PHAT (Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training)

PHAT (Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training) is Dr. Layne Norton's routine, published in his training series on Simply Shredded. It combines powerlifting-style heavy work with bodybuilding volume, on the idea that getting stronger lets you use more weight in your hypertrophy work and so grow more over the long run. It is demanding and aimed at intermediate and advanced lifters who already tolerate high frequency and volume.

The week Each muscle is trained twice a week:

• 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

Power days The main pull, press and squat are 3 sets of 3-5 reps. Rest as long as you need to recover fully between heavy sets, up to 5-6 minutes. The goal is to move maximum weight. Assistance work on these days stays at 6-10 reps.

Speed work Each hypertrophy day opens with speed work on the power lift from earlier in the week: 6 sets of 3 (Norton allows 6-8 sets) with 65-70% of the weight you used for your 3-5 rep sets on the power day. Squatted 300 lb for 3x3-5? Speed squats are 195-210 lb. Move the bar as fast as possible on the way up and rest no more than 90 seconds between sets. If the bar slows down, it is too heavy.

Hypertrophy days After speed work, train like a bodybuilder: 8-20 reps and 1-2 minutes between sets. Stop 1-2 reps short of failure on most sets. Once you have adapted, you can take only the last 1-2 sets of an exercise to failure. Do not train to failure at all for the first 2-4 weeks.

Getting started This is the full routine for someone already adapted to it. Norton suggests cutting one assistance exercise from each day at first, until your body adapts. Expect to be sore and tired for the first few weeks.

Progression Push the power lifts up week to week. Rotate the power movements every 2-3 weeks (for example squats to front squats or box squats, Pendlay rows to dumbbell rows). If you plateau, first change your power or accessory exercises, then target your sticking point: deficit deadlifts for a slow start off the floor, rack pulls for a weak lockout, box squats for the hole.

Deloads Deload every 6-12 weeks: 1-3 weeks of the same routine at 60-70% of your normal weights.

Exercise notes Norton gives some choices (Pendlay or bent-over rows, glute ham raises or lying leg curls, dumbbell rows or shrugs on an incline bench). Rack chins are chin-ups with your feet on a bench in front of a racked bar; regular chin-ups are fine. The cambered bar exercises can be done with an EZ bar.

This plan covers 12 weeks. Run it longer, with deloads, for as long as you are progressing.