You've milked Starting Strength or StrongLifts for all it's worth. The weights aren't going up every session anymore. It's time for an intermediate program — but which one?
There's no universally "best" program. There's only the best program for you right now. Here's an honest breakdown of three proven options.
Strong 5x5
How It Works
Five sets of five reps on compound lifts, adding weight each session until you stall, then resetting. It's the simplest progression model of the three.
Who It's For
Lifters who are just past linear progression. If you've been training 6-12 months and your weights are slowing down but not fully stalled, 5x5 can squeeze out a few more months of straightforward progress.
Strengths
- Dead simple — no percentages to calculate, no training max to manage
- High frequency — squatting 3x per week builds solid technique
- Fast workouts — 3 exercises per session, in and out in under an hour
Limitations
- No periodization — you're doing the same rep scheme every session until you can't
- Limited upper body volume — alternating bench/press means each lift only gets trained 1.5x per week
- Stalling is frustrating — when you hit a wall, the only answer is "deload and try again"
Honest Take
5x5 is a great bridge program, but it has a shelf life. Most lifters outgrow it within 3-6 months. If you're already stalling regularly on a linear program, 5x5 might not give you much runway.
Wendler 5/3/1
How It Works
Four-week cycles built around four main lifts (squat, bench, deadlift, overhead press). Each week uses a different rep scheme based on a percentage of your training max:
- Week 1: 3x5 at 65%, 75%, 85%
- Week 2: 3x3 at 70%, 80%, 90%
- Week 3: 5/3/1 at 75%, 85%, 95%
- Week 4: Deload
The last set of each day is an AMRAP (as many reps as possible), which is where the real progress happens.
Who It's For
Lifters who want sustainable, long-term progress and are willing to train with submaximal weights. If you've been training 1-2+ years, 5/3/1 is probably where you should land.
Strengths
- Built-in periodization — wave loading across the 4-week cycle prevents staleness
- Forced patience — starting light and progressing slowly actually works better long-term
- Built-in deloads — every 4th week is a recovery week, which prevents the fatigue spiral
- Extremely well-documented — Jim Wendler has published multiple books with accessory templates
Limitations
- Slow progression — training max only increases 5-10 lbs per cycle (monthly), which feels glacial if you're used to adding weight every session
- Requires trust — the early weeks feel easy by design, and it takes discipline not to go heavier
- Training max management — you need to track and properly increment your TM, which is an extra thing to manage
Honest Take
5/3/1 is the gold standard for a reason. It works for years, not months. The biggest challenge is psychological — trusting the process when week 1 feels too easy. But lifters who commit to it consistently report the best long-term results.
GZCLP
How It Works
A tiered system with three layers:
- T1: Main lift, heavy, low reps (5x3 → 6x2 → 10x1)
- T2: Secondary lift, moderate weight, higher reps (3x10 → 3x8 → 3x6)
- T3: Accessories, light weight, high reps (3x15+)
When you fail a stage, you move to the next rep scheme. When you fail all three, you reset the weight.
Who It's For
Lifters who want more structure than 5x5 but find 5/3/1's monthly progression too slow. GZCLP sits in a sweet spot for lifters roughly 8-18 months into training.
Strengths
- Smart progression scheme — instead of just deloading when you fail, you shift rep ranges, which keeps the training stimulus fresh
- Tiered approach — heavy work, moderate work, and high-rep work in every session covers multiple training qualities
- Faster progression than 5/3/1 — you're still adding weight session to session, just with built-in fallback stages
Limitations
- More to track — three tiers with different progression rules per tier
- Less established long-term — fewer lifters have run GZCLP for years compared to 5/3/1
- Accessory selection is on you — T3 work is flexible, which is a strength but also means you need to choose wisely
Honest Take
GZCLP is underrated. The tiered rep scheme progression is elegant — instead of hitting a wall and deloading, you shift gears. This keeps training productive even when you're approaching your limits at a given weight. It's a great choice if 5/3/1 feels too slow but 5x5 is too simple.
How to Choose
Here's a simple decision framework:
Choose Strong 5x5 if:
- You've been training less than a year
- You're still making session-to-session progress (even if it's slowing)
- You want the simplest possible program
Choose GZCLP if:
- You've been training 8-18 months
- You like variety in rep ranges
- You want faster progression than 5/3/1 with more structure than 5x5
Choose Wendler 5/3/1 if:
- You've been training 1+ years
- You're done chasing weekly PRs and want sustainable progress
- You're willing to play the long game
One More Thing
Whichever program you choose, the biggest factor in your results isn't the program itself — it's consistency and progressive overload. A mediocre program followed consistently beats the "perfect" program abandoned after three weeks.
Pick one, commit to it for at least 3 months, track your data, and let the results speak.
All three programs are built into Swole with automatic weight progression, training max management, and RPE tracking. Download for $5 and start your next program today.