Proven program, faithfully implemented
GZCL — Jacked & Tan 2.0
Jacked & Tan 2.0 is Cody Lefever's twelve-week size block on the GZCL tier system, and it is the one where the maths changes halfway. Every day opens by working up to a rep max, and in block one the drop sets come off your training max — but in block two they come off the rep max you actually hit that day, a number that does not exist until you lift it. ⚠ There is no AMRAP anywhere in it: Lefever's instruction is to keep 1-2 reps in the tank on every tier.
About the program
Created by: Cody Lefever — Jacked & Tan 2.0 — Swole at Every Height.
- Creator: Cody Lefever — Swole at Every Height
- The programme: Jacked & Tan 2.0
- The tier method: The GZCL Method
Who it's for
- Best for: Size with a strength base — high volume organised by tiers rather than by body part.
- Experience: Intermediate to advanced. You need reliable rep maxes and the judgement to cap effort short of failure, since nothing in the programme does it for you.
- Time: Twelve weeks in two six-week blocks, four days a week.
How it's built
The shape of the program — sessions, sets and rep scheme. Iron Forge fills in the exact weights for you from your maxes.
Block 1 — weeks 1-6
Day 1 — Lower A
- Squat
- + 3 more exercises
Day 2 — Upper A
- Bench Press
- + 3 more exercises
Day 3 — Lower B
- Deadlift
- + 3 more exercises
Day 4 — Upper B
- Overhead Press
- + 3 more exercises
Block 2 — weeks 7-12
Day 1 — Lower A
- Squat
- + 3 more exercises
Day 2 — Upper A
- Bench Press
- + 3 more exercises
Day 3 — Lower B
- Deadlift
- + 3 more exercises
Day 4 — Upper B
- Overhead Press
- + 3 more exercises
How Iron Forge runs it
How it works
Twelve weeks in two six-week blocks, four days a week, on Lefever's tier system. Each day opens by working up to a rep max for that day, and the rest of the session is loaded from it.
⚠ The two blocks load from DIFFERENT things
Block one's drop sets are a percentage of your training max — known before you start. Block two's are a percentage of the rep max you actually hit that day: 85% of it in weeks 7-9, 90% in weeks 10-11. That number does not exist until you lift it, so those sets stay blank until you log the rep-max set. That is the design, not a missing prescription — a strong day loads the rest of the session heavier and a rough day lighter.
The training max resets mid-way
Block one finishes on a week-six single, and that is what block two's percentages are built on. The two blocks are one programme, not two.
⚠ Max rep sets are capped, not taken to failure
"Always keep 1-2 reps left in your tank (regardless of tier)." The max rep sets carry a target effort rather than being rep-outs — there is no AMRAP anywhere in this programme, because making one would contradict the source in as many words.
Where the set counts come from
Lefever writes several set counts as "3+" or "5+". The programme prescribes the floor — three where he says 3+, five where he says 5+. The extra sets are his intent and nothing stops you doing them; what the app will not do is prescribe a number he did not give.
GZCL — Jacked & Tan 2.0 in Iron Forge
FAQ
- Why do my drop sets have no weight in block two?
Because they are a percentage of the rep max you hit that day, and that number does not exist until you lift it. Log the opening rep-max set and the rest of the session fills in immediately — 85% of what you actually did in weeks 7-9, 90% in weeks 10-11.
- Block one shows weights straight away. Why the difference?
Block one's drop sets are a percentage of your training max, which is known before the session starts. That difference between the blocks is the whole reason block two exists — it is where the programme starts autoregulating to the day you are having.
- What does "3+ sets" mean — should I do more?
The + is an optional extra at your discretion, and doing more is the author's intent. The programme prescribes the floor so it never asks for a number he did not give. Add sets when the day is going well.
- Why aren't the max rep sets AMRAPs?
Because Lefever says not to take them to failure: "Always keep 1-2 reps left in your tank (regardless of tier)." They carry a target effort instead. There is no AMRAP anywhere in this programme.
- What happens between block one and block two?
Block one ends on a single in week six, and your training max resets off it. Block two's percentages are built on that new number, so the second half is calibrated by what the first half actually produced.
- Can I change the exercises?
Yes. Lefever gives tier categories rather than a fixed list — "competition lifts or loaded barbell multijoint movements" for T1, "isolation and hypertrophy work" for T3 — and only requires that the T1 and T2 movements differ each day. What ships is one faithful reading of that; swap them for equivalents as you like.
- My T2b and T3 sets are blank too. Is that the same thing?
Yes, and it applies in both blocks. Those tiers say to find the rep max the week calls for and then take three more sets "with that weight" — so the weight is whatever you just lifted, and the app cannot know it until you log that set. Log the rep-max set and the three sets behind it fill in at the same weight.
- Why do some weeks have no T2b or T3 work at all?
Because the source schedules rest into those tiers rather than running them for twelve straight weeks — T2b rests in week six and again in weeks eleven and twelve, and T3 rests in weeks seven and twelve. Those are the 1RM weeks and the week before block two starts. The main work continues; the accessory volume is deliberately pulled.
- What if I run the programme again?
The app raises your training max by 10 lb5 kg on the lower-body lifts and 5 lb2.5 kg on the upper-body ones, which is its own default and worth knowing about: Lefever gives no per-cycle increment at all — the programme resets your training max off the single you test in week six. If you have just tested a real one, use that number rather than the automatic bump.
- The source mentions T2c. Where is it?
It is not a separate slot here. Lefever writes "T2b/c" — the same max-rep scheme applied to one movement or two — so shipping one is faithful to the scheme and the second is his flexibility rather than a missing exercise. Add one yourself on a day you want the extra work.
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