PHUL stands for Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower. It’s a 4-day program that splits training into two upper body days and two lower body days. Two of those days are power-focused (3-5 reps, heavy compounds) and two are hypertrophy-focused (8-15 reps, higher volume with isolation work). There’s no fixed end date; you run it until progress stalls. PHUL was created by Brandon Campbell, a YouTube fitness coach who published the original program write-up at Muscle & Strength.
The idea behind PHUL is that you can train for strength and size at the same time if you structure your week correctly. Power days anchor the week with low-rep compound work, then the hypertrophy days pile on volume and isolation exercises for muscle growth. It’s a powerbuilding approach, similar in concept to PHAT, but PHAT is a 5-day split and programs roughly 90% more weekly volume. PHUL keeps it at 4 days.
PHUL is best for intermediate lifters who have 6+ months of consistent training and want to develop both strength and size simultaneously. If you’re newer to lifting, you’d get more out of a simpler linear progression program like Starting Strength first. The 4-day schedule is also manageable for most people, though the hypertrophy days include supersets and a decent amount of accessory work, so expect sessions to run 60-75 minutes.
Table of Contents
PHUL Workout Program
| Program Name | PHUL (Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower) |
|---|---|
| Program Goals | Strength, Hypertrophy |
| Days per Week | 4 or 6 days |
| Training Style | Split, PPL |
| Program Length | 4 Weeks or 13 Weeks |
| RPE or Percentage of 1RM | % of 1RM |
| Experience Level | Novice, Intermediate, Advanced |
| Spreadsheets Available | 3 |
PHUL Video Overview
Here’s a breakdown of the 4-day PHUL program if you want to see it in action before digging into the spreadsheet.
PHUL on Boostcamp App
If you prefer to run PHUL on your phone, Boostcamp has a free version of the 4-day PHUL split. It logs your sets, handles the weight calculations, and lays the program out day by day so you’re not fumbling with a spreadsheet between sets.
Boostcamp also has other popular programs like nSuns, GZCLP, Greg Nuckols Beginner Program, Candito 6-Week Strength, and Reddit PPL.
PHUL Spreadsheets
You’ll find a 4-day and a 6-day version of PHUL below. The 4-day sheet is the standard template. The 6-day advanced version runs 13 weeks with more explicit hypertrophy guidelines.
PHUL Advanced Spreadsheet (6 Day, 13 Week)
This is a 6-day version of PHUL that runs 13 weeks. It includes explicit guidelines for the hypertrophy accessory work, which helps if you want more structure for your isolation movements. The program progresses weights in 4-week intervals, so you’re recalculating your training maxes every 4 weeks and building from there.
Fill in the highlighted input cells with your current maxes and the sheet auto-calculates your working weights.
PHUL Spreadsheet (4 Day Upper Lower Split)
This is the standard 4-day PHUL template. The weights shown are samples; you’ll need to enter your own. It’s primarily a training log so you can track your progress week over week.
PHUL Program Overview
PHUL is an ideal program for the lifter who wants to keep developing strength in heavy compound movements like the squat, bench press, overhead press, and deadlift while also adding size to their physique.
The two power days lean on low-rep sets (typically 3-5 reps) to build strength. The two hypertrophy days use moderate weight for higher reps (8-15 reps), and include accessory work like lat raises, tricep extensions, dumbbell press, incline press, and face pulls. The hypertrophy days also call for some supersets, so there’s a real workload bump on those sessions.
Each muscle group gets hit twice a week: once on a power day and once on a hypertrophy day. That frequency is part of what makes the program effective. You build strength on Monday and Thursday (or whatever days you choose), then chase volume on Tuesday and Friday.
I’d recommend this over PHAT as a starting point for most lifters interested in powerbuilding. PHAT programs roughly 90% more reps per week, which is a bigger recovery demand. PHUL keeps the total volume manageable while still hitting both strength and hypertrophy goals. If you stall on PHUL after a few cycles, PHAT is worth considering as a step up in volume.
PHUL FAQs
What is PHUL?
PHUL stands for Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower. It’s a 4-day upper/lower split that groups sessions into upper power, lower power, upper hypertrophy, and lower hypertrophy days. The program is designed for lifters who want to improve both their maximum strength and add muscle size at the same time. Brandon Campbell created PHUL and published it at Muscle & Strength.
How many days a week is PHUL?
PHUL is a 4-day per week program. The standard layout is: Upper Power, Lower Power, rest, Upper Hypertrophy, Lower Hypertrophy, then two rest days. You can shift the schedule around as long as you don’t stack both power days or both hypertrophy days back to back without a rest day in between.
What is the difference between PHAT and PHUL?
PHAT is a 5-day split, while PHUL is a 4-day split. PHAT programs roughly 90% more reps per week than PHUL, largely because PHAT uses more high-rep sets and an extra training day. PHAT was designed by Layne Norton, who favors high-volume work (his PH3 program is another example of that approach).
Both programs work best for intermediate lifters. PHUL is the better starting point because the volume is more manageable. PHAT makes sense if you’ve run PHUL for 2-3 cycles and want to increase your weekly workload. Neither is a beginner program.
Can you add cardio to PHUL?
You can, but keep it light on training days, especially after power sessions. Low-intensity steady-state cardio on rest days works fine for most people. If you push hard conditioning work on top of PHUL’s hypertrophy days, recovery can suffer and you’ll likely see your weights stall faster. I’d keep any added cardio to 20-30 minutes of easy work unless you have a specific conditioning goal and are willing to back off lifting intensity to compensate.
How long should you run PHUL?
PHUL doesn’t have a fixed end date. Most lifters run it in 4-week blocks and reassess from there. The 13-week advanced spreadsheet above structures it into three 4-week phases with a progression check between each, which is a solid framework if you want more structure. A good stopping point is when you’re no longer making progress on the power days; at that point you can deload, reset training maxes, or switch to a different program.
Is PHUL good for beginners?
No. PHUL assumes you already have solid form on the main lifts and can recover from 4 days of training per week that includes both heavy compound work and high-rep accessory work. Beginners will progress faster on a simple linear program like Starting Strength or a 3-day full-body routine. Once you’ve run one of those for 3-6 months and linear progress has slowed, PHUL is worth considering.
How is PHUL different than a PPL?
A PPL program groups workouts into push, pull, and legs days, which has some similarities with an upper/lower training split. The key difference is that some PPL sessions mix upper and lower body movements in the same day. A pull session, for example, often includes both deadlifts and rows. PHUL keeps those strictly separated: deadlifts go on a lower day, rows go on an upper day.
PPL splits are often run 3 or 6 days a week, while PHUL is a 4-day program. In practice, an upper/lower split and a PPL split have more similarities than differences.
