GZCLP Review: Is This Linear Progression Worth It?
Yes, especially if a plain 5×5 or 3×5 program leaves your upper body and back undertrained. GZCLP still adds weight every session, but stacks three tiers of work: a heavy T1 lift, a 10-rep T2 lift and a 15-rep T3 accessory, with all-out last sets. When a lift stalls you change the reps instead of resetting, so linear progress lasts longer. It asks for more effort and recovery than StrongLifts.
Asking because your progress stalled? The program is rarely the whole story. The diagnosis reads how you train, eat, sleep and recover, and ranks what is actually holding you back.
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GZCLP is worth running if you want a beginner linear progression with more volume than StrongLifts or Starting Strength. Created by Cody Lefever (GZCL), it gives every workout three tiers: a heavy T1 lift for 5 sets of 3, a moderate T2 lift for 3 sets of 10 and a light T3 accessory for 3 sets of 15 or more, with the last set pushed hard. You add weight every session; when you miss, you switch to fewer reps per set instead of deloading.
What is GZCLP?
A three-tier linear progression for new lifters, run over four rotating workouts, three or four days a week (GZCL, 2016):
| Workout | T1 (heavy, 5×3+) | T2 (moderate, 3×10) | T3 (light, 3×15+) |
|---|---|---|---|
| A1 | Squat | Bench press | Lat pulldown |
| B1 | Overhead press | Deadlift | Dumbbell row |
| A2 | Bench press | Squat | Lat pulldown |
| B2 | Deadlift | Overhead press | Dumbbell row |
The "+" marks the last set, done for as many reps as possible. Each main lift is trained heavy in one workout and for volume in another. On three days a week, the four workouts roll over like this:
| Week | Day 1 | Day 2 | Day 3 |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | A1 | B1 | A2 |
| 2 | B2 | A1 | B1 |
| 3 | A2 | B2 | A1 |
| 4 | B1 | A2 | B2 |
How does GZCLP progression work?
You add weight every time a lift repeats in the same tier, and change the rep scheme when you miss (GZCL, 2016):
| Tier | Start | When you miss the target reps | After that |
|---|---|---|---|
| T1 | 5×3+ | Same weight, 6×2+; then 10×1+ | Rest 2–3 days, test a new 5-rep max, restart 5×3+ at 85% of it |
| T2 | 3×10 | Same weight, 3×8; then 3×6 | Restart 3×10, a little heavier, for two or three more cycles |
| T3 | 3×15+ | Keep the weight | Add weight once the last set reaches 25 reps |
The author recommends adding no more than 5–10 lb (2.5–4.5 kg) a session, never pushing an AMRAP set past 10 reps, and stopping it about one or two reps short of failure.
How do you pick starting weights and retest a 5-rep max?
Start light. Coming from another linear program, you can carry over your last working weights; starting fresh, begin with the empty bar or a weight that feels easy (GZCL, 2016).
The 5-rep max retest at the end of a T1 cycle is deliberately conservative. In the author's example, a lifter whose last 10×1 session used 295 lb warms up with quick, easy sets (bar for 3×10, 95 for 3×5, then single reps at 135, 185, 225, 255 and 275), then tries 295 for five. If that feels easy, they add 5–10 lb an attempt. The new cycle then starts at 85% of the result.
How long should you rest on GZCLP?
Longer for the heavy work, shorter for the light work. The author's rest guidelines are 3–5 minutes for T1 sets, 2–3 minutes for T2 and 60–90 seconds for T3 (GZCL, 2016).
Do not cut the T1 rest to save time. In 21 trained men, three-minute rests built more squat and bench strength and more thigh muscle over eight weeks than one-minute rests (Schoenfeld et al., 2016). If sessions run long, trim T3 rest first.
Is GZCLP better than StrongLifts or Starting Strength?
Not better for everyone; different. GZCLP gives each lift more total work through AMRAP sets and its 10-rep T2 day, but trains each lift less often. Its author admits both trade-offs: on paper it progresses more slowly than a program that adds weight to every lift every session, and the squat, bench and deadlift are not trained every workout (GZCL, 2016).
| GZCLP | StrongLifts 5x5 | Starting Strength | |
|---|---|---|---|
| Main work | 5×3+ heavy, 3×10 volume | 5×5 | 3×5 |
| Accessories | Built in (T3) | Optional | Chin-ups from phase 3 |
| When you stall | Change reps, then retest | Repeat, then deload 10% | Smaller jumps, light squat day |
| Effort | Last sets near failure | Fixed reps | Fixed reps |
If you want the least thinking and the fastest early progress, StrongLifts or Starting Strength is simpler. If you want more back, arm and upper-body work from day one, GZCLP covers it.
Does GZCLP build muscle?
More than most beginner linear programs. Heavy and lighter sets build similar muscle when taken close to failure; in a 21-study meta-analysis, heavier loads mainly added more one-rep-max strength (Schoenfeld et al., 2017). GZCLP uses both: heavy T1 sets for strength, 10- and 15-rep sets for extra muscle-building volume.
Volume matters too. Each extra weekly set added about 0.37% to muscle growth in a 15-study meta-analysis (Schoenfeld et al., 2017), and the T3 lat and row work fills the gap most barbell-only programs leave in the back and arms.
How hard should you push the AMRAP sets?
About one or two reps short of failure, as the author recommends, and never past 10 reps on a T1 set. Most people misjudge this slightly: across 12 studies, lifters underestimated how many reps they had left by about one (Halperin et al., 2022).
So when you think you are one rep from failure, you are probably two. That is close enough for GZCLP. Grinding to true failure on heavy squats every week adds fatigue without adding much, and the author warns that new lifters coming from no training base may need to start lighter and leave more reps in reserve.
Who should run GZCLP?
New lifters who like structure and can recover from more work; not people who want the simplest possible start. By starting point:
| You are | Good fit? |
|---|---|
| New to lifting, consistent sleep and food | Yes |
| Finished StrongLifts or Starting Strength on some lifts | Yes; carry your last weights over, as the author suggests |
| Want more upper-body and back size early | Yes |
| Want three exercises and no decisions | StrongLifts is simpler |
| Short on recovery (hard job, little sleep) | Run it with lighter AMRAPs, or pick a lower-volume program |
What comes after GZCLP?
More volume and variety, gradually. The author suggests that after two or three full cycles, once recovery is stable, you add volume from the bottom tiers up and move toward the full GZCL method, swapping in variations such as incline pressing in the T2 slot (GZCL, 2016). Another natural next step is 5/3/1; the 5/3/1 calculator writes out the weights.
Stalled on GZCLP and not sure why?
If you are cycling through the T1 stages faster each time, look outside the program first: sleep, food, stress and rest between sets. The full diagnosis checks those against everything else you do.
FAQ
Is GZCLP 3 or 4 days a week?
Either. The four workouts rotate, so on three days a week each workout comes around every eight or nine days; on four days, once a week.
What does 5x3+ mean in GZCLP?
Five sets of three reps at the same weight, with the last set done for as many good reps as you can, capped at 10.
Is GZCLP good for beginners?
Yes, if you can recover from the extra volume. The author wrote it as a linear progression for new lifters, and the template starts each lift with the empty bar (GZCL, 2016).
Can I add more accessories to GZCLP?
Yes, in moderation. One or two extra T3 movements, such as curls, face pulls or leg curls, fit well: the author's rest guide gives T3 work only 60–90 seconds between sets, so it adds volume without long sessions.
Is GZCLP better than StrongLifts for building muscle?
Usually, yes. The 10- and 15-rep tiers and the built-in back work add more growth-oriented volume than straight 5×5 sets.
Written and maintained by LiftDecode. Training and nutrition education for healthy adults, not medical advice — if you have a health condition or an injury, talk to a professional who can examine you.