Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower (PHUL) Workout Plan

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The Power-Hypertrophy-Upper-Lower, often referred to as the PHUL split is a very popular split used for building strength and muscle mass.

It uses a combination of power and hypertrophy workouts, meaning you see strength increases, whilst also building size as well.

In this article we will discuss what the PHUL split is and the benefits that it offers. I will also include an sample workout plan of how a PHUL split workout would look.

What is Power-Hypertrophy-Upper-Lower (PHUL) Split?

The PHUL workout is a workout program used to increase strength, size and definition.

It uses a perfect balance of barbell, dumbbell, and cable machine work to target your muscles down in every way possible, forcing your body to adapt and grow. This process is crucial for muscle growth and is known as muscle protein synthesis.

Here is an example of how a PHUL workout split would look:

Day Workout
Monday Upper Power
Tuesday Lower Power
Wednesday Rest and Recovery
Thursday Upper Hypertrophy
Friday Lower Hypertrophy
Saturday Rest and Recovery
Sunday Rest and Recovery

The PHUL split is a comprehensive training program with a high training volume that bodybuilders and powerlifters have used for many years to maximize muscle size and strength.

What Are the Benefits of Power-Hypertrophy-Upper-Lower Splits?

The PHUL workout split is a very unique workout split that offers many benefits. Here are some of the benefits that it offers:

Frequency. Studies have shown muscle protein synthesis (MPS) to be elevated for up to 48 hours after training. This makes it ideal for you to hit each muscle more frequently than a typical once per week split.

Compounds. The PHUL program focuses on the big compound movements for optimal progression. While isolation movements are included in this program as well, the main goal is to increase performance on the main lifts, as well as pack on pounds of muscle.

Power. This program uses 2 of it’s 4 working days to focus on pure strength training. The key to getting stronger and bigger is to utilize progressive overload and time under tension.

Hypertrophy. In addition to 2 power days, your other 2 days on the PHUL program will focus on hypertrophy (bodybuilding) style training. This way, not only will you see strength increases, you will also build size.

The PHUL split is a moderate-to-high training volume program with long and hard workouts, so it is commonly used suited for training to gain size and strength.

However, with that being said, if you want to follow the PHUL program to lose weight but find that the workouts are a little too hard, you could simply remove some of the exercises, or reduce the number of sets.

Ultimate Power-Hypertrophy-Upper-Lower Split Workout Plan

A PHUL split workout will look like this:

Monday (Day 1) – Upper Power

Exercise Sets Reps Muscles Worked
Barbell Bench Press 3-4 4-6 Chest, Triceps, Shoulders
Bent Over Row 3-4 4-6 Back, Biceps
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 3-4 8-10 Upper Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
Lat Pull Down 3-4 8-10 Latissimus Dorsi, Biceps
Overhead Press 3-4 4-6 Shoulders, Triceps
Arnold Press 3-4 8-10 Shoulders
Dumbbell Curl 3-4 8-10 Biceps
Skull Crusher 3-4 8-10 Triceps

Tuesday (Day 2): Lower Power

Exercise Sets Reps Muscles Worked
Back Squat 3-4 4-6 Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes
Deadlift 3-4 4-6 Lower Back, Glutes, Hamstrings
Romanian Hack Squat 3-4 8-10 Quads, Hamstrings, Glutes
Leg Press 3-4 8-10 Quads, Glutes, Hamstrings
Leg Curl 3-4 8-10 Hamstrings, Glutes
Leg Extension 3-4 8-10 Quads
Calf Raise 3-4 8-10 Calves

Wednesday (Day 3): Rest and Recovery

Thursday (Day 4) : Upper Hypertrophy:

Exercise Sets Reps Muscles Worked
Incline Dumbbell Bench Press 3-4 10-12 Chest, Shoulders, Triceps
One-Arm Dumbbell Row 3-4 10-12 Back (Lats), Biceps
Cable Crossover 3-4 10-12 Chest (Pectorals), Shoulders
Reverse Fly 3-4 10-12 Rear Deltoids, Upper Back
Dumbbell Front Raises 3-4 10-12 Front Deltoids
Shrugs 3-4 10-12 Trapezius (Upper Back), Neck
Cable Tricep Extension 3-4 10-12 Triceps
Drag Curls 3-4 10-12 Biceps, Brachialis

Friday (Day 5): Lower Hypertrophy

Exercise Sets Reps Muscles Worked
Hack Squat 3-4 10-12 Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes
Dumbbell Lunge 3-4 10-12 Quadriceps, Hamstrings, Glutes
Leg Curl 3-4 12-15 Hamstrings
Leg Extensions 3-4 12-15 Quadriceps
Standing Calf Raise 3-4 10-12 Calves
Seated Calf Raises 3-4 10-12 Calves

Saturday (Day 6): Rest and recovery

Sunday (Day 7): Rest and recovery

Notice that in each workout you have some prime movements. These are incline bench, back squats and a lunge. In traditional strength circles exercises that fall under a push, pull, squat or lunge are known as prime movements.

These exercises will serve as the basis to build strength and increase weight – think of them as your baseline exercises to monitor strength.

Diet, Nutrition and Supplementation

Training is a key aspect to both weight loss and muscle gain, but it is pointless without combining is with good diet and nutrition.

By combining training with balanced diet and nutrition, your results will be incredible.

Here are some articles about what foods to eat or avoid when trying to gain muscle or lose weight:

There are also various different supplements on the market that can aid muscle gain and weight loss if you hit a plateau or feel like you need a bit of extra help.

It is important to be careful when choosing which supplement to use, as a lot of them do not work, and some could cause harm.

To help you to choose the best weight loss supplement I have done a lot of research and tested a number of supplements myself to find out which supplements are safest and work best.

Here are some articles on supplements that I have written to help you achieve your goals:

If you combine training, diet and supplementation into either a muscle gaining program or a weight loss program, you cannot fail to reach you training goals.

Conclusion: Optimizing Power and Hypertrophy to Maximize Results

In conclusion, the PHUL split is a highly effective and versatile training routine that is used by fitness enthusiasts and athletes of various levels for its ability to target both upper and lower body muscle groups in an organized and balanced manner.

By splitting your training sessions into a PHUL split workout, you can better manage fatigue and recovery, allowing for more intense and productive training sessions.

However, if you give the PHUL split a go and it isn’t working for you, there are many other workouts splits out there that might work better to suit you.

Here are some articles in other workouts splits to try:

If you have any questions about the PHUL split, or any other training split, leave a comment in the comments section below and I will get back to you as soon as possible.

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