Ben Pollack’s free powerbuilding program is a 7-week training plan built for lifters who want to get both stronger and bigger but don’t have the recovery capacity (or schedule) for 5-6 days in the gym. It runs 3 days per week, alternating between push/pull/legs weeks and full body weeks. If you’ve got more bandwidth, you can also run it on a rolling 4-day schedule and finish in about 5 weeks.
The program comes from Ben Pollack (a.k.a. PHDeadlift), who held the all-time world record raw total of 2,039 lbs at 198 lbs and later earned his IFBB Pro card in bodybuilding. The guy has a PhD in the history of strength from the University of Texas, too. So yeah, he’s qualified.
What I like about this program is that it’s built for real-life constraints. A lot of “powerbuilding” programs are really just bodybuilding with squats and deadlifts bolted on. This one programs heavy competition-style lifts next to real hypertrophy work (myo-reps, AMRAP sets, brutal 20-rep high bar squats, dead-stop deadlifts), and the blend is well thought out.
The instructions on Ben’s Substack are dense. He writes out exercise-by-exercise coaching cues for every session, which is great for learning but a lot to parse on your first read. The spreadsheet handles tracking, but read the write-up first so the “why” behind each workout makes sense.
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Ben Pollack Free Powerbuilding Program Spreadsheet
This Lift Vault spreadsheet builds on Ben’s original tracker. Enter your squat, bench, and deadlift 1RM on the Setup tab and every percentage-based working weight fills in across all 7 weeks.
The rep-max, RPE, and AMRAP sets that Ben autoregulates by feel stay as open log cells, with a plain-English glossary of his shorthand on the Read Me tab. Yellow cells are your inputs, gray cells are calculated for you. Make a copy (File > Make a Copy) or download it as Excel to use it.
The original program write-up and Ben’s own spreadsheet are on his Substack post.
There’s also an 8-week, 4-day-per-week version available on PeakHD that uses an upper/lower split instead of the alternating PPL/full body structure. That version separates training into max effort days and volume days. If you prefer training 4 days per week with a more traditional upper/lower setup, check that one out.
Program Overview
Ben Pollack’s free powerbuilding program alternates between two types of training weeks. Odd weeks (1, 3, 5, 7) run push/pull/legs, even weeks (2, 4, 6) run full body. You train 3 days per week on both splits.
The alternating structure lets you hit each muscle group with focused volume on PPL weeks, then keep frequency high on full body weeks with heavier, lower-rep overload. Those full body days lean on pin squats, pin presses, rack pulls, and close-grip work to build raw strength. Think of it as a conjugate-style setup where the strength and hypertrophy work feed off each other.
| Detail | Description |
|---|---|
| Program length | 7 weeks (or ~5 weeks at 4 days/week) |
| Days per week | 3 (standard) or 4 (accelerated) |
| Odd weeks split | Push / Pull / Legs |
| Even weeks split | Full Body (2 sessions) |
| Intensity range | 65-90% 1RM on main lifts |
| Progression | RPE-based with planned weight increases |
| Goal | Powerbuilding (strength + hypertrophy) |
| Experience level | Intermediate to advanced |
| Equipment needed | Barbell, dumbbells, power rack, leg press, lat pulldown, hamstring curl machine, chin/dip station |
Push/Pull/Legs Weeks (Weeks 1, 3, 5, 7)
During PPL weeks, each training day focuses on one movement pattern.
| Day | Exercises |
|---|---|
| Legs | Squat, High Bar Squat (20 reps), Leg Press, Seated Hamstring Curl, Calf Raise |
| Push | Bench Press, Close Grip Bench Press, Lateral Raise, Weighted Dip |
| Pull | Deadlift (dead-stop + touch-and-go AMRAP), Chin/Pull-up, Dumbbell Row, Strict Curl |
The squat and bench press progress from sets of 5 in week 1 to triples in week 5, then week 7 finishes with AMRAP tests.
Deadlifts follow a similar arc. You pull 10 reps at 70% in week 1, 6 reps at 80% in week 5, and 8 reps at 85% in the final week. Weight jumps are modest, usually 5 lbs on isolation work and 10-20 lbs on compounds.
Full Body Weeks (Weeks 2, 4, 6)
Full body weeks use two training sessions with competition lift variations plus accessories.
| Day | Exercises |
|---|---|
| Full Body A | Pin Squat, Pin Press, Dumbbell Shoulder Press (Arnold-style), Seated Curl |
| Full Body B | Rack Pull, Close Grip Pin Press, Lat Pulldown, Lying Hamstring Curl, Calf Raise |
These sessions are all about overloading specific positions. Pin squats and pin presses remove the stretch reflex, so you build raw strength from a dead stop. Rack pulls go as heavy as 90% of your deadlift 1RM by week 6.
The accessory work on these days gets more creative too, like “nightmare” hamstring curl sets and ascending lat pulldown sets to failure.
Progression Scheme
The program uses a mix of percentage-based loading and RPE auto-regulation.
| Week | Squat | Bench | Deadlift |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | 2×5 @ 70-75% | Work to top set of 5 (RPE 9) | 10 reps @ 70% + TnG AMRAP |
| 3 | 3×3 @ 80% | Repeat top set of 5 for max sets | 12 reps @ 75% |
| 5 | 5/3/1 pyramid @ 75-85% | Work to top set of 3 (RPE 9) | 6 reps @ 80% + TnG AMRAP |
| 7 | AMRAP @ 85% | AMRAP (week 5 top weight) | 8 reps @ 85% |
Accessories progress differently. Movements like weighted dips, strict curls, and leg press cycle between finding a rep max, repeating it for AMRAP sets, and then resetting with a new max. It keeps things autoregulated without needing a calculator for every set.
Key Training Techniques
Ben uses some specific training methods in this program that are worth understanding before you start.
20-rep high bar squats: These show up every legs day at 50-60% of your 1RM, and you add 5 lbs each PPL cycle. The goal is continuous tension, no resting at the top or pausing at lockout. These are brutal for quad hypertrophy.
Dead-stop + touch-and-go deadlifts: You start with dead-stop reps at a set percentage, then immediately do a touch-and-go AMRAP with the same weight. The dead-stop reps build technique; the touch-and-go set piles on extra volume.
Myo-rep sets: Used on accessories like dumbbell rows and hamstring curls. You do an activation set close to failure, rest briefly (10-15 seconds), then pump out short sets of 3-5 reps until you can’t match the target. It’s a time-efficient way to rack up hard reps without spending forever in the gym.
Pin variations: Pin squats and pin presses start from a dead stop on the safety pins. Without the bounce from the eccentric, you have to grind the weight up from a dead stop. They’re great for building strength out of the hole on squats and off the chest on bench.
Ben Pollack Free Powerbuilding Program FAQs
What is Ben Pollack’s free powerbuilding program?
It’s a 7-week program that trains 3 days per week, alternating between push/pull/legs and full body splits. The program pairs heavy squat, bench, and deadlift work with hypertrophy-focused accessories.
Ben designed it for people who can’t train more than 3-4 days per week, whether that’s a busy schedule, getting older, or slow recovery. It’s free on his Substack, along with a tracking spreadsheet.
Who is Ben Pollack?
Ben Pollack (PHDeadlift) is a former competitive powerlifter who held the all-time world record raw total of 2,039 lbs in the 198 lb weight class. His best competition lifts were a 799 squat, 424 bench, and 815 deadlift.
He won best overall lifter at the US Open, Boss of Bosses, and Reebok Record Breakers. He also earned a PhD from the University of Texas studying the history of strength, and later became an IFBB Pro bodybuilder. He now runs Peak Human Development and coaches lifters through his programming.
Who should run this program?
Ben specifically designed this for lifters dealing with limited recovery. That includes older lifters, people with demanding jobs, new parents, frequent travelers, and anyone who struggles with sleep or appetite.
You should be at least an intermediate lifter with solid technique on the squat, bench, and deadlift, since the program leans on RPE-based loading plus myo-reps and pin variations that assume you know your way around a barbell. True beginners would be better off with something like Greyskull LP or Reddit PPL.
What equipment do I need?
You’ll need a barbell, dumbbells, a power rack with adjustable safety pins (for pin squats and pin presses), a chin-up/dip station, a leg press (or hack squat/pendulum squat as a substitute), a lat pulldown machine, and a hamstring curl machine. This is a commercial gym program. If you train in a home gym with limited equipment, you’d need to make substitutions for the machine work.
What’s the difference between the 7-week and 8-week versions?
The 7-week version (on Substack) runs 3 days per week and alternates between push/pull/legs and full body splits. The 8-week version (on PeakHD) runs 4 days per week on an upper/lower split, with one max effort day and one volume day for each.
The 8-week version is the better fit if you have the recovery for a 4th training day and prefer a traditional upper/lower setup. Go with the 7-week version if you genuinely only have 3 days per week to train.
Can I repeat the program?
Yes. After finishing week 7, you can restart with updated 1RM values based on your AMRAP results from the final week. Use an estimated 1RM calculator to project new maxes from your week 7 AMRAP sets, then plug those into the spreadsheet and run it again.
Do I need to add ab work?
The program doesn’t include any direct ab training. Ben mentions this in the Substack post and suggests supplementing with his separate ab program. You could also just add 2-4 sets of ab work at the end of any training day – hanging leg raises, ab wheel rollouts, or cable crunches all work fine.
About Ben Pollack
Ben Pollack (PHDeadlift) held the all-time world record raw total of 2,039 lbs at 198 and later earned his IFBB Pro card in bodybuilding. He runs programming and coaching through Peak Human Development and writes about training on his Substack.
