PHUL: 4-Day Power Hypertrophy Workout Guide

PHUL, short for Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower, is a four-day split that Brandon Campbell published on Muscle & Strength in February 2013. Two days a week train heavy for strength and two train lighter for size, and every muscle gets worked on both kinds of day.

How Campbell builds the week

Campbell’s week puts upper power on day 1 and lower power on day 2, then a day off, then upper hypertrophy and lower hypertrophy on days 4 and 5, with the weekend free. The article lists the plan as 12 weeks long and aims it at intermediate lifters.

The power days open with the big barbell lifts for 3 or 4 sets of 3 to 5 reps. The bench press and bent-over row are the heavy lifts of the upper day, and the squat and deadlift lead the lower day, with lighter accessory work around them. The hypertrophy days move to variations such as the incline bench press, the front squat and the seated cable row, at 8 to 12 reps or 10 to 15.

Two notes in the article set the effort. Campbell asks for at least one rep “left in the tank” on every set, so the heavy sets are hard without going to failure. The main compound lifts stay as written, while the other exercises can be swapped for similar ones.

How the weights go up

Campbell gives each exercise a rep range but no fixed weight jump, so the rate of increase is left to the lifter. Kinoku fills that gap with double progression, a method where the weight stays the same while the reps climb to the top of the range, and only then goes up.

What Kinoku works out for you

Kinoku’s PHUL template tracks four lifts on the power days: the bench press, barbell row, back squat and deadlift. You enter a one-rep max for each one, and Kinoku starts the lift at 80 percent of it, a load that leaves room for five reps.

• Three sets that climb from 3 reps to 5. A good session, with every set at its target, adds one rep to the target for next time. After a good session at 5 reps, the weight goes up and the target drops back to 3.
• Jumps that suit the lift. The bench press and row go up 2.5 kg at a time, and the squat and deadlift go up 5 kg. In Program settings, choosing Smaller under Weight jumps halves all four.
• A reset after three misses. The third missed session in a row on a lift takes 10 percent off its weight, and the climb starts again at 3 reps.

Everything else in a PHUL week is yours to load. That covers the overhead press, pulldown and arm work on the upper power day, the leg press, leg curl and calf raise on the lower power day, and both hypertrophy days in full.

Where the app’s version differs

Kinoku runs PHUL for 10 weeks where Campbell lists 12. It splits them into four weeks of power and hypertrophy work, four weeks of strength focus, a deload week and a peak-and-test week. The program dashboard names each phase as you reach it. In the deload week the dashboard shows a lower target volume, but Kinoku does not cut the sets or the weights, so how far to back off is your call.

Campbell’s day lists also run a little longer than the app’s. The upper power day in Kinoku has no incline dumbbell bench press, and the upper hypertrophy day has no one-arm dumbbell row. The lower hypertrophy day uses a dumbbell Romanian deadlift where Campbell has a barbell lunge, with one calf exercise in place of two. Your routines stay editable, so an exercise the app left out can go back in.

If you have six days a week to train, Reddit PPL (push, pull, legs) puts a heavy barbell lift at the top of every session.

Frequently asked questions

What app can track PHUL and set the power-day weights for me?

Kinoku runs Brandon Campbell's PHUL for free on Android. It sets the weights for the bench press, row, squat and deadlift on the power days, where three sets climb from 3 reps to 5 before the weight goes up. The hypertrophy days and the other power-day moves, such as the overhead press and leg press, are yours to load.

How does PHUL balance strength and muscle growth in one week?

The week has two power days and two hypertrophy days, each split into upper and lower body. The power days use heavy compound lifts for 3 to 5 reps. The hypertrophy days use lighter loads for 8 to 15 reps, so every muscle gets both kinds of work each week.

How do the weights go up on the power lifts?

Brandon Campbell's article gives rep ranges but no fixed weight jump. In Kinoku, the bench press, barbell row, squat and deadlift each run three sets that climb from 3 reps to 5, one rep per good session. The weight then rises by 2.5 kg on the bench press and row and 5 kg on the squat and deadlift. After that jump, the reps start again at 3.

Does Kinoku lighten the deload week?

No. The program dashboard labels week 9 as a deload and shows a lower target volume, but Kinoku does not cut your sets or weights that week. How much to back off is your call.

Can I adjust accessory exercises in Kinoku?

Yes. Campbell keeps the main compound lifts fixed and allows swaps for similar exercises in the rest of the plan. Your routines in Kinoku can be edited the same way. Kinoku sets weights only for the four power lifts it tracks, so you pick the load for everything else.