Programme · Intermediate · 5 days a week

PHUL 5-Day

PHUL 5-Day is a common intermediate muscle-building programme. Five-day expansion of the power + hypertrophy upper/lower split with an added arm day. VALDA has it in its programme library: start it and VALDA sets up the sessions and starting weights, then adds weight when you complete every working set.

Start this programme Open in VALDA

Free to start, 1 programme at a time. Already have the app? Open in VALDA takes you straight to it. In the app it's listed as “Power + Hypertrophy 5-Day”.

Is PHUL 5-Day for you?

Intermediate lifters who have run PHUL four-day and want more isolated arm volume, or naturally-thin-armed lifters who need direct arm work to make the rest of the programme pay off. Best when you can train five days without cutting into recovery on the big lifts.

At a glance

Level: Intermediate
Goal: Muscle size
Time: 5 days a week, ~60–75 min a session

The five-day version of PHUL. Keeps the same Upper Power / Lower Power / Upper Hypertrophy / Lower Hypertrophy structure across the first four days, then adds a fifth session dedicated to arms — biceps, triceps, and forearm volume. Suited to lifters who want dedicated arm specialisation without sacrificing the four-day body-part frequency of the original.

5 sessions

PHUL 5-Day sessions
Session	Exercises
Upper Power	Bench Press · 3×3–5 Incline Dumbbell Press · 3×6–10 Barbell Row · 3×3–5 Lat Pulldown · 3×6–10 Overhead Press · 2×5–8 Barbell Curl · 2×6–10 Skullcrusher · 2×6–10
Lower Power	Squat · 3×3–5 Deadlift · 3×3–5 Leg Press · 3×10–15 Leg Curl · 3×6–10 Standing Calf Raise · 4×6–10
Upper Hypertrophy	Incline Barbell Bench Press · 3×8–12 Dumbbell Fly · 3×8–12 Seated Cable Row · 3×8–12 Dumbbell Row · 3×8–12 Dumbbell Lateral Raise · 3×8–12 Incline Dumbbell Curl · 3×8–12 Cable Tricep Extension · 3×8–12
Lower Hypertrophy	Front Squat · 3×8–12 Barbell Lunge · 3×8–12 Leg Extension · 3×10–15 Leg Curl · 3×10–15 Seated Calf Raise · 3×8–12 Leg Press Calf Raise · 3×8–12
Arms	Barbell Curl · 3×8–12 Incline Dumbbell Curl · 3×10–15 Hammer Curl · 3×10–15 Close-Grip Bench Press · 3×8–12 Skullcrusher · 3×10–15 Cable Tricep Extension · 3×10–15 Wrist Curl · 3×12–15 Reverse Curl · 3×12–15

Days 1-4 are the published PHUL exactly: Upper Power (bench 3-5, incline dumbbell press 6-10, row 3-5, lat pulldown 6-10, overhead press 5-8, curl and skullcrusher 6-10), Lower Power (squat and deadlift 3-5, leg press 10-15, leg curl and calves 6-10), Upper Hypertrophy (8-12 throughout), Lower Hypertrophy (8-15 throughout). Day 5 is arms: barbell and dumbbell curls, close-grip bench, skullcrushers, cable extensions, and forearm work in the 8-15 range.

How the weights move

Campbell publishes no per-lift figure, so the rates are VALDA's own default: power-day barbell lifts step 2.5 kg per session, the deadlift 5 kg and dumbbell work 2 kg. Set your own rate per lift in programme management if you want any of them moving differently. Hypertrophy-day and arm-day work use rep-then-weight progression: hit the top of the prescribed rep range across all sets, then add weight. Campbell publishes no deload and no stall rule, so this entry does not state one — backing a stuck lift off is your judgement, and nothing here will do it for you.

PHUL 5-Day, with the maths done

Sessions set up from the programme, ready to log
Starting weights worked out from the programme's own rules and your estimated maxes, with a default where VALDA has no history yet. You can change any of them
Weight added when you complete every working set
A lift trained two ways in the week, heavier on one day and lighter on another, keeps a separate weight for each
A missed session holds the weight; 3 misses in a row bring it down 10%
Log sets from your phone, Apple Watch or Wear OS watch

Start this programme

Quick answers

PHUL 5-Day questions

Who is PHUL 5-Day for?

Intermediate lifters who have run PHUL four-day and want more isolated arm volume, or naturally-thin-armed lifters who need direct arm work to make the rest of the programme pay off. Best when you can train five days without cutting into recovery on the big lifts.

How many days a week is PHUL 5-Day?

As VALDA runs it: 5 days a week, ~60–75 min a session.

How does progression work on PHUL 5-Day?

Campbell publishes no per-lift figure, so the rates are VALDA's own default: power-day barbell lifts step 2.5 kg per session, the deadlift 5 kg and dumbbell work 2 kg. Set your own rate per lift in programme management if you want any of them moving differently. Hypertrophy-day and arm-day work use rep-then-weight progression: hit the top of the prescribed rep range across all sets, then add weight. Campbell publishes no deload and no stall rule, so this entry does not state one — backing a stuck lift off is your judgement, and nothing here will do it for you.

Can I run PHUL 5-Day in VALDA?

Yes. It's in VALDA's programme library: start it and VALDA sets up the sessions and starting weights, then adds weight when you complete every working set. You can start it on the free plan, 1 programme at a time. Automatic progression: Free: 6 sessions · Pro: unlimited.

Is VALDA affiliated with Brandon Campbell?

No. VALDA is not affiliated with or endorsed by Brandon Campbell. This page describes the programme as VALDA runs it.

Where PHUL 5-Day comes from

PHUL was published by Brandon Campbell at Muscle & Strength as a FOUR-day routine. Days 1-4 here follow that published routine. The fifth arm day is a VALDA addition for lifters who want dedicated arm volume — it is not part of Campbell's programme, and running the four-day version is the faithful way to run PHUL.

VALDA is not affiliated with or endorsed by Brandon Campbell. The programme belongs to its author; this page describes it as VALDA runs it.

This page describes a common training programme for information. It isn't a personal prescription.