How to run the PHUL program

Who Is This Program For?

PHUL is for intermediate lifters who want to keep getting stronger on the big barbell lifts while adding muscle size at the same time. If you have finished a beginner linear progression program and want a structured next step, this is one of the most popular choices.

The program focuses on:

• Frequency: each muscle group is trained twice per week
• Strength: two power days built around heavy compound lifts in the 3-5 rep range
• Size: two hypertrophy days with higher-rep, bodybuilding-style work
• Simplicity: 4 sessions per week of 45-60 minutes each

If you want strength and size in the same week without training 6 days, this is it.

Program Structure

Weekly Schedule

A typical week is Monday / Tuesday / Thursday / Friday, with Wednesday and the weekend off.

Day 1 - Upper Power

Day 2 - Lower Power

Day 4 - Upper Hypertrophy

Day 5 - Lower Hypertrophy

Power Days vs Hypertrophy Days

The power days are about load. The main lifts stay in the 3-5 rep range, the weights are heavy, and the goal is to add weight to the bar over time. Supporting exercises stay in the 6-10 range.

The hypertrophy days are about volume. The same movement patterns are trained again with different exercises in the 8-12 (or 10-15) rep range, with shorter rests and a focus on controlled, quality reps.

Training a muscle heavy early in the week and lighter later in the week lets you accumulate more productive volume than either style alone.

Volume Guidance

If you are new to this amount of work, start at the bottom of each set range (3 sets where it says 3-4) for the first weeks and only add sets once you handle the workload well. On heavy sets, keep at least 1 rep in the tank. The main compound lifts should stay as written; accessory exercises can be swapped for similar movements if equipment requires it.

Progression: How Weights Increase

PHUL uses double progression on every exercise.

• Pick a weight where you can complete all sets at the bottom of the rep range with good form
• Each week, try to add reps while keeping the same weight
• When you can complete all sets at the top of the range, increase the weight and drop back to the bottom of the range

Example:

Week 1: Bench Press 4x3 @ 100 kg (220 lbs)
Week 2: Bench Press 4x4 @ 100 kg (220 lbs)
Week 3: Bench Press 4x5 @ 100 kg (220 lbs) (top of range)
Week 4: Bench Press 4x3 @ 102.5 kg (225 lbs) (increase weight, restart)

Use increments of about 2.5 kg (5 lbs) on upper body lifts and 5 kg (10 lbs) on squat and deadlift. Smaller jumps beat bigger jumps that stall you.

Get Your Form Right First

Everything below assumes your form is already solid. Finding your working weight, adding weight, chasing reps, all of it only works if you can perform the lift correctly. While your form is not locked in, that is your only job. Make good form the goal of every set, not the weight on the bar. Drilling the movement with an empty bar beats loading plates onto a lift you cannot control yet.

To learn, don't hesitate to search Google and YouTube (there is a lot of good free material) and record yourself from the side to compare against a proper demonstration. In general, good form means a full controlled range of motion, a braced neutral spine, no bouncing or momentum, a consistent setup every rep, and ending the set when technique breaks down rather than grinding sloppy reps.

Finding Your Starting Weights

For the main power lifts, if you don't know your working weights:

1. Start with just the empty barbell (20 kg / 45 lbs)
2. Perform 5 reps
3. Add 5-10 kg (10-20 lbs)
4. Perform another set of 5 reps
5. Repeat until bar speed noticeably slows or form starts to break down
6. Subtract one increment. Use that weight as your starting weight

For accessory exercises, pick a weight you can lift for the bottom of the rep range with 1-2 reps left in reserve. It's better to start too light than too heavy. The progression will catch up quickly.

Warming Up

Before the first main lift of each day, perform 3-4 warm-up sets with increasing weight:

Example: If your working weight for squat is 120 kg (265 lbs):

• Set 1: 47.5 kg (105 lbs) x 5
• Set 2: 72.5 kg (160 lbs) x 3
• Set 3: 95 kg (210 lbs) x 2
• Work sets: 120 kg (265 lbs) x 3-4x3-5

Warm-up sets should feel easy. They are not work sets. Accessory exercises generally don't need dedicated warm-up sets since the muscles are already warm.

Rest Times

The program prescribes 2-3 minutes between sets.

Take as much rest as you need to complete your heavy sets with good form. Rushing rest on power days leads to missed reps.

Deload / Stall Protocol

If you get stuck at the bottom of a rep range at the same weight for three consecutive sessions on a lift:

• First check recovery: sleep 7-9 hours, eat enough calories, get 1.5-2.2 g of protein per kg of bodyweight (0.7-1 g per lb)
• If recovery is fine, reduce the weight on that lift by 10% and work back up through the double progression

Example:

Bench stuck at 4x3 @ 100 kg (220 lbs) for 3 sessions:
  New weight: 100 x 0.90 = 90 kg (200 lbs, round to nearest increment)
  Build back up adding reps, then weight

Each exercise deloads independently. A stall on bench press doesn't affect your squat or deadlift weight.

Program Duration

This program is designed to run for 12 weeks (12 weeks at 4 sessions per week, totaling 48 workouts).

Why 12 weeks?

• Long enough for meaningful strength and size gains on double progression
• Long enough to judge which lifts respond and which accessories to rotate
• A natural point to deload fully, retest, and either rerun or move on

Access the Original Program

If you would like to read the original program page:

PHUL Workout on Muscle & Strength