PHAT 5-Day Split – The Workouts!
PHAT 5-Day Split – The Workouts! In Part 1 of the PHAT article from my Built From Iron Series, we covered the basics of this routine, answered the most frequently asked questions and revealed who this intense high-volume program is best suited for. In Part 2, we’re jumping right into the PHAT 5-Day Split workouts! Plus, I will go over nutrition and supplement guidelines. Are you ready for this? Then let’s get started!
The PHAT 5-Day Split Routine – A Quick Recap!
| Focus Area | Core Takeaway | Implementation |
| Core Routine | 5-Day Split | Features 2 Power Daysand 3 Hypertrophy days |
| Who’s It For? | Intermediate/Advanced Lifters | Not suited for beginners and older lifters; requires high recovery capacity. |
| Frequency | 2x per Muscle Group | Proven optimal for building mass and muscle strength. |
| Volume | Even Upper Body/LowerBody Focus – 1-2 hour workouts | High volume workouts – power and pump. |
| Recovery Options | Core program offers 2 rest days | Lifters can extend their training week by adding 1-2 rest days |
| Rep Tempo | Power Days: Explosive up,controlled down Hypertrophy Days: speed work, then normal bodybuilding tempo. | The speed work is one of the things that sets this program apart |
An Example PHAT Workout
This example adheres to the original 5-Day Split as listed in the first schedule above. You can easily adapt this to the second schedule – or any schedule that works best for you. (1)
Day 1: Upper Body Power Day
Barbell Bent-Over Row
Warm up over 3 sets:
Bar x 15 reps
20% RM x 12 reps
40% RM x 10 reps
3 sets x 3-5 reps
Lat Pulldowns (or Weighted Pull Ups)
4 sets x 5-6 reps
Barbell Bench Press
Warm up over 3 sets:
Bar x 15 reps
20% RM x 12 reps
40% RM x 10 reps
3 sets x 3-5 reps
Seated Dip Machine (Plate-Loaded)
2 sets x 5-8 reps
Overhead Press (Dumbbell, Seated or Standing)
3 sets x 5-8 reps
Seated Curl Machine
3 sets x 5-8 reps
Lying Triceps Extension
3 sets x 5-6 reps
Day 2: Lower Body Power Day
Barbell Squat (Alternate with Deadlifts)
Warm up over 3 sets:
Bar x 15 reps
20% RM x 12 reps
40% RM x 10 reps
4 sets x 3-5 reps
45-Degree Leg Press
3 sets x 5-8 reps
Seated Leg Curl
3 sets x 5-8 reps
Stiff-Legged Deadlift
2 sets x 5-8 reps
Standing Calf Raise
3 sets x 10-12 reps
Seated Calf Raise
3 set x 10-12 reps
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Back and Shoulders Hypertrophy Day
Barbell Bent-Over Row
Warm up over 3 sets:
Bar x 15 reps
20% RM x 12 reps
40% RM x 10 reps
5 sets x 3 reps – 65-70% 3-5RM – Perform these reps explosively and fast but under control!
Seated Row Machine – Chest Supported
4 sets x 8-12 reps
Iso-Lateral Lat Pulldown – Alternate Hammer Grip and Overhand Grip
5 sets x 8-12 reps
Barbell Haney Shrug (Behind The Back Shrug)
3 sets x 12 reps
Standing Overhead Press (Barbell)
3 sets x 8-12 reps
Dumbbell Side/Rear Laterals (Done as a superset)
3 sets x 12-15 reps each exercise
Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy Day
Barbell Squat (Alternate with Deadlifts)
Warm up over 3 sets:
Bar x 15 reps
20% RM x 12 reps
40% RM x 10 reps
6 sets x 3 reps – 65-70% 3-5RM – Perform these reps explosively and fast but under control!
Seated Leg Press
5 sets x 8-12 reps
Leg Extension
3 sets x 15 reps
Lying Leg Curl
5 sets x 12-15 reps
Calf Press (on Seated Leg Press Machine)
3 sets x 10-15 reps
Seated Calf Raise
3 sets x 15-20 reps
Day 6: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy Day
Barbell Bench Press
Warm up over 3 sets:
Bar x 15 reps
20% RM x 12 reps
40% RM x 10 reps
5 sets x 3 reps – 65-70% 3-5RM- Perform these reps explosively and fast but under control!
Incline Dumbbell Press
5 sets x 8-12 reps
Flat Dumbbell Fly
3 sets x 15 reps
Incline Dumbbell Fly
2 sets x 15 reps
Standing 1-Dumbbell Extension
3 sets x 8-12 reps
Triceps Pushdown
4 sets x 12-15 reps
EZ-Bar Cable Curl – 21’s
3 sets x 7 half reps (bottom to middle), 7 half reps (middle to top), 7 full reps
EZ-Bar Spider Curl
2 sets x 15 reps
Cable Concentration Curl
2 sets x 12-15 reps
Performance Notes
How To Implement Progressive Overload
Power Days – It’s suggested to start with 80% of your 1RM. From there, you’d increase the weight by 5 pounds each week as long as you complete all your reps in every set with good form. If you miss your reps two weeks in a row, drop the weight by 10% and work back up gradually.
Hypertrophy Days – As noted, these workouts are about the pump, they are not really about putting more weight on the bar. Therefore and as noted, on hypertrophy days, choose a weight that lets you complete all your sets in the target rep range while staying 1–2 reps shy of failure.
Stick with that weight until you can hit all the prescribed sets and reps for two weeks in a row, then increase the weight by the smallest possible amount.
Be sure you are performing full, complete reps. It’s amazing to me how often I see lifters in the gym performing half, quarter or even eighth reps. Also, none of this living on your phone for 10-15 minutes before you perform a half-hearted, barely-into-it rep. If you’d rather text or scroll, go home. If you intend to work out, use your phone to track your sets and reps and then put it away.
Rest Periods: Power: Rest 4-6 minutes on squats, deadlifts, and bench presses. On everything else, rest 2-3 minutes. Hypertrophy: Rest 1-2 minutes.
Tempo: The suggested tempo for Power Days is an explosive concentric phase, and a slower and controlled eccentric phase.
For hypertrophy days, as noted but it’s worth repeating: on your first exercise of the day perform your reps fast but under control. On the rest of your exercises, use slow and controlled reps – no rushing, you want to focus on feeling the muscle contract.
Nutrition Tips
Protein
If you’re considering the PHAT workout, you are no doubt a serious lifter. Therefore, you should be consuming a minimum of 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight every day. Additionally, you should spread out your protein intake over 5-6 meals/shakes/snacks. That’s the classic approach to protein timing, and for good reason: it’s convenient and easy. Plus, it allows you to work your protein intake into your normal meal schedule.
But, you can adjust your intake of protein to fit your lifestyle. If you lead a busy life, you can fall back on the convenience and ease of protein shakes. If your life is pretty straightforward, your focus should be on whole-food meals, only using a shake or two to help you meet your protein target.
I also recommend using a post-workout shake. I know a lot of “experts” tell you that you can work out and wait hours before eating or drinking a shake. But, there is no reason you have to wait that long. I wouldn’t want to. When I get done, I want some calories, so I drink a shake, and not long thereafter, I eat. I recommend you do the same!
Strategic Nighttime Protein Intake
Here’s a great protein tip: I suggest that about a half-hour before bed, serious lifters should eat or drink a protein source that centers around slow digesting sources. Good options would be a shake, a serving of low-fat cottage cheese, or a serving of low-to-no-sugar Greek yogurt. This is a simple tip that can help you stay in a state of positive protein balance during the night. Why is that important? Because that’s normally when your body ultimately moves into a state of negative protein balance, derailing gains.
Carbohydrates
Carbohydrates are critical for training energy. But, they have to be clean carbs – so limit sugary carbs and focus mainly on complex carbohydrates. For gains in muscle mass, I suggest 2 grams per pound of bodyweight as a starting point. This can be adjusted up or down depending on how you respond.
I also strongly advise keeping an eye on your waist – if you start to gain fat due to overeating carbs, reduce your intake by 50 grams a day. Monitor your waist and continue to make adjustments as needed.
Strategic Carbohydrate Manipulation
In addition, on workout days I recommend taking in around 50% of your daily carb intake (that includes all your simple carbs) in the hours before and after your training sessions. Start by consuming extra carbohydrates around dinner time the day before your workout right up through drinking your post-workout shake and eating your eventual post-workout meal. I suggest an extra 30g the day before and then, as noted, 50% of your training day’s total carbs.
Don’t Neglect Healthy Fats!
Finally, about 20% of the day’s calories should come from healthy fats. Good sources include salmon, tuna and other fatty fish, nuts, seeds, and olive oil. I advise avoiding trans and saturated fats (fast food, fried foods, high fat red meat, and high fat dairy products).
Supplement Tips
I recommend the following supplements for this PHAT 5-Day Split:
- Hi-Tech Precision Protein – Your cornerstone supplement program should start with a great protein powder – such as this innovative Hi-Tech powder. One scoop provides 25 grams of hydrolyzed whey, but the thing that really sets this protein apart from the crowd is an exclusive technology that allows leucine to be released in the early stages of protein synthesis!
- PEScience Select – When you consider a protein shake for a nighttime protein source, I recommend this one. A single serving supplies 24 grams of fast and slow digesting whey and milk proteins.
- Gorilla Mind Gorilla Mode – This is the Pre that changed how pre-workouts are dosed – and it’s started a trend! Before Gorilla Mode came along, you typically saw the pump booster l-citrulline dosed around 3-4 grams – now you’re seeing it dosed around 8-10 grams thanks to this one pre-workout! And Gorilla Mode doesn’t stop there – it’s well-dosed across the board!
- NutraBio Base – Here’s a pre-workout from the “Core” category – meaning this is a value-minded, streamlined formula that’s effective but doesn’t break the bank. Plus it features outstanding NutraBio transparency and quality.
- AllMax Nutrition Creatine – Creatine monohydrate is the most tested and consistently proven-effective supplement you can buy. This outstanding AllMax formula features patented CreaSyn® micronized creatine monohydrate. Plus, it has a 99.9% purity rating!
- Myogenix Myo Vite – You need a good multi when you follow a high volume workout like PHAT! Myo Vite meets the challenge with one of the most comprehensive nutrient packs on the market.
- EFX Sports Karbolyn – I definitely suggest this to help you power through your PHAT workouts – especially if you’re looking at a workout well over an hour. Take it with your Pre and it loads fast-digesting carbs for fast ATP energy, with no insulin spikes.
- Axe & Sledge The Grind – As long as the PHAT workouts are, I strongly suggest an intra-workout such as The Grind. With all nine EAAs plus a hydration and recovery blend, you’ll be able to keep at it for as long as it takes. I would stack this with Karbolyn, and drink it right before and during your workout.
Summary
And that’s the PHAT 5-Day Split! As I said earlier, this is the first modern routine I’ve presented in the Built From Iron Series, but it won’t be the last! At this point, if you feel this routine is for you, I suggest getting ready for your first PHAT workout – but only after you stop and shop at illpumpyouup.com – then you’ll be ready to rock!
References:
- Schoenfeld, B. J., Grgic, J., & Krieger, J. W. (2019). How many times per week should a muscle be trained to maximize muscle hypertrophy? A systematic review and meta-analysis. Journal of Sports Sciences.
By Jim Brewster