PHUL
By Brandon Campbell Diamond · With Permission
Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower. Two power days (3–5 reps) build strength on the big compounds; two hypertrophy days (8–15 reps) build size. Hits upper and lower body twice per week across four sessions.
Free to use · auto progression, rest timers & PR tracking built in
Brandon Campbell Diamond
Brandon Campbell Diamond, widely known as Basement Brandon on YouTube and Instagram, has been making fitness content for around 15 years and building home gyms since 2015. A powerlifter with around 15 sanctioned meets behind him, including USAPL Raw Nationals, he wrote the legendary original PHUL program and now offers free programs and meet-day tools on his site, Basement Barbell.
What is PHUL?
PHUL — Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower — is Brandon Campbell Diamond's answer to the oldest question in the gym: strength or size? It refuses to pick. The week splits into four sessions: Upper Power and Lower Power, where bench, row, squat and deadlift are worked for triples and fives, then Upper Hypertrophy and Lower Hypertrophy, where the same muscles come back two days later for sets of 8–15 with front squats, lunges, flyes and cable work.
The structure means every muscle gets trained twice a week — once heavy, once for volume — which is the frequency most intermediates respond best to. The power days are short on exercise variety but long on bar weight; the hypertrophy days flip that, running six or seven movements of moderate weight and honest rep quality. If you have searched for a PHUL spreadsheet or workout routine, this is the standard template, faithfully reproduced: 3×3–5 on the main lifts, 6–10 on the secondary compounds, 8–15 on everything else.
Is PHUL right for you?
PHUL suits a lifter who has finished a linear-progression program and wants both numbers and a physique — the classic powerbuilding profile. Four days is a manageable commitment, and because the heavy and volume work live in separate sessions, no single workout is crushing. If you only care about your total, a dedicated strength program will get you there faster; if you never want to touch a heavy triple, a pure bodybuilding split fits better. PHUL is for the large group in between. It is also the natural warm-up act for PHAT, which extends the same power/hypertrophy idea to five harder days.
How progression works
The two kinds of day progress differently, and keeping them straight is where most people slip when running PHUL off a spreadsheet. On power days the four big barbell lifts add weight whenever you complete all prescribed reps at the top of the 3–5 range. On hypertrophy days everything runs double progression: keep the load fixed, push each set toward the top of its rep range across sessions, and add weight only once every set gets there. Note that the leg curl appears on both lower days at different rep ranges — it carries a separate working weight for each. Durata tracks both progression rules and both leg-curl weights automatically, so each session opens with the right targets already filled in.
Durata runs this progression for you — there are no percentages to work out, so each session's target carries over from what you logged last time and the weight moves when you hit or miss the prescribed reps.
PHUL — every set, every session
Upper Power
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×3–5 | — |
| Incline Bench Press (Dumbbell) | 3×6–10 | — |
| Bent Over Row (Barbell) | 3×3–5 | — |
| Lat Pulldown (Cable) | 3×6–10 | — |
| Overhead Press (Barbell) | 2×5–8 | — |
| Bicep Curl (Barbell) | 2×6–10 | — |
| Skullcrusher (Barbell) | 2×6–10 | — |
Lower Power
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Squat (Barbell) | 3×3–5 | — |
| Deadlift (Barbell) | 3×3–5 | — |
| Leg Press (Machine) | 3×10–15 | — |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 3×6–10 | — |
| Standing Calf Raise | 4×6–10 | — |
Upper Hypertrophy
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Incline Bench Press (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | — |
| Chest Fly (Dumbbell) | 3×8–12 | — |
| Seated Cable Row - V Grip (Cable) | 3×8–12 | — |
| Dumbbell Row | 3×8–12 | — |
| Lateral Raise (Dumbbell) | 3×8–12 | — |
| Seated Incline Curl (Dumbbell) | 3×8–12 | — |
| Triceps Pushdown | 3×8–12 | — |
Lower Hypertrophy
| Exercise | Sets × Reps | Rest |
|---|---|---|
| Front Squat | 3×8–12 | — |
| Lunge (Barbell) | 3×8–12 | — |
| Leg Extension (Machine) | 3×10–15 | — |
| Lying Leg Curl (Machine) | 3×10–15 | — |
| Seated Calf Raise | 3×8–12 | — |
| Calf Press (Machine) | 3×8–12 | — |
PHUL — common questions
How many days a week is PHUL, and can I run it on 3 days?
Four: Upper Power, Lower Power, rest, Upper Hypertrophy, Lower Hypertrophy. Squeezing it into three days breaks the twice-a-week frequency that makes it work — if you only have three days, run a full-body program instead and keep PHUL for when your schedule opens up.
What weights do I start with on the power days?
Pick a weight you can confidently get 5 reps with for all three sets — roughly 80–85% of your 5-rep max, not the 5RM itself. You want four to six weeks of clean weekly jumps before the grind starts.
How long does a PHUL session take?
About 45–65 minutes on average. Power days run long because the 3–5 rep sets need long rests; hypertrophy days pack in more exercises with shorter breaks.
Should I deadlift AND squat heavy in the same session?
Yes — Lower Power prescribes both at 3×3–5, and that is the original template, not an error. Squat first while fresh, take full rests before deadlifts, and be conservative with deadlift jumps. If recovery becomes a problem, slow the deadlift progression before touching the squat.
PHUL or PHAT — which should I run?
PHUL first. It is four days to PHAT's five, has no speed work to learn, and leaves recovery in the tank. Run PHUL for four to six months; when the hypertrophy days stop feeling challenging and you want more volume, PHAT is the logical next step.
Is there an app that runs PHUL for you?
Yes. Durata runs PHUL as written, free: the 4-day-a-week schedule, every set and rep, and the progression built in. Log your sets and the next session's weights are worked out for you, with the stalls and deloads the program calls for; a tap on any lift shows why the weight moved. It is on iPhone and Android, works offline, and your history from Hevy or Strong imports free.
Source: PHUL — Brandon Campbell Diamond, basementbarbell.com
With permission from Brandon Campbell Diamond, who gave Durata permission to carry this program.
Run PHUL in Durata
Automatic progression, plate calculator, rest timers and PR tracking — the whole program, ready to log.
