Came up short on a GZCLP T1? Here's what the program says

Count your total reps, not your sets. At 5×3 you need 15. Come up short and you keep the same weight and move to 6×2. Short of 12 there, move to 10×1. Miss that, test a new five-rep max and start 5×3 again at 85% of it.

By Anthony Topalides, who lifts and makes Two Plates. Checked against the sources below on 26 October 2026.

The three stages

Sets	Need	Short of it
5×3+	15 reps	Same weight, 6×2+
6×2+	12 reps	Same weight, 10×1+
10×1+	10 reps	New 5RM, then 5×3+ at 85%

The + means the last set is as many reps as you can.

Make the total and the weight goes up next session instead. The r/Fitness wiki gives 10 lb on squat and deadlift and 5 lb on bench and press. In kilograms that's 5 kg and 2.5 kg.

Total reps or every set?

The GZCLP wiki moves you on when you miss the stage's total, so a big last set can make up for a short one earlier. Some lifters count any short set as a miss instead. Both are common. Pick one rule and stick to it, so a stall means the same thing every time.

Next session

Write down your total T1 reps, not just the sets.

About the app

I make Two Plates, so I'm biased. It counts the total for you, moves the stage when you come up short, and has a switch for the stricter every-set rule. How it runs GZCLP.

Where this comes from