What is the PHUL workout?
Campbell published PHUL on Muscle and Strength as a way to train for strength and size at the same time without a complicated plan. The structure is an upper lower split: upper body, lower body, rest, upper body, lower body. What changes is the job of each day.
- Power days (days 1 and 2): big barbell lifts first, 3 to 5 reps, heavy. This is where you build strength on the bench press, row, squat and deadlift.
- Hypertrophy days (days 4 and 5): more exercises, more isolation work, 8 to 15 reps. This is where most of the muscle building volume sits.
- Frequency: every muscle group is trained twice a week, once heavy and once for volume.
The PHUL weekly schedule
| Mon | Tue | Wed | Thu | Fri | Sat | Sun |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Upper power | Lower power | Rest | Upper hypertrophy | Lower hypertrophy | Rest | Rest |
The Wednesday off splits the week into two blocks of back to back days. If your week does not fit, keep the order and spread it out, for example Monday, Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday. Avoid putting the lower hypertrophy day right before lower power. The workout planner helps you place the days around work or sport.
The full PHUL template: all 4 days
Sets and reps follow the original template. Where the program gives a range of sets, start at the low end and add the extra set later if you recover well.
| Exercise | Sets x reps |
|---|---|
| Barbell bench press | 3 to 4 x 3 to 5 |
| Incline dumbbell bench press | 3 to 4 x 6 to 10 |
| Bent over barbell row | 3 to 4 x 3 to 5 |
| Lat pulldown | 3 to 4 x 6 to 10 |
| Overhead press | 2 to 3 x 5 to 8 |
| Barbell curl | 2 to 3 x 6 to 10 |
| Skull crusher | 2 to 3 x 6 to 10 |
| Exercise | Sets x reps |
|---|---|
| Barbell squat | 3 to 4 x 3 to 5 |
| Deadlift | 3 to 4 x 3 to 5 |
| Leg press | 3 to 5 x 10 to 15 |
| Leg curl | 3 to 4 x 6 to 10 |
| Calf raise | 4 x 6 to 10 |
| Exercise | Sets x reps |
|---|---|
| Incline barbell bench press | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| Flat dumbbell fly | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| Seated cable row | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| One arm dumbbell row | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| Dumbbell lateral raise | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| Seated incline dumbbell curl | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| Cable triceps extension | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| Exercise | Sets x reps |
|---|---|
| Front squat | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| Barbell lunge | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| Leg extension | 3 to 4 x 10 to 15 |
| Leg curl | 3 to 4 x 10 to 15 |
| Seated calf raise | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
| Standing calf raise or calf press | 3 to 4 x 8 to 12 |
Rest 2 to 5 minutes between sets of the big compound lifts on power days and 1 to 3 minutes on isolation work. On the hypertrophy days the rest can be shorter, but do not cut it so much that the weights drop every set.
How to progress on PHUL
PHUL uses rep ranges, so the simplest way to progress is double progression. Work in the range until you hit the top of it in every set with good form, then add weight and start again at the bottom. On the power lifts that means getting 5 reps on all sets before adding 2.5 kg (5 lb) to upper body lifts or 5 kg (10 lb) to the squat and deadlift. On the hypertrophy days, add reps first and weight second.
Stop most sets with a rep or two left. The heavy days only work if you show up fresh for them, and taking every hypertrophy set to failure makes that hard. It is progressive overload on two tracks: strength on days 1 and 2, volume on days 4 and 5. That is the opposite of the Mike Mentzer workout, where every work set goes to failure.
Choose starting weights from a recent hard set. The 1RM calculator turns, say, 80 kg (175 lb) for 6 reps into an estimated max, and a weight around 80 to 85 % of that estimate is a sensible first try for the 3 to 5 rep sets.
Plan a lighter week every 6 to 8 weeks or when the power lifts stall two weeks in a row. Keep the exercises, drop a set from everything and use about 10 % less weight.
Who PHUL suits
- Good fit: lifters past the beginner stage who want both bigger numbers and more muscle.
- Good fit: people who can train four days a week but not five or six.
- Less ideal: true beginners. A simpler linear plan like GZCLP or a full body program adds weight faster in the first months.
- Less ideal: anyone with long sessions as a problem. The upper days have seven exercises and can run past 75 minutes.
Short on time? Drop one arm exercise from each upper day and the second calf raise from day 5. The main lifts and rows are what carry the program.
PHUL vs PHAT vs push pull legs
| Program | Days per week | Structure | Best for |
|---|---|---|---|
| PHUL | 4 | Upper and lower, power and hypertrophy days | Strength and size on 4 days |
| PHAT (Layne Norton) | 5 | Upper and lower power days, then hypertrophy days by body part | More volume, more time in the gym |
| Push pull legs | 3 to 6 | Push, pull and leg days | Flexible, high volume on 6 days |
PHUL vs PPL comes down to days. On four days, PHUL hits every muscle twice, while a push pull legs rotation on four days hits most muscles less often. See the 4 day split guide for more four day options side by side.
Run PHUL in Gripp
Two kinds of days, one log
Build the four PHUL days in Gripp and log every set. On the 8 to 12 rep days it tells you what to go for next session: hit the top of the range in every set and the weight goes up. The estimated 1RM chart shows whether the power days are really moving your bench press, squat and deadlift.
Join the waitlist
