PHUL Program: Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower Complete Guide
PHUL — Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower — combines strength days and bodybuilding days across a 4-day split. Here's the complete PHUL guide and why it beats pure PPL for many lifters.
P
Pasha Mor
Founder, 1RM.fit · August 30, 2026
PHUL — Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower — is Brandon Campbell's 4-day split that combines strength days (low reps, heavy) with hypertrophy days (higher reps, more volume). The best of both worlds without spreading yourself thin.
I'm Pasha, founder of 1RM.fit. Here's the complete PHUL guide.
The PHUL Structure
- Monday: Upper Power (strength)
- Tuesday: Lower Power (strength)
- Thursday: Upper Hypertrophy (volume)
- Friday: Lower Hypertrophy (volume)
Monday — Upper Power
- Bench press: 4×3-5
- Incline dumbbell press: 4×6-10
- Barbell row: 4×3-5
- Pull-up: 4×6-10
- Barbell curl: 3×6-10
- Skull crusher: 3×6-10
Tuesday — Lower Power
- Squat: 4×3-5
- Deadlift: 4×3-5
- Leg press: 4×10-15
- Leg curl: 4×6-10
- Standing calf raise: 4×6-10
- Seated calf raise: 4×6-10
Thursday — Upper Hypertrophy
- Incline barbell press: 4×8-12
- Flat dumbbell fly: 4×10-15
- Seated cable row: 4×8-12
- One-arm dumbbell row: 4×8-12
- Dumbbell lateral raise: 4×10-15
- Preacher curl: 4×8-12
- Rope tricep pushdown: 4×8-12
Friday — Lower Hypertrophy
- Front squat: 4×8-12
- Barbell lunge: 4×8-12 each leg
- Leg extension: 4×10-15
- Lying leg curl: 4×10-15
- Standing calf raise: 4×10-15
- Seated calf raise: 4×10-15
How to Progress PHUL
- Power lifts: +2.5-5 kg any time you hit top of 3-5 rep range
- Hypertrophy work: Add reps within range, then +2.5-5 kg when top of range across all sets
PHUL vs Upper Lower
Standard upper/lower runs the same rep ranges every session. PHUL explicitly separates strength stimulus (Mon/Tue) from hypertrophy stimulus (Thu/Fri) — a smarter organization for lifters chasing both goals.
PHUL vs PPL
- PHUL: 4 days, both strength & hypertrophy phases per week
- PPL: 6 days, higher total volume, pure hypertrophy focus
PHUL is the best split for intermediate lifters who want to keep building strength on the big lifts while adding real size week over week.
Track PHUL Automatically
1RM.fit has PHUL built in. Load your maxes, follow the sets, get PR detection.
Compare: upper lower split, push pull legs, full body routine.
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