Proven program, faithfully implemented
GZCL — The Rippler
The Rippler is Cody Lefever's twelve-week strength block on the GZCL tier system, built on a two-up-one-down wave — two weeks of rising intensity, then a small step back, for the whole block. ⚠ Its percentages are of rep maxes, not a 1RM — T1 off a 2RM, T2 off a 5RM — which is why there is no training max anywhere in it. Weeks eleven and twelve drop the lower tiers so the T1 alone tapers into a re-test.
About the program
Created by: Cody Lefever — GZCL: Applications & Adaptations — swoleateveryheight.blogspot.com, and the author's GZCL Program Compendium spreadsheet linked from it ("The Rippler" sheet).
- Creator: Cody Lefever — Swole at Every Height
- The method: GZCL: Applications & Adaptations
- His spreadsheet: GZCL Program Compendium (free download)
Who it's for
- Best for: Strength — a peaking block that ends by re-testing the numbers your next block runs on.
- Experience: Intermediate to advanced. It needs honest 2RM and 5RM figures to start, and the tier structure assumes you have programmed for yourself before.
- Time: Twelve weeks, four days a week, ending on a re-test.
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.
The Rippler
Day One
- Barbell Bench Press
- + 3 more exercises
Day Two
- Barbell Squat
- + 3 more exercises
Day Three
- Overhead Press
- + 3 more exercises
Day Four
- Deadlift
- + 3 more exercises
How Iron Forge runs it
How it works
Twelve weeks, four days a week, on Lefever's tier system: one T1 main lift, one T2 secondary and two T3 isolation slots each day. The T1 rides a "two up, one down" wave — two weeks of rising intensity, then a small step back — for the whole block.
⚠ The percentages are of REP MAXES, not a 1RM
The author is emphatic: "Remember, these are percentages based off of the rep max you entered above. Do not use 1RM's!" T1 works off a 2RM, T2 off a 5RM, and T3 off a weight you can lift for 10 or more reps. That is why there is no training max anywhere in this programme.
What the "+" means
"'+' Means LAST SET of that movement is a rep-out, aka, an AMRAP." Seven of the twelve weeks carry one.
T3 has no intensity at all
Max reps every set off a ten-rep weight; only the number of sets moves across the block. "Always be sure to leave 1-2 reps left in the tank. Don't go to absolute failure, but get close."
The last two weeks
T2 and T3 rest in weeks 11 and 12 — the T1 alone keeps going, and that is the taper. Week 12 is the re-test, and it is what sets the rep maxes for your next block.
GZCL — The Rippler in Iron Forge
FAQ
- What numbers do I enter to start?
Rep maxes, not a one-rep max. A 2RM for the T1 lifts and a 5RM for the T2 lifts. The author says it in capitals on his own sheet — using a 1RM will make every percentage in the twelve weeks wrong.
- Why does the weight go up two weeks then back down?
That is the Rippler, and it is what the name describes: two weeks up, one week down, repeating. The step back is not a deload week — it is a lower intensity at a higher rep count, and the wave climbs across the block as a whole.
- Why don't my T3 sets have a target weight?
Because the author gives T3 no intensity at all — only "a weight you can lift for 10+ reps for max reps". Asking you to declare a rep max for every isolation movement would be inventing a precision he never prescribed, so you pick it at the bar.
- Why do my accessories stop in weeks 11 and 12?
The sheet says "Rest" for both T2 and T3 in both weeks. Only the T1 continues, which is what makes those weeks a taper into the re-test.
- What happens in week 12?
You re-test. The source says only "Test" for that week, so it ships as a single max-rep set at 100% of your entered rep max — the number that establishes the maxes for your next block.
- Can I change the T3 exercises?
Yes — they are defaults rather than prescription. The source itself says "T2 & T3 Movements are fixed until you learn how to edit the formulas", i.e. the selection is the lifter's. Day one's T3 press is the behind-the-neck press Cody writes, not a substitute for it — if your shoulders dislike it, swap the slot, but know that you are departing from the sheet at that point.
- What does the + on a set mean?
The last set of that movement is a rep-out — take it as far as you can while keeping the form. The author defines it that way on his own sheet, and seven of the twelve weeks carry one somewhere. It is not on every set, so read the week rather than assuming.
- How hard should the isolation work be?
Close to failure, not at it: leave one or two reps in the tank on every set. T3 has no prescribed intensity at all — a weight you can manage for ten or more, taken for max reps — so the effort is the only thing controlling it, and grinding those sets to nothing will cost you the T1 work that actually matters.
- Why does the number of sets keep changing?
Because the wave moves volume and intensity in opposite directions. As the percentage climbs the reps fall and the sets rise to compensate — week eight is nine sets of a single at 97.5%, which looks alarming and is exactly what the sheet prescribes. The secondary work goes the other way, dropping a set every three weeks as the block goes on.
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