GPP for The Bridge and further on

Hey guys.

For the GPP sessions described in The Bridge, I’m afraid I don’t understand clearly what “steady state cardio @ RPE 6” means… Any cues?

Further on, about the HIIT sessions, any easy suggestion of what to do if I don’t hahve access to air bikes or rowers? Would running or cycling do the trick?

Decided to post my questions here since I imagine this is a common question (although I didn’t manage to find it in the search), and then a lot of people would be able to help me out, besides the Docs.

Thanks!

It should be easy effort - 60% of max HF. More boring than exhausting.
In general cycling would be preferred over running

Being able to hold a conversation I think was a rule of thumb I heard applied to SSC.

No air bike or rower here either. My HIIT has been throwing combinations at the heavy bag, beating a tractor tyre with a sledgehammer and sprints for the prescribed duration / sets.

Like walking or something like this? What else could be talkable through?

Thanks!

I can hold a conversation on my air bike. I imagine I could on a rower as well. Just say something to yourself every couple of minutes. If you can’t complete your sentence you are overshooting the RPE.

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Why not using a treadmill?

Yeah, for me, this is the definition of boring, if this is the prescription, haha. But I will try to take the dust off my bike and find an appropriate and repeatable route.

I’m thinking also in using the stairs in my building for HIIT, later on. Maybe jumping rope could be used to?

Unsettling that the GPP is the part of the program I’m having more trouble to comply with. I might be overthinking it.

I do LISS on the elliptical. Boring as batshit, but I listen to podcasts, of which I have far too many.

I have a workout set on my Apple Watch for the elliptical for 25 minutes. It measures my heart rate and so I try to keep it in the band (mine is between 110 and 120 bpm). Further, the elliptical machine at the gym has those metal heartrate measuring handles, so it comes up in front of my face (roughly agrees with the Apple Watch).

HITT for me is the rowing ergo. Anything that will allow you to smash out 20 seconds and then take 1 minute 40 seconds at a slow pace is fine. Thus stationary bike comes up a lot as skill required when smashing it is low. I was a competitive rower so the rowing ergo for me is low skill reuqirement. Others look like spazzes on the ergo and their form is so bad I cringe. For them I would suggest the bike. Sprints are not recommended as it is a somewhat likely way to do something to your hamstring(s), which then delays training as you need to repair, etc.

Bottom line is, yes, you are overthinking it.

Treadmill would be fine for LISS if you do incline walking. Running, even on a treadmill, generates a lot more stress than the more recommended forms of cardio do because of the impact. So, what Jordan recommends is that people don’t run unless they actually care about competing in running as running will have a greater cost in recovery.

I dont know what else to do HIIT on then

For RPE 6 I’d seen and use 50-70% of my max heart rate (220-age).

so you folks are saying what ‘platform’ is optimal for HIIT? bike/rower?

what does this mean?

If you have access to an elliptical I’d prefer that over running. If by “cycling” you mean stationary that’s definitely preferable as well. I’d personally find it pretty difficult to do HIIT while cycling outdoors, but I live in a fairly densely populated suburb.

I like Andy Baker’s LISS protocol a lot so far – incline treadmill with 1-3 jumps in incline every session while maintaining the same heart rate and speed. So far I’ve “PRed” my LISS every session for 4 weeks which is a good feeling, especially on a cut where you might not be PRing your lifts that often.