The Rippler in DropSet: a 12-week wave to a max
The Rippler is Cody Lefever's intermediate-to-advanced GZCL peaking block: twelve weeks that ripple the main lift through an undulating intensity wave off your true one-rep max, until you test a fresh max at the end. It's a real step up in complexity from a linear program — so it's the perfect thing to watch run inside the app. Every screen below is the live app, and every weight, rep and estimate is computed by the real engine.
Where a beginner program bumps a training max a little each week, The Rippler holds your maxes fixed and moves the intensity around them — high-rep volume weeks, heavy low-rep weeks, then a test. DropSet puts the right weight on the bar for every one of those sessions, so all you manage is the effort.
Last reviewed 2026-07-19 · matches app v0.9.0.62
Finding the right block
The finder asks three questions — goal, experience, days per week. Answer "get stronger · advanced · 4 days" and it returns a shortlist of serious blocks with The Rippler near the top. The program page lays out the whole twelve-week wave and the four training days before you commit to anything.
Setting your maxes — true 1RMs this time
The Rippler's percentages are of your true one-rep max, not a conservative training max — so on start you enter real, tested maxes for each lift (here a 150 kg squat). Because the block also runs a T2 variation of each lift, DropSet asks for those maxes too, and offers starting weights for the T3 accessories. Then you schedule the start date, and the whole twelve-week block flows from it.
The logic: T1, T2, T3 tiers
Every GZCL session is built in tiers. T1 is the heavy main lift for the day — squat, bench, overhead press or deadlift — run on the wave. T2 is a variation of that lift (a Romanian deadlift alongside squats here) waving alongside for volume. T3 is accessory work — a few double-progression movements for size. DropSet loads all three, computes the weights, and tracks each tier's volume and rep targets so you just work through the session.
The wave — two up, one down
This is what makes The Rippler ripple. The T1 main lift climbs in intensity for two weeks, backs off for one, then climbs again — reps dropping as the weight rises, all off the same 1RM. Week 1 opens light and high-rep at 80%; by week 6 you're grinding heavy doubles at 90%; by week 10 it's a near-max single at 95%. DropSet reshapes every session for you — you never work out a single percentage.
History and charts you earned
Twelve weeks of four-day training turns into a picture. The History calendar and year heatmap fill in a solid block from your start date. The analytics summary reads your readiness and best sessions, and the Strength tab shows your estimated 1-rep max per lift beside a weekly-volume chart that visibly undulates with the wave — high-rep weeks stacking work, low-rep weeks sharpening intensity.
The payoff — week 12, test your max
The whole block builds to one session. In week 12 you take a single at 95% of your 1RM for as many reps as you can — and because twelve weeks of waved training has made you stronger, you grind out more than one. Your estimated 1-rep max jumps past where you started, and DropSet logs it as a new personal record. Retest, load your new numbers, and run the block again heavier. That's a full peaking cycle, and the app did every calculation.
Week 1's high-rep 80% work vs the week-12 max at 95%. The wave carried you from volume to a fresh estimated 1RM of 157 kg — up from the 150 you started with.
Common questions
What is The Rippler?
A twelve-week intermediate-to-advanced peaking block from Cody Lefever's GZCL method. The main lift (T1) ripples through an undulating "two-up, one-down" intensity wave off your true one-rep max, a T2 variation waves alongside for volume, and T3 accessories add size — building to a max test in week 12.
What are T1, T2 and T3?
The three tiers of a GZCL session. T1 is the heavy main lift for the day, run on the wave. T2 is a close variation of it done for more reps at lower intensity — volume that carries over. T3 is accessory work, a couple of movements taken for higher reps and size. DropSet loads and tracks all three.
Why does it use my true 1RM instead of a training max?
The Rippler is a peaking block, so its percentages are of your true one-rep max (set your real tested maxes on start). Your max is held fixed for the whole twelve weeks — the program moves the intensity around it — and you retest for a new max in week 12, then re-load and run it again.
How does the week-12 max work in DropSet?
Week 12 prescribes a single at 95% taken for as many reps as possible. Rep it out and DropSet estimates a new one-rep max from the weight and reps — which, after twelve weeks of waved training, comes out above where you started. It's logged as a personal record; you then reset your maxes to the new numbers.
Is DropSet free?
Yes — DropSet is free during beta, with the full program catalogue, automatic percentage and progression maths, rest timers and PR tracking. Everything in this walkthrough is in the app.
Put it into practice
DropSet is free during beta — 50 proven programs, automatic progression, rest timers and PR tracking, all on your phone.