- Level
- Beginner
- Days a week
- 3 days
- Goal
- Strength and size
- Equipment
- Barbell
- How long
- 3–6 months
- Created by
- John Sheaffer
Greyskull LP is a beginner barbell program by John Sheaffer. Like other linear progressions, you add weight every session. The difference is the last set: on each main lift you do two sets of five, then a third set for as many reps as you can (written 5+). That final set tells you how far ahead of the weight you really are.
It also bends the strict "squat every day" rule of older programs, and leaves room for direct arm and upper-back work. Sheaffer’s book lays out the full program. A widely shared free variant on Reddit, often called Phrak’s GSLP, made a simplified version popular.
This page explains the program in our own words. All credit for it goes to John Sheaffer. The original: The Greyskull LP, by John Sheaffer (book). The full program is published commercially; if you run it, buy the original. It has detail this page leaves out.
Who it’s for
Beginners who want strength and some size from day one, and who like having a number to beat each session. The AMRAP set makes training feel less like a script.
If you are very new and still learning to brace, the rep-out sets can encourage grinding with poor form. In that case start with 3×5 or StrongLifts until the lifts feel automatic.
The weekly schedule
| Week | Monday | Wednesday | Friday |
|---|---|---|---|
| Week 1 | A | B | A |
| Week 2 | B | A | B |
Every workout
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Overhead press | 2 × 5, 1 × 5+ | Last set as many reps as possible |
| Chin-up | 2 × 5, 1 × 5+ | Add weight once bodyweight is easy |
| Back squat | 2 × 5, 1 × 5+ |
| Exercise | Sets × reps | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 2 × 5, 1 × 5+ | |
| Barbell row | 2 × 5, 1 × 5+ | |
| Deadlift | 1 × 5+ | One set, as many good reps as possible |
Sheaffer’s own program, in the book, arranges the lifts differently and gives more options for accessories. The free variant above keeps the core idea, a 5+ set on everything, and is what most people mean when they say they are running GSLP.
Stop each AMRAP set a rep before form breaks down, not at true failure. The goal is information and volume, not a grinder.
How to progress
Add weight each session: about 2.5 lb (1 kg) on upper-body lifts and 5 lb (2.5 kg) on squat and deadlift. In the free variant, if you get 10 or more reps on the AMRAP set, you can double the next jump.
Stalls and deloads
If you can’t reach 15 total reps on a lift (five, five and five), cut that lift’s weight by 10% next session and climb again. Because the drop is small and the AMRAP set gives extra reps on the way back up, resets on Greyskull tend to cost less time than on other programs.
How long to run it
Most people run it three to six months. When resets come every couple of weeks on most lifts, the session-to-session phase is finished.
What to do next
GZCLP is a natural next step that keeps the AMRAP idea. 5/3/1 for Beginners and the Texas Method are the other usual choices.
Common mistakes
Treating every AMRAP as a max test
Leave a rep in reserve. Grinding the last set of every lift three days a week wears down recovery quickly.
Uneven chin-ups
Half reps make the numbers look better. Full hang to chin over the bar, every rep.
Big jumps after one good day
Doubling the increment is for genuinely easy sets of ten or more, not a lucky seven.
Running it in Splyt
Build each workout above as a template in Splyt. When you finish a session, the weights you actually lifted carry into the next run of that template, so every set shows last time’s numbers beside it and you can see at a glance whether to add weight. Log on iPhone or Apple Watch, and the Watch counts your reps for you.
Have the program in a spreadsheet or screenshot already? Import it and Splyt turns it into editable templates. Use the one-rep max calculator to set a training max, the warm-up calculator for warm-up sets in whole plates, and strength standards to see where your lifts sit for your bodyweight.
Questions
What does 5+ mean?
Do at least five reps, then keep going for as many as you can with good form. Write the number down; it decides how you progress.
Is Greyskull LP better than StrongLifts?
Neither is better for everyone. Greyskull has less volume per lift but more upper-body variety and a gentler reset. StrongLifts is simpler. Both work for beginners.
Can I add arms to Greyskull LP?
Yes. Sheaffer’s program allows a few sets of curls and triceps work at the end of sessions.
Similar programs
- StrongLifts 5×5 — beginner, 3 days
- GZCLP — beginner, 3–4 days
- 3×5 novice linear progression — beginner, 3 days
- 5/3/1 for Beginners — beginner, 3 days
- Every program, by level and days
More for your training
- Workout splits: how push pull legs, upper/lower and full body compare
- Ready-made workouts for every muscle and piece of equipment
- The exercise library: how to do every lift above
- Strength standards by lift and bodyweight
Run this program in Splyt, the workout tracker for iPhone and Apple Watch that remembers what you lifted. Get Splyt free on the App Store