strenos
If you're in your first year or two of lifting, run GZCLP. The weight goes up every session, and missed reps already have a plan. Once that stops working, pick by your week. 5/3/1 gives slow, steady progress on short sessions. nSuns suits lifters who recover well and want the bar heavier every week. The Texas Method is three days a week built around your 5-rep max. Smolov Jr is a three-week block for one stuck lift.
All five run on percentages of a max you enter. What sets them apart is how often the weight goes up and what decides it.
The five programs side by side
| Program | Best for | Days a week | Weight goes up | What decides it | Belt lifts in Strenos |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| GZCLP | Your first year or two of lifting | 3–4 | Every session | Total reps of the stage | Yes |
| Texas Method | Lifters who can't add weight every session anymore | 3 | Every week on lower body, every other week on upper | One set of five on intensity day | Yes |
| 5/3/1 | Long-term strength on short sessions | 3–4, or 2–6 in Strenos | Once per 4-week cycle | The plus set in week 3 | Yes |
| nSuns | Lifters who recover well and like volume | 4–6 in the spreadsheets, 2–4 in Strenos | Every week | The 1+ set at 95% | Yes |
| Smolov Jr | One stalled squat or bench | 4, for three weeks | A fixed jump each week | Nothing during the block. You test after 5–7 days of rest | No, barbell only |
Only Smolov Jr has an end date. You stay on the other four for as long as the weight keeps moving.
If you're new to lifting: GZCLP
The r/Fitness wiki calls GZCLP a beginner linear progression. Every workout has a heavy lift (T1), a volume lift (T2) and assistance (T3). T1 starts at 85% of your 5-rep max and goes up after every session you pass: 5 lb on upper-body lifts, 10 lb on the squat and deadlift. Miss your reps and the weight stays while the stage changes: 5×3+, then 6×2+, then 10×1+. The stages buy you a few more weeks on one weight before a reset. GZCLP failure protocol walks through every stage.
Skip it if you can only train twice a week. One rotation of four workouts would then take two weeks.
If your beginner program stalled and you train three days: Texas Method
The whole week is built around your 5-rep max. Day 1 is five sets of five at 90% of it, day 2 is two sets of five at 72%, and day 3 is one set of five at the full number. Get all five on day 3 and the number goes up. Four reps holds it, three takes 5% off, and two or fewer takes 10% off.
Every lift shows up three times a week, so recovery is the hard part, and volume day at 90% decides how the week goes. If that leaves you flat, 5/3/1 is easier on you.
If you want steady progress for years: 5/3/1
Each lift runs a four-week cycle: a week of fives, a week of threes, a 5/3/1 week and a deload. Every set comes from your working max, 90% of your 1RM, so the first cycle feels light on purpose. The main work is only three sets, so if you've got 45 minutes, 5/3/1 covers the same lifts as nSuns with far less volume. BBB or FSL add volume after the main sets, and BBB vs FSL helps you pick.
Skip it if you've only been lifting a few months. For now, a program that adds weight every session will move you faster.
The short answerNew to lifting, run GZCLP. After that, pick by time and recovery: 5/3/1 for short sessions and slow gains, nSuns for volume, the Texas Method for three heavy days, and Smolov Jr only for one stuck lift.
If you recover well and want the bar heavier every week: nSuns
nSuns keeps the 5/3/1 working max but gives each main lift nine sets a day, and the 1+ set at 95% can move your working max every week. Plan on 60–90 minutes a session.
Skip it if your sessions are capped at 45 minutes or your sleep and food are already short. Four days or five? Read nSuns 4-day vs 5-day.
If one lift is stuck: Smolov Jr, then back to your program
Three weeks, four days a week, one lift: 6 sets of 6 at 70%, 7 sets of 5 at 75%, 8 sets of 4 at 80% and 10 sets of 3 at 85%. Weeks 2 and 3 add a fixed jump to every weight from week 1. Run it on a squat or bench that's been stuck for weeks while everything else moves, and keep your other lifts light and short meanwhile. Then rest 5–7 days, test your max and go back to your program with the new number.
Skip it in your first year of lifting, or if a joint already hurts on that lift. Smolov Jr for bench covers what to expect from the block.
If your meet is eight weeks out or less
None of these five is built to peak you for a meet. With eight weeks or less to go, run a peaking block instead.
Mistakes people make when picking
- Picking the hardest program you've heard of. nSuns or Smolov Jr in your first months is more volume than you need. GZCLP gets a beginner stronger faster and is easier to recover from.
- Planning around the week you wish you had. If four sessions only happen every other week, pick a program that works on three: GZCLP, the Texas Method or 5/3/1.
- Starting from your best-ever single. These programs run off a reduced number for a reason, so enter a recent, honest max. Training max vs 1RM explains why lighter is the safer mistake.
- Judging a program after two weeks. 5/3/1 moves your working max once a month, so two weeks in, the bar won't feel any different. Give it a few cycles.
- Running a second program on top. Three weeks of Smolov Jr on top of your usual training is more likely to end in a stall than a PR.
How to switch programs
- Get fresh maxes. You don't need to test a 1RM: plug a recent heavy set into the 1RM calculator.
- Coming off GZCLP, use your last T1 plus set. Say your T1 squat is 225 lb and you got 6 reps on the last set. Epley puts your max at 270 lb. With 5 lb plates, that's a 5/3/1 working max of 245 lb and a Texas Method reference 5RM of 235 lb.
- Coming off 5/3/1 or nSuns, use your heaviest recent plus set with at least a few reps. After a Smolov Jr block, use the max you test at the end.
- Start a little light. A new program means new rep ranges and new volume. Let the first weeks feel easy and let the program's rule add weight once you've earned it.
How Strenos runs them
Strenos runs all five on iPhone and Apple Watch, along with your own programs and free workouts. You pick a program and your days, within the ranges in the table. Each program also caps the lifts: up to four in 5/3/1 and nSuns, two, four or six in GZCLP, one to three in the Texas Method and one in Smolov Jr.
You enter each max once, and every session shows the weight, the reps and the plates per side for your gym. The program's own rule moves the weights: the plus set in 5/3/1 and nSuns, the stages in GZCLP, intensity day in the Texas Method and the fixed jumps in Smolov Jr. Every program except Smolov Jr also runs on weighted pull-ups and dips, with your bodyweight counted in the percentages. Weighted pull-up program shows how to set one up.
The first week of every program is free, so you can try one before you commit. Strenos isn't affiliated with any of the program authors.
