PHAT stands for Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training and is a high-volume, five-day-a-week workout routine for building strength and muscle mass at the same time.
In this guide, you’ll learn everything you need to know about PHAT: if it’s for you, what the program looks like, how to get started, and more.
This program is 100% free in our workout tracker app, StrengthLog. When you follow it in-app, you can easily keep track of the weights you use, how many reps you do, and see your gains as they happen.
Download StrengthLog for free:
Or click here to go directly to PHAT in the app.
Table of Contents
What Is the PHAT Workout Routine?
PHAT, or Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training, is a 5-day “powerbuilding” split created and popularized by Dr. Layne Norton, a pro natural bodybuilder and powerlifter with a Ph.D. in nutritional sciences.
It combines the heavy, low-rep training of a powerlifter with the higher-volume, pump-focused workouts of a bodybuilder.
You train heavy for strength early in the week, then higher-rep hypertrophy work later in the week, hitting each muscle twice with different stimuli.
It’s a classic form of nonlinear (undulating) periodization designed to work your muscles in different ways to maximize both strength (power) and size (hypertrophy).
How PHAT Is Structured
The PHAT program is a 5-day-a-week routine. Here’s a common layout:
- Day 1: Upper Body Power
- Day 2: Lower Body Power
- Day 3: Rest
- Day 4: Back and Shoulders Hypertrophy
- Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy
- Day 6: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy
- Day 7: Rest
That’s the canonical template Layne published and how it’s programmed in StrengthLog. You’re free to shift rest days to fit life, but the main concept is two heavy “power” days up front and three higher-volume “pump” days after.
Power and Hypertrophy Days
Let’s look at what makes this program special: the two distinct types of training days.
Power Days
On your two power days at the beginning of the week, your goal is to lift heavy weigths and do so explosively. Think like a powerlifter. You focus on compound movements and keep the reps low.
- Main lift(s): One big press and one big pull/row (upper), or one big squat/deadlift pattern (lower)
- Accessories: A few assistance exercises for 2–3 sets of 6–10
- Sets and Reps: Typically three sets of 3–5 reps for your main lifts.
- Rest Periods: You rest long enough between sets so you can give it your all on every single set and keep bar speed and quality high. If that means 5 minutes of rest, you rest 5 minutes.
- Focus: Progressive overload. You should strive to add more weight to the bar over time.
Hypertrophy Days
After a rest day, it’s time for three hypertrophy-focused days, with ~50–75% higher training volume than the power days.
Here, you want to think more like a bodybuilder chasing a satisfying pump through volume and metabolic stress.
- Speed work first on the week’s main lift (same pattern you trained heavy) at ~85% of the weight you used. Move the bar fast (if it’s not explosive, the weight is too heavy).
- Sets and Reps: You’ll be working in higher rep ranges, typically 3–4 sets of 8–20 reps.
- Rest Periods: Shorter rest periods of about 1–2 minutes between sets keep the intensity high and the blood flowing to your muscles.
- Focus: You still want to increase the load when you can, but your main focus is feeling the muscle work, getting a good stretch and contraction, and pushing yourself close to fatigue. You’ll do more isolation exercises on these days.
By combining power and hypertrophy work in the same week, you get a synergistic effect you don’t get from doing only one or the other.
Note: PHAT is not a beginner program.
It is best suited for intermediate to advanced lifters (you know proper form, especially on the big compound lifts, can recover from 5 days/week, and can autoregulate).
If you’re just starting out, the volume and intensity might be a bit much. Our beginner programs are more suitable for you:
- Beginner Barbell Program
- Beginner Powerlifting Program
- Beginner Strength Training Program
- Bodybuilding for Beginners
PHAT Workout Routine
Here’s a sneak peek at what a week of PHAT looks like in StrengthLog.
Keep in mind, PHAT is a template, not a program set in stone. Feel free to swap exercises for ones that you prefer or that work better for your body and the equipment available to you.
For example, you might do deadlifts instead of squats or switch out dumbbell chest presses for the regular barbell bench press.
Day 1: Upper Body Power
Focus: Heavy, compound movements. Long rest periods (3−5 minutes or more).
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Row | 3 | 3–5 |
| Pull-Up | 2 | 6–10 |
| Lat Pulldown | 2 | 6–10 |
| Dumbbell Chest Press | 3 | 3–5 |
| Bar Dip | 2 | 6–10 |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 6–10 |
| EZ Curl | 3 | 6–10 |
| Barbell Lying Triceps Extension | 3 | 6–10 |
Day 2: Lower Body Power
Focus: Same as Day 1 – move some serious weight. Rest up between sets (3−5 minutes).
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 3 | 3–5 |
| Hack Squat Machine | 2 | 6–10 |
| Leg Extension | 2 | 6–10 |
| Stiff-Legged Deadlift | 3 | 5–8 |
| Lying Leg Curl | 2 | 6–10 |
| Standing Calf Raise | 3 | 6–10 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 2 | 6–10 |
Day 3: Rest
Focus: Eat. Sleep. Complain about being sore. Repeat.
Day 4: Back and Shoulders Hypertrophy
Focus: Pump and volume. Shorter rest periods (no more than 3 minutes).
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Barbell Row | 4 | 8–10 (~85% of Day 1’s weight) |
| Lat Pulldown | 3 | 8–12 |
| Cable Seated Row | 3 | 8–12 |
| Dumbbell Row | 2 | 12–15 |
| Close-Grip Lat Pulldown | 2 | 15–20 |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8–12 |
| Upright Row | 2 | 12–15 |
| Lateral Raise | 3 | 12–20 |
Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy
Focus: Lighter weight, more reps and more burn. Rest up to 3 minutes.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Squat | 4 | 8–10 (~85% of Day 2’s weight) |
| Hack Squat Machine | 3 | 8–12 |
| Leg Press | 2 | 12–15 |
| Leg Extension | 3 | 15–20 |
| Romanian Deadlift | 3 | 8–12 |
| Lying Leg Curl | 2 | 12–15 |
| Seated Leg Curl | 2 | 15–20 |
| Donkey Calf Raise | 4 | 10–15 |
| Seated Calf Raise | 3 | 15–20 |
Day 6: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy
Focus: Get a skin-splitting pump. Rest 3 minutes or less.
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Chest Press | 4 | 8–10 (~85% of Day 1’s weight) |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 3 | 8–12 |
| Machine Chest Press | 3 | 12–15 |
| Cable Incline Chest Fly | 2 | 15–20 |
| Barbell Preacher Curl | 3 | 8–12 |
| Concentration Curl | 2 | 12–15 |
| Spider Curl | 2 | 15–20 |
| Barbell Standing Triceps Extension | 3 | 8–12 |
| Tricep Pushdown with Rope | 2 | 12–15 |
| Tricep Kickback | 2 | 15–20 |
Day 7: Rest
Focus: Take another day of well-deserved rest before it’s time for Day 1 and power training again.
Remember that you can choose other, similar exercises you like better. StrengthLog even has a built-in function that suggests alternative exercises, so if the default selection isn’t PHAT enough for you, feel free to change things up.
PHAT Workout: 4-Day Routine
You can adapt PHAT to a 4-day routine by combining the Back and Shoulders Hypertrophy and the Chest and Arms Hypertrophy sessions into one upper hypertrophy day (reduce total volume by ~30–40%).
Your training week would then look like:
- Day 1: Upper Body Power
- Day 2: Lower Body Power
- Day 3: Off
- Day 4: Upper Body Hypertrophy
- Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy
- Day 6: Off
- Day 7: Off
And here’s what an example of a combined upper-body hypertrophy day could look like:
Day 4: Upper Body Hypertrophy
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Dumbbell Chest Press | 4 | 8–10 (~85% of Day 1’s weight) |
| Machine Chest Press | 3 | 8–12 |
| Cable Incline Chest Fly | 3 | 12–15 |
| Barbell Row | 4 | 8–10 (~85% of Day 1’s weight) |
| Lat Pulldown | 3 | 8–12 |
| Cable Seated Row | 3 | 8–12 |
| Seated Dumbbell Shoulder Press | 3 | 8–12 |
| Lateral Raise | 3 | 12–15 |
| EZ Curl | 3 | 8–12 |
| Barbell Lying Triceps Extension | 3 | 8–12 |
However, PHAT is such a high-volume program, especially on hypertrophy days, that the bundled-together fourth day becomes kind of a compromise, or else the workout would take hours.
It is inherently a 5-day program, which means that, yes, it’s a commitment. Your social life might take a hit, even if your biceps won’t.
For a dedicated 4-day program that also combines strength and hypertrophy, PHUL or Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower might be a better fit for you.
Warm-Up & Prep for PHAT (Fast, Effective Template)
Don’t forget to warm up before loading the bar with your heaviest weight. You’ll improve performance and might reduce the risk of injury.
Try this short and sweet routine before your PHAT workouts:
- General: 5–8 minutes of easy cardio + 2–3 dynamic drills for the day’s joints (e.g., high knees, hip openers, scapular pull-ups).
- Specific: Ramp your main lift with 4–6 ascending sets of 3–5 reps up to your first work set.
- On hypertrophy days: One light ramp set is enough before your speed work, then go.
Learn more in our in-depth article How To Warm Up Before Lifting.
PHAT Workout Progression: How to Get Stronger
To get stronger, you need to lift heavier over time. PHAT is no different.
So let’s talk about the single most important factor for building muscle and strength: progressive overload.
Sounds complicated, but it’s actually super simple. To get stronger, you have to give your muscles a reason to adapt. That means challenging them with a little more than they’re used to.
Here’s how we do it, step-by-step:
- Every exercise in PHAT has a target rep range, say 3–5 reps for the squat on power days.
- Once you can hit all sets and reps for an exercise, with clean form, you add a small amount of weight next workout.
- With the new, heavier weight, you’ll almost certainly get fewer reps. Maybe you go from 3 sets of 5 at 150 lb to grinding out 3 sets of 3 at 155 lb.
- Stick with that new weight. Over the next few workouts, your goal is to add a rep here and there until you’re back at the top of your target rep range (3 sets of 5 in our example).
- Once you hit 3×5 at 155 lb, guess what? It’s time to bump it up to 160 lb and start the climb over again.
And that’s progressive overload and how you get stronger over time. Beginners can often add weight from workout to workout, but it might take longer at the level you should be at when doing PHAT.
The above isn’t just for the big, heavy lifts. The same logic applies to every exercise:
- Smashed all your sets of 15 on tricep pushdowns? Increase the weight.
- Cranked out 12 reps on incline dumbbell presses? Grab the next pair of dumbbells.
This simple cycle is the engine of your progress. Without it, you’re just going through the motions.
Loading Recommendations Summary
Here are general guidelines on how to structure your progression, summarized:
- Main power lifts (row, press, squat): aim to add ~1–2.5 kg (2.5–5 lb) to upper-body lifts and ~2.5–5 kg (5–10 lb) to lower-body lifts whenever you hit all sets at the top of the rep range with ~1–2 reps in reserve (RIR).
Read more: What is RPE and RIR in Strength Training?
- Hypertrophy lifts: nudge load up when you can hit the top of the rep range on all sets with good tempo and 0–2 RIR.
- Speed sets: Don’t chase weight at all costs. If the bar speed drops, reduce the load to keep it moving fast.
- Stalls: First, rotate the variation of your main power movement (e.g., switch barbell rows ↔ Pendlay rows; back squats ↔ front squats). If that fails, deload.
And remember that a clean rep with 150 lb is more effective than a questionable rep with 160 lb.
Frequently Asked Questions About the PHAT Workout Routine
It’s FAQ time! Let’s address some of the most common questions about the PHAT workout routine.
PHAT stands for Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training. It’s a workout program that combines powerlifting and bodybuilding training: two power/strength days and three muscle-building days.
Yes, you can. But you have to be smart about it. A program as demanding as PHAT requires your recovery to be on point, and excessive cardio might torpedo your gains.
Start with one day of cardio per week and gradually increase the amount. You can do both steady-state cardio and intervals, but the latter might feel rough to start if your legs are fried. If so, stick to medium-intensity for now.
No, it’s an advanced high-intensity, high-volume program for experienced lifters. It would likely be too much for a beginner.
If you’re new to lifting, try one of our beginner programs first:
• Beginner Barbell Program
• Beginner Powerlifting Program
• Beginner Strength Training Program
• Bodybuilding for Beginners
Yes, it’s good for both strength and muscle gains. The heavy power days boost your strength, which in turn allows you to lift heavier on your hypertrophy days, leading to more muscle growth.
The answer isn’t a simple yes or no; it depends on the day and how long you’ve been following the program.
• On your power days, finish your sets feeling like you had 1–2 more clean reps left in the tank (RIR 1–2).
• On hypertrophy days, you can take the last 1–2 sets of an exercise to failure. Do it on isolation/machine movements rather than heavy compounds.
Note: During the first 2–4 weeks of PHAT, it’s a good idea to stay away from failure, even on hypertrophy days, while your body adapts to the program.
Your nutrition needs to be on point during a hard workout routine like PHAT. Consider:
• Protein: ~1.6–2.2 grams of protein per kg (0.7–1 gram per pound) of body weight/day spread out over the day.
• Calories: small surplus (bulking) or at maintenance to provide energy for heavy workouts and growth.
• Creatine: 3–5 g/day (any time) is the best supplement to support your efforts.
• Sleep: 7–9 hours. PHAT’s workload rewards good sleepers.
PHAT workouts take quite a bit of time if you follow the rest recommendations. They often take at least 75–120 minutes, especially on hypertrophy days. You can get through them more quickly if you shorten your rest intervals, but doing so is generally not recommended, as it will reduce the quality of your training.
No, they are three different programs.
• PHUL (Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower) uses a similar power + hypertrophy idea but across 4 days/week with less total volume and is friendlier for newer lifters (although still not a beginner routine). You can follow PHUL in StrengthLog for free.
• PH3 is Norton’s peaking-style strength plan built around the squat/bench/deadlift with periodized percentages. It’s more specialized than classic PHAT. If you want maximal progress in the big three powerlifts and less bodybuilding work, PH3 might be for you, but it’s not the same as either PHAT or PHUL.
No, it doesn’t. The core philosophy of PHAT is that your abs and lower back get a ton of indirect work from the big, heavy compound lifts.
But if you want to add dedicated ab training, it’s easy to do so. Simply tack on a couple of ab exercises for 3–4 sets at the end of two or three of your workouts.
My recommendation is to add them to the end of your hypertrophy days. Your power days are already demanding on your central nervous system, so it’s best to keep those focused on the main, heavy lifts.
A good sample ab add-on could look like this:
End of Day 4 (Back and Shoulders):
• Hanging Leg Raise: 3 sets x 10–15 reps
• Ab Wheel Roll-Out: 3 sets to failure
End of Day 6 (Chest and Arms):
• Cable Crunch: 3 sets of 12–20 reps
• Pallof Press (anti-rotation): 3 sets x 12 reps per side
Yes, it’s possible, but expect slower progress in strength and muscle. Keep your speed sets lighter and maybe drop a couple of accessories if the volume feels overwhelming. Check out How to Cut for an in-depth how-to.
A deload is when you reduce your training volume and intensity for a few workouts, usually a week’s worth.
Norton recommends taking a deload week every 6–12 weeks, which gives you plenty of wiggle room to listen to your body and deload when it tells you it needs it.
An easy way to do it is to keep the program structure but run ~60–70% of your usual loads and cut one set per exercise.
Follow PHAT in StrengthLog
What’s the best way to follow PHAT?
In StrengthLog, our workout tracker app.
That way, it’s super easy to keep track of your weights and reps and make sure you’re on the high road to your best gains.
StrengthLog remembers what weights you used in your last workout, and automatically loads them into your next session.
PHAT is 100% free, and so is our app.
Track Your Training. See Real Progress.
Log your workouts in one place and watch your numbers climb, week after week.
- Free to get started
- Fast workout logging
- Cardio, mobility, and strength training
- Sport-specific strength plans, including running, soccer, judo, boxing, and more
- Progress over time, personal bests
- Free and premium training programs and workouts for every fitness goal
Download StrengthLog free:
Final Rep
Alright, let’s wrap this up.
Is PHAT the program for you? It might just be, if:
- You’re past the newbie gains phase.
- You want to be as strong as you look.
- You genuinely enjoy being in the gym 5 days a week.
- Your nutrition and sleep are on point.
It is a challenging and demanding workout routine, and it’s not for everyone. It’s not for you if you’re new to lifting or you don’t have the time to commit.
But it’s popular for a reason: it works. If you’re ready for it.
Now go get PHAT.
Want more?
Subscribe to our weekly newsletter to get notified of new articles, and get weekly training tips!
Or, you can view all our training programs here.
Last reviewed: 2025-09-19
