
I think thats a Golden star right there for you TC.
I lowered the sprint volume of the friday’s workout from 10x30m hills to 2x(2x30m) hills and I feel a lot better than before. Kept the weights and plyos about the same.
Do you guys find that maintaining max velocity is very difficult when doing hill sprints? When looking at the films from the hill sprints it seemed that once I reached the full upright position my velocity peaked and began to drop again.
i have never tried to Maintain max velocity during a GPP.
You do not try to run the hill sprints as fast as you can?
You need to read through every GPP thread and watch the gpp dvd 3-5 times and im sure all your questions would be answered…
I thought I did that… :o
My understanding was that due to the surface being grass, the incline of the surface, and the stage during the year, that a 100% effort would simply not be possible, so max velocity in that sense would not be achieved.
However, I thought that the intent to run the hills as fast as possible should still be there, as it is the main form of speed work that one does during this period and serves to develop the specific abilities to be able to reach 100% on flat surfaces later in the year?
Why not? I think you are right about the rest though.
It would not be 100% because grass/incline/resistance caused by the hill would put less stress on the nervous system compared to a flat track with blocks?
i had to re-read after looking at further posts - i thought you meant maintaing your “Max speed” as in Max speed on a track when doing Gpp with Hill work involved.
where as you meant - maintaining max speed “Up the HIll”
I guess, not really max speed - but max hill speed.
Yes - you do run Max effort - however, limited rests will drop form - as fatigue sets in - but as the wks progress, so does the rest, and hence, as the wks go on - the speed gets faster and you hold it for longer (up the hill)
Also remember what part of the race these hills Target in the Flat races! It aint max speed or speed endurance - though the limited recoverys will improve a poor speed endurance if you suffer from that…
OK good to get that straightened out!
At what point, or what factors are analyzed to determine when you shift from phase 1 to phase 2 to phase 3 plyometrics as outlined in the GPP graphs?
I am referring to 100% effort, which is possible (and up to you to go for it or not) and you are referring to maximum intensity in absolute terms, I think, which won’t be achieved in a hill workout. I hope it’s clear now! 
You are right re: the neural stress though.