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The absolute best way to grow muscle, get strong, or become more powerful is routinely up for debate within fitness circles worldwide. Everyone seems to have their preferred method. Between personal experience, gems passed down by prominent coaches, or studious efforts sifting through the literature, it can be hard to know which is the “right” way to hit the weights.
Layne Norton’s PHAT (that’s power-hypertrophy adaptive training) blends these perspectives into a mix of personal experience, lessons from the past, and recommendations from the more scientific side of things.
Credit: Lebedev Roman Olegovich / Shutterstock
If you’re looking to get bigger, stronger, and more powerful, this program is up your alley. This is Layne Norton’s PHAT, explained.
Program Overview
At its core, PHAT was designed as a forcible measure to guarantee muscle growth. Having a foundation of strength and power makes it really challenging to not add mass. A bigger and more explosive set of legs is likely going to happen as an extension of having a super strong squat or deadlift.
PHAT takes the guesswork out of the equation. You’ll no longer be agonizing over finding the “best” method. Instead, you’ll be able to narrow your focus onto what really matters — effort.
PHAT’s Main Lifts
PHAT is designed with the goal of getting you bigger, stronger, and more powerful all at once. Therefore, it follows that the main lifts of the program are big compound exercises. Barbell squats, hinge variations, bench pressing, and barbell rowing will serve as the cornerstone of your program.
PHAT Programming
PHAT uses a 5-day split to train your main lifts and their associated muscles across a plethora of accessories and supportive movements.
Credit: Slatan / Shutterstock
Your major movement patterns are all exposed to either power or speed training before the 5-day split is complete. The remainder of each workout will carve out every inch of your body with strength and hypertrophy-focused exercises.
These exercises will span repetition ranges from 6 all the way up to 20, helping force muscular growth once the main work has been completed. The assistance and auxiliary exercises have also been selected to provide a balance of pure aesthetic training with performance boosts to the main lifts of the program.
The Intent of PHAT’s Lifting Styles
The name says it all. Power, hypertrophy, and adaptation to stimulus. The intent behind each element you’ll be exposed to through PHAT is to help build power and hypertrophy through regular variation.
When you train power, your goal is to move as much weight as possible with clean technique. You’ll execute 3-5 sets of 3-5 repetitions here with ample rest to allow for a full recovery. Throw everything you can into these sets, resting up to 5 minutes between each.
Your speed exercises will mimic your power exercises but with a reduced load on the bar. The intent will be to move as quickly and explosively as possible, again, without losing position. Take no longer than 90 seconds of rest here.
Credit: UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock
For the hypertrophy exercises, assume a bodybuilder’s mentality. Training with anywhere from 6-20 repetitions with 1-2 minutes of rest and going for a vicious burn are your goals. Make sure you’re getting each set close to failure (leaving about 1-2 repetitions in the tank) while you’re at it to build some good muscle on the tail end of each workout.
PHAT’s Training Load
PHAT employs percentage-based training prescriptions for the majority of the exercises (where applicable). During speed and power training, you will be provided with a recommended percentage of your 1-repetition maximum (1RM) to utilize each time.
Your power days will utilize 3-5 sets of 3-5 repetitions with approximately 70-80 percent of your 1RM on the main lift. You’ll have a bit of leeway to choose exactly which percentage you land on here, but err on the side of starting lighter and building over several weeks.
Your speed days will use a percentage of the load you selected for the same lift on the power day. For example, your speed squat would be performed for 6-8 sets of 3 repetitions with 65-70 percent of your power day load.
While having direct guidance on every load for every exercise would be convenient, it becomes less and less feasible to prescribe as the days roll on. Once you’re into the hypertrophy side of things, playing around to find the right load that will take you within 1-2 repetitions of muscular failure at the prescribed repetition range will be the goal.
Using a rating of perceived exertion (or RPE) system here can be helpful here, but you should also at least write down the weights you work with for future reference.
Sample PHAT Training
A mesocycle is a specific period of time during which you focus on developing one or two attributes. For example, a mesocycle in a program like PHAT might run between 4-6 weeks out of an entire year (or more) of training. This allows you to organize your exercise selection, keep progressing your weights, and most importantly, deload as necessary.
With PHAT, your workouts remain generally the same for an entire mesocycle. What is changing, though, is the absolute load on each of your power or speed exercises.
Norton recommends weaving in a deload once every 6 to 12 weeks, depending on how beat up you feel. During the deload, work with 60 to 70 percent of your normal weights to help maintain your strength.
Day 1: Upper Body Power
Day 2: Lower Body Power
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Back and Shoulder Hypertrophy
Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy
Day 6: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy
Day 7: Rest
Note: After each successful week of training, try to add an additional 2.5 percent of your 1RM to your training loads on power and speed exercises.
Why It Works
Layne Norton’s PHAT method works because it ties together several well-documented training philosophies. It employs periodization to fuel your main lifts, goes hard on concurrent training, and allows you to get a ton of technical practice in as well.
Periodization
Periodization is a form of programming structure that allows you to better manage your progress. When you periodize your program, you incorporate predetermined increases in load, sets, repetitions, or some combination, with well-timed periods of rest.
Periodization helps to assure your progress by adding objectivity to your decision-making and balancing progressive overload with recoverability.
Concurrent Training
Concurrent training is a method of organizing your workouts to attack a few different goals or adaptations at the same time. As the name indicates, PHAT is about improving your power and hypertrophy.
Both of these adaptations can synergistically help with long-term powerlifting and bodybuilding performance, so training them concurrently in the same program makes sense. They are also similar enough that they can be trained at the same time without being detrimental to your progress on either front.
Lots of Practice
You will be exposed to a ton of quality technique practice on each compound exercise you perform during PHAT. Seeing gains in strength, power, and hypertrophy in many ways comes down to how well you can execute your exercises.
With PHAT, you will be exposed to each main lift twice per week. Over the course of a few mesocycles, you should see major improvements in your technique. This technical improvement should translate to heavier loads, less wasted energy, and a better return on investment for your power and hypertrophy training.
What You’ll Need for PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT is a powerbuilding program. it’s designed to get you strong, powerful, and jacked. With that in mind, there are some equipment requirements that you should consider before starting up.
Barbells and Dumbbells
To run PHAT, you’ll need access to barbells and dumbbells. All of the main lifts will require you to either use a barbell or dumbbell variation of the basic compound movement patterns.
You’ll also need access to plenty of weight plates. The stronger you get, the more plates and heavier dumbbells you’ll need. Be sure to plan ahead and have a good facility or home gym set up to accommodate your training.
Machines
As a hybrid program for both power and hypertrophy, Layne Norton’s PHAT calls for the use of a ton of machines for the accessory and auxiliary exercises. You’ll find yourself smashing some hard sets on a variety of machines each workout. A fully-stocked commercial gym facility is ideal here.
How to Modify PHAT
PHAT has a very specific structure, but you can make some modifications if necessary. While the exact expected results are based on following the program to the letter, you can still see significant progress while tailoring it to suit your needs.
Swapping Exercises
You may not have access to the exact complement of machines or exercises called for during PHAT. It is a fairly comprehensive program that prescribes a large variety of machine or cable work. For example, a cambered bar or specific machine may not be readily available to you. In these cases, go for a free-weight analog instead.
Making Up Time
PHAT is a 5-day split. Although hitting all five days as written would be ideal to stay in line with the letter of the program, sometimes life happens.
Whether you need more recovery time, work or family life interrupts your normal schedule, or any number of unforeseen circumstances occur, you can simply extend your “training week.” Continue the program as written, but simply take as much time as you need to complete all the workouts.
Credit: diy13 / Shutterstock
You can prescribe yourself a two or three-day break from the gym to get yourself back on schedule with little to no ill effect.
Deload Timing
Norton recommends taking a deload once every 6 to 12 weeks during PHAT. This gives you a ton of wiggle room in terms of where to utilize your break. Your best bet is to wait until training feels particularly hard, or you can’t seem to generate much power during your power-focused movements. Either way, think hard about when to deload and avoid taking too many breaks if possible.
Who Should Do PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT method is not for the faint of heart. Intermediate athletes, powerlifters, and bodybuilders likely make the best candidates for this style of training.
Intermediate Gymgoers
You should have some training experience under your belt before taking on PHAT. It calls for a fairly heavy-duty workload over the course of five days. Knowing your limits and how to best recover are big assets here, so waiting until you’re in a more intermediate phase of your training is wise.
Powerlifters
Powerlifters can do well with PHAT, particularly during the off-season, as the main lifts are often the same as their competition exercises. There will be a ton of squat, press, and hinge training, all of which are relevant for the powerlifter.
The combined power, speed work, and hypertrophy are all heavily synergistic with powerlifting performance as well — so if you’re already powerlifting it’s worth a shot.
Bodybuilders
Bodybuilders are also in a position to make serious gains with PHAT. One of the original intentions behind the program was to help build some crazy legs (for both aesthetics and strength). This falls right in the wheelhouse for a bodybuilder to hybridize their training method and soak up some new progress.
Who Shouldn’t Do PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT method is, again, not for the faint of heart. Beginners, those with low equipment access, and those without a ton of time are likely not strong candidates for the program.
Beginners
Beginners are likely not in the position to get the most gains possible from PHAT. It is a highly demanding program that demands competence in challenging lifts like the squat, press, and deadlift.
Credit: NDAB Creativity / Shutterstock
It also can be extremely difficult to recover from if your body hasn’t had some exposure to bodybuilding or high-intensity powerlifting before. If you’re still a beginner, give yourself some more time to grow before taking on PHAT.
If You Train at Home
You’ll need much more than a basic barbell to run PHAT properly. Much of the accessory training relies on access to exercise machines and cable stations which you probably don’t have at home. Don’t try to force PHAT to fit where it isn’t appropriate; you’ll need a gym for this one.
Those Strapped for Time
Given the exercise selection, set and repetition schemes, and rest periods, PHAT workouts can take quite a bit of time. Each of the main lifts calls for some serious rest between the working sets, and you’ll need to fully warm-up to get there.
Afterward, there’s still a fairly long bout of bodybuilding to follow. If you’re not able to allocate between eight and 12 hours per week to the weight room, PHAT might not be right for you.
Who Is Layne Norton?
Layne Norton is a fixture within the fitness industry. His pedigree stretches across both powerlifting and bodybuilding, and is an accomplished researcher and content creator as well.
According to Open Powerlifting, Norton has competed in powerlifting since 2009 and boasts an impressive second-place finish at the International Powerlifting Federation’s (IPF) World Classic Championships in 2015.
His competition best lifts include a 668-pound raw squat, 727.5-pound deadlift, and a 391.3-pound bench press. On top of his performance under the barbell, Norton also has his PhD in nutritional science. In many ways, PHAT is the culmination of a career full of both practical and theoretical knowledge.
“PHAT” Gains
Power-hypertrophy adaptive training is a harmonious combination of powerlifting and bodybuilding. PHAT takes an aggressive stance on growing muscle, getting stronger, and breaking through stubborn plateaus.
While not necessarily for the inexperienced lifter, this trial-by-iron is certainly attractive to heavy lifting fanatics. Be prepared for exercises of all varieties, set some time aside for hard training sessions and recovery, and bask in the “PHAT” gains Layne Norton’s program all but guarantees.
Featured Image: Lebedev Roman Olegovich / Shutterstock
The absolute best way to grow muscle, get strong, or become more powerful is routinely up for debate within fitness circles worldwide. Everyone seems to have their preferred method. Between personal experience, gems passed down by prominent coaches, or studious efforts sifting through the literature, it can be hard to know which is the “right” way to hit the weights.
Layne Norton’s PHAT (that’s power-hypertrophy adaptive training) blends these perspectives into a mix of personal experience, lessons from the past, and recommendations from the more scientific side of things.
https://www.musclechemistry.com/wp-...-A-bodybuilder-working-out-with-dumbbells.jpgCredit: Lebedev Roman Olegovich / Shutterstock
If you’re looking to get bigger, stronger, and more powerful, this program is up your alley. This is Layne Norton’s PHAT, explained.
Program Overview
At its core, PHAT was designed as a forcible measure to guarantee muscle growth. Having a foundation of strength and power makes it really challenging to not add mass. A bigger and more explosive set of legs is likely going to happen as an extension of having a super strong squat or deadlift.
PHAT takes the guesswork out of the equation. You’ll no longer be agonizing over finding the “best” method. Instead, you’ll be able to narrow your focus onto what really matters — effort.
PHAT’s Main Lifts
PHAT is designed with the goal of getting you bigger, stronger, and more powerful all at once. Therefore, it follows that the main lifts of the program are big compound exercises. Barbell squats, hinge variations, bench pressing, and barbell rowing will serve as the cornerstone of your program.
PHAT Programming
PHAT uses a 5-day split to train your main lifts and their associated muscles across a plethora of accessories and supportive movements.
Credit: Slatan / Shutterstock
Your major movement patterns are all exposed to either power or speed training before the 5-day split is complete. The remainder of each workout will carve out every inch of your body with strength and hypertrophy-focused exercises.
These exercises will span repetition ranges from 6 all the way up to 20, helping force muscular growth once the main work has been completed. The assistance and auxiliary exercises have also been selected to provide a balance of pure aesthetic training with performance boosts to the main lifts of the program.
The Intent of PHAT’s Lifting Styles
The name says it all. Power, hypertrophy, and adaptation to stimulus. The intent behind each element you’ll be exposed to through PHAT is to help build power and hypertrophy through regular variation.
When you train power, your goal is to move as much weight as possible with clean technique. You’ll execute 3-5 sets of 3-5 repetitions here with ample rest to allow for a full recovery. Throw everything you can into these sets, resting up to 5 minutes between each.
Your speed exercises will mimic your power exercises but with a reduced load on the bar. The intent will be to move as quickly and explosively as possible, again, without losing position. Take no longer than 90 seconds of rest here.
Credit: UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock
For the hypertrophy exercises, assume a bodybuilder’s mentality. Training with anywhere from 6-20 repetitions with 1-2 minutes of rest and going for a vicious burn are your goals. Make sure you’re getting each set close to failure (leaving about 1-2 repetitions in the tank) while you’re at it to build some good muscle on the tail end of each workout.
PHAT’s Training Load
PHAT employs percentage-based training prescriptions for the majority of the exercises (where applicable). During speed and power training, you will be provided with a recommended percentage of your 1-repetition maximum (1RM) to utilize each time.
Your power days will utilize 3-5 sets of 3-5 repetitions with approximately 70-80 percent of your 1RM on the main lift. You’ll have a bit of leeway to choose exactly which percentage you land on here, but err on the side of starting lighter and building over several weeks.
Your speed days will use a percentage of the load you selected for the same lift on the power day. For example, your speed squat would be performed for 6-8 sets of 3 repetitions with 65-70 percent of your power day load.
While having direct guidance on every load for every exercise would be convenient, it becomes less and less feasible to prescribe as the days roll on. Once you’re into the hypertrophy side of things, playing around to find the right load that will take you within 1-2 repetitions of muscular failure at the prescribed repetition range will be the goal.
Using a rating of perceived exertion (or RPE) system here can be helpful here, but you should also at least write down the weights you work with for future reference.
Sample PHAT Training
A mesocycle is a specific period of time during which you focus on developing one or two attributes. For example, a mesocycle in a program like PHAT might run between 4-6 weeks out of an entire year (or more) of training. This allows you to organize your exercise selection, keep progressing your weights, and most importantly, deload as necessary.
With PHAT, your workouts remain generally the same for an entire mesocycle. What is changing, though, is the absolute load on each of your power or speed exercises.
Norton recommends weaving in a deload once every 6 to 12 weeks, depending on how beat up you feel. During the deload, work with 60 to 70 percent of your normal weights to help maintain your strength.
Day 1: Upper Body Power
Day 2: Lower Body Power
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Back and Shoulder Hypertrophy
Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy
Day 6: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy
Day 7: Rest
Note: After each successful week of training, try to add an additional 2.5 percent of your 1RM to your training loads on power and speed exercises.
Why It Works
Layne Norton’s PHAT method works because it ties together several well-documented training philosophies. It employs periodization to fuel your main lifts, goes hard on concurrent training, and allows you to get a ton of technical practice in as well.
Periodization
Periodization is a form of programming structure that allows you to better manage your progress. When you periodize your program, you incorporate predetermined increases in load, sets, repetitions, or some combination, with well-timed periods of rest.
Periodization helps to assure your progress by adding objectivity to your decision-making and balancing progressive overload with recoverability.
Concurrent Training
Concurrent training is a method of organizing your workouts to attack a few different goals or adaptations at the same time. As the name indicates, PHAT is about improving your power and hypertrophy.
Both of these adaptations can synergistically help with long-term powerlifting and bodybuilding performance, so training them concurrently in the same program makes sense. They are also similar enough that they can be trained at the same time without being detrimental to your progress on either front.
Lots of Practice
You will be exposed to a ton of quality technique practice on each compound exercise you perform during PHAT. Seeing gains in strength, power, and hypertrophy in many ways comes down to how well you can execute your exercises.
With PHAT, you will be exposed to each main lift twice per week. Over the course of a few mesocycles, you should see major improvements in your technique. This technical improvement should translate to heavier loads, less wasted energy, and a better return on investment for your power and hypertrophy training.
What You’ll Need for PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT is a powerbuilding program. it’s designed to get you strong, powerful, and jacked. With that in mind, there are some equipment requirements that you should consider before starting up.
Barbells and Dumbbells
To run PHAT, you’ll need access to barbells and dumbbells. All of the main lifts will require you to either use a barbell or dumbbell variation of the basic compound movement patterns.
You’ll also need access to plenty of weight plates. The stronger you get, the more plates and heavier dumbbells you’ll need. Be sure to plan ahead and have a good facility or home gym set up to accommodate your training.
Machines
As a hybrid program for both power and hypertrophy, Layne Norton’s PHAT calls for the use of a ton of machines for the accessory and auxiliary exercises. You’ll find yourself smashing some hard sets on a variety of machines each workout. A fully-stocked commercial gym facility is ideal here.
How to Modify PHAT
PHAT has a very specific structure, but you can make some modifications if necessary. While the exact expected results are based on following the program to the letter, you can still see significant progress while tailoring it to suit your needs.
Swapping Exercises
You may not have access to the exact complement of machines or exercises called for during PHAT. It is a fairly comprehensive program that prescribes a large variety of machine or cable work. For example, a cambered bar or specific machine may not be readily available to you. In these cases, go for a free-weight analog instead.
Making Up Time
PHAT is a 5-day split. Although hitting all five days as written would be ideal to stay in line with the letter of the program, sometimes life happens.
Whether you need more recovery time, work or family life interrupts your normal schedule, or any number of unforeseen circumstances occur, you can simply extend your “training week.” Continue the program as written, but simply take as much time as you need to complete all the workouts.
Credit: diy13 / Shutterstock
You can prescribe yourself a two or three-day break from the gym to get yourself back on schedule with little to no ill effect.
Deload Timing
Norton recommends taking a deload once every 6 to 12 weeks during PHAT. This gives you a ton of wiggle room in terms of where to utilize your break. Your best bet is to wait until training feels particularly hard, or you can’t seem to generate much power during your power-focused movements. Either way, think hard about when to deload and avoid taking too many breaks if possible.
Who Should Do PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT method is not for the faint of heart. Intermediate athletes, powerlifters, and bodybuilders likely make the best candidates for this style of training.
Intermediate Gymgoers
You should have some training experience under your belt before taking on PHAT. It calls for a fairly heavy-duty workload over the course of five days. Knowing your limits and how to best recover are big assets here, so waiting until you’re in a more intermediate phase of your training is wise.
Powerlifters
Powerlifters can do well with PHAT, particularly during the off-season, as the main lifts are often the same as their competition exercises. There will be a ton of squat, press, and hinge training, all of which are relevant for the powerlifter.
The combined power, speed work, and hypertrophy are all heavily synergistic with powerlifting performance as well — so if you’re already powerlifting it’s worth a shot.
Bodybuilders
Bodybuilders are also in a position to make serious gains with PHAT. One of the original intentions behind the program was to help build some crazy legs (for both aesthetics and strength). This falls right in the wheelhouse for a bodybuilder to hybridize their training method and soak up some new progress.
Who Shouldn’t Do PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT method is, again, not for the faint of heart. Beginners, those with low equipment access, and those without a ton of time are likely not strong candidates for the program.
Beginners
Beginners are likely not in the position to get the most gains possible from PHAT. It is a highly demanding program that demands competence in challenging lifts like the squat, press, and deadlift.
Credit: NDAB Creativity / Shutterstock
It also can be extremely difficult to recover from if your body hasn’t had some exposure to bodybuilding or high-intensity powerlifting before. If you’re still a beginner, give yourself some more time to grow before taking on PHAT.
If You Train at Home
You’ll need much more than a basic barbell to run PHAT properly. Much of the accessory training relies on access to exercise machines and cable stations which you probably don’t have at home. Don’t try to force PHAT to fit where it isn’t appropriate; you’ll need a gym for this one.
Those Strapped for Time
Given the exercise selection, set and repetition schemes, and rest periods, PHAT workouts can take quite a bit of time. Each of the main lifts calls for some serious rest between the working sets, and you’ll need to fully warm-up to get there.
Afterward, there’s still a fairly long bout of bodybuilding to follow. If you’re not able to allocate between eight and 12 hours per week to the weight room, PHAT might not be right for you.
Who Is Layne Norton?
Layne Norton is a fixture within the fitness industry. His pedigree stretches across both powerlifting and bodybuilding, and is an accomplished researcher and content creator as well.
According to Open Powerlifting, Norton has competed in powerlifting since 2009 and boasts an impressive second-place finish at the International Powerlifting Federation’s (IPF) World Classic Championships in 2015.
His competition best lifts include a 668-pound raw squat, 727.5-pound deadlift, and a 391.3-pound bench press. On top of his performance under the barbell, Norton also has his PhD in nutritional science. In many ways, PHAT is the culmination of a career full of both practical and theoretical knowledge.
“PHAT” Gains
Power-hypertrophy adaptive training is a harmonious combination of powerlifting and bodybuilding. PHAT takes an aggressive stance on growing muscle, getting stronger, and breaking through stubborn plateaus.
While not necessarily for the inexperienced lifter, this trial-by-iron is certainly attractive to heavy lifting fanatics. Be prepared for exercises of all varieties, set some time aside for hard training sessions and recovery, and bask in the “PHAT” gains Layne Norton’s program all but guarantees.
Featured Image: Lebedev Roman Olegovich / Shutterstock
Click here to view the article.
Layne Norton’s PHAT (that’s power-hypertrophy adaptive training) blends these perspectives into a mix of personal experience, lessons from the past, and recommendations from the more scientific side of things.
Credit: Lebedev Roman Olegovich / Shutterstock
If you’re looking to get bigger, stronger, and more powerful, this program is up your alley. This is Layne Norton’s PHAT, explained.
Program Overview
At its core, PHAT was designed as a forcible measure to guarantee muscle growth. Having a foundation of strength and power makes it really challenging to not add mass. A bigger and more explosive set of legs is likely going to happen as an extension of having a super strong squat or deadlift.
PHAT takes the guesswork out of the equation. You’ll no longer be agonizing over finding the “best” method. Instead, you’ll be able to narrow your focus onto what really matters — effort.
PHAT’s Main Lifts
PHAT is designed with the goal of getting you bigger, stronger, and more powerful all at once. Therefore, it follows that the main lifts of the program are big compound exercises. Barbell squats, hinge variations, bench pressing, and barbell rowing will serve as the cornerstone of your program.
PHAT Programming
PHAT uses a 5-day split to train your main lifts and their associated muscles across a plethora of accessories and supportive movements.
Credit: Slatan / Shutterstock
Your major movement patterns are all exposed to either power or speed training before the 5-day split is complete. The remainder of each workout will carve out every inch of your body with strength and hypertrophy-focused exercises.
These exercises will span repetition ranges from 6 all the way up to 20, helping force muscular growth once the main work has been completed. The assistance and auxiliary exercises have also been selected to provide a balance of pure aesthetic training with performance boosts to the main lifts of the program.
The Intent of PHAT’s Lifting Styles
The name says it all. Power, hypertrophy, and adaptation to stimulus. The intent behind each element you’ll be exposed to through PHAT is to help build power and hypertrophy through regular variation.
When you train power, your goal is to move as much weight as possible with clean technique. You’ll execute 3-5 sets of 3-5 repetitions here with ample rest to allow for a full recovery. Throw everything you can into these sets, resting up to 5 minutes between each.
Your speed exercises will mimic your power exercises but with a reduced load on the bar. The intent will be to move as quickly and explosively as possible, again, without losing position. Take no longer than 90 seconds of rest here.
Credit: UfaBizPhoto / Shutterstock
For the hypertrophy exercises, assume a bodybuilder’s mentality. Training with anywhere from 6-20 repetitions with 1-2 minutes of rest and going for a vicious burn are your goals. Make sure you’re getting each set close to failure (leaving about 1-2 repetitions in the tank) while you’re at it to build some good muscle on the tail end of each workout.
PHAT’s Training Load
PHAT employs percentage-based training prescriptions for the majority of the exercises (where applicable). During speed and power training, you will be provided with a recommended percentage of your 1-repetition maximum (1RM) to utilize each time.
Your power days will utilize 3-5 sets of 3-5 repetitions with approximately 70-80 percent of your 1RM on the main lift. You’ll have a bit of leeway to choose exactly which percentage you land on here, but err on the side of starting lighter and building over several weeks.
Your speed days will use a percentage of the load you selected for the same lift on the power day. For example, your speed squat would be performed for 6-8 sets of 3 repetitions with 65-70 percent of your power day load.
While having direct guidance on every load for every exercise would be convenient, it becomes less and less feasible to prescribe as the days roll on. Once you’re into the hypertrophy side of things, playing around to find the right load that will take you within 1-2 repetitions of muscular failure at the prescribed repetition range will be the goal.
Using a rating of perceived exertion (or RPE) system here can be helpful here, but you should also at least write down the weights you work with for future reference.
Sample PHAT Training
A mesocycle is a specific period of time during which you focus on developing one or two attributes. For example, a mesocycle in a program like PHAT might run between 4-6 weeks out of an entire year (or more) of training. This allows you to organize your exercise selection, keep progressing your weights, and most importantly, deload as necessary.
With PHAT, your workouts remain generally the same for an entire mesocycle. What is changing, though, is the absolute load on each of your power or speed exercises.
Norton recommends weaving in a deload once every 6 to 12 weeks, depending on how beat up you feel. During the deload, work with 60 to 70 percent of your normal weights to help maintain your strength.
Day 1: Upper Body Power
Day 2: Lower Body Power
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Back and Shoulder Hypertrophy
Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy
Day 6: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy
Day 7: Rest
Note: After each successful week of training, try to add an additional 2.5 percent of your 1RM to your training loads on power and speed exercises.
Why It Works
Layne Norton’s PHAT method works because it ties together several well-documented training philosophies. It employs periodization to fuel your main lifts, goes hard on concurrent training, and allows you to get a ton of technical practice in as well.
Periodization
Periodization is a form of programming structure that allows you to better manage your progress. When you periodize your program, you incorporate predetermined increases in load, sets, repetitions, or some combination, with well-timed periods of rest.
Periodization helps to assure your progress by adding objectivity to your decision-making and balancing progressive overload with recoverability.
Concurrent Training
Concurrent training is a method of organizing your workouts to attack a few different goals or adaptations at the same time. As the name indicates, PHAT is about improving your power and hypertrophy.
Both of these adaptations can synergistically help with long-term powerlifting and bodybuilding performance, so training them concurrently in the same program makes sense. They are also similar enough that they can be trained at the same time without being detrimental to your progress on either front.
Lots of Practice
You will be exposed to a ton of quality technique practice on each compound exercise you perform during PHAT. Seeing gains in strength, power, and hypertrophy in many ways comes down to how well you can execute your exercises.
With PHAT, you will be exposed to each main lift twice per week. Over the course of a few mesocycles, you should see major improvements in your technique. This technical improvement should translate to heavier loads, less wasted energy, and a better return on investment for your power and hypertrophy training.
What You’ll Need for PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT is a powerbuilding program. it’s designed to get you strong, powerful, and jacked. With that in mind, there are some equipment requirements that you should consider before starting up.
Barbells and Dumbbells
To run PHAT, you’ll need access to barbells and dumbbells. All of the main lifts will require you to either use a barbell or dumbbell variation of the basic compound movement patterns.
You’ll also need access to plenty of weight plates. The stronger you get, the more plates and heavier dumbbells you’ll need. Be sure to plan ahead and have a good facility or home gym set up to accommodate your training.
Machines
As a hybrid program for both power and hypertrophy, Layne Norton’s PHAT calls for the use of a ton of machines for the accessory and auxiliary exercises. You’ll find yourself smashing some hard sets on a variety of machines each workout. A fully-stocked commercial gym facility is ideal here.
How to Modify PHAT
PHAT has a very specific structure, but you can make some modifications if necessary. While the exact expected results are based on following the program to the letter, you can still see significant progress while tailoring it to suit your needs.
Swapping Exercises
You may not have access to the exact complement of machines or exercises called for during PHAT. It is a fairly comprehensive program that prescribes a large variety of machine or cable work. For example, a cambered bar or specific machine may not be readily available to you. In these cases, go for a free-weight analog instead.
Making Up Time
PHAT is a 5-day split. Although hitting all five days as written would be ideal to stay in line with the letter of the program, sometimes life happens.
Whether you need more recovery time, work or family life interrupts your normal schedule, or any number of unforeseen circumstances occur, you can simply extend your “training week.” Continue the program as written, but simply take as much time as you need to complete all the workouts.
Credit: diy13 / Shutterstock
You can prescribe yourself a two or three-day break from the gym to get yourself back on schedule with little to no ill effect.
Deload Timing
Norton recommends taking a deload once every 6 to 12 weeks during PHAT. This gives you a ton of wiggle room in terms of where to utilize your break. Your best bet is to wait until training feels particularly hard, or you can’t seem to generate much power during your power-focused movements. Either way, think hard about when to deload and avoid taking too many breaks if possible.
Who Should Do PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT method is not for the faint of heart. Intermediate athletes, powerlifters, and bodybuilders likely make the best candidates for this style of training.
Intermediate Gymgoers
You should have some training experience under your belt before taking on PHAT. It calls for a fairly heavy-duty workload over the course of five days. Knowing your limits and how to best recover are big assets here, so waiting until you’re in a more intermediate phase of your training is wise.
Powerlifters
Powerlifters can do well with PHAT, particularly during the off-season, as the main lifts are often the same as their competition exercises. There will be a ton of squat, press, and hinge training, all of which are relevant for the powerlifter.
The combined power, speed work, and hypertrophy are all heavily synergistic with powerlifting performance as well — so if you’re already powerlifting it’s worth a shot.
Bodybuilders
Bodybuilders are also in a position to make serious gains with PHAT. One of the original intentions behind the program was to help build some crazy legs (for both aesthetics and strength). This falls right in the wheelhouse for a bodybuilder to hybridize their training method and soak up some new progress.
Who Shouldn’t Do PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT method is, again, not for the faint of heart. Beginners, those with low equipment access, and those without a ton of time are likely not strong candidates for the program.
Beginners
Beginners are likely not in the position to get the most gains possible from PHAT. It is a highly demanding program that demands competence in challenging lifts like the squat, press, and deadlift.
Credit: NDAB Creativity / Shutterstock
It also can be extremely difficult to recover from if your body hasn’t had some exposure to bodybuilding or high-intensity powerlifting before. If you’re still a beginner, give yourself some more time to grow before taking on PHAT.
If You Train at Home
You’ll need much more than a basic barbell to run PHAT properly. Much of the accessory training relies on access to exercise machines and cable stations which you probably don’t have at home. Don’t try to force PHAT to fit where it isn’t appropriate; you’ll need a gym for this one.
Those Strapped for Time
Given the exercise selection, set and repetition schemes, and rest periods, PHAT workouts can take quite a bit of time. Each of the main lifts calls for some serious rest between the working sets, and you’ll need to fully warm-up to get there.
Afterward, there’s still a fairly long bout of bodybuilding to follow. If you’re not able to allocate between eight and 12 hours per week to the weight room, PHAT might not be right for you.
Who Is Layne Norton?
Layne Norton is a fixture within the fitness industry. His pedigree stretches across both powerlifting and bodybuilding, and is an accomplished researcher and content creator as well.
According to Open Powerlifting, Norton has competed in powerlifting since 2009 and boasts an impressive second-place finish at the International Powerlifting Federation’s (IPF) World Classic Championships in 2015.
His competition best lifts include a 668-pound raw squat, 727.5-pound deadlift, and a 391.3-pound bench press. On top of his performance under the barbell, Norton also has his PhD in nutritional science. In many ways, PHAT is the culmination of a career full of both practical and theoretical knowledge.
“PHAT” Gains
Power-hypertrophy adaptive training is a harmonious combination of powerlifting and bodybuilding. PHAT takes an aggressive stance on growing muscle, getting stronger, and breaking through stubborn plateaus.
While not necessarily for the inexperienced lifter, this trial-by-iron is certainly attractive to heavy lifting fanatics. Be prepared for exercises of all varieties, set some time aside for hard training sessions and recovery, and bask in the “PHAT” gains Layne Norton’s program all but guarantees.
Featured Image: Lebedev Roman Olegovich / Shutterstock
The absolute best way to grow muscle, get strong, or become more powerful is routinely up for debate within fitness circles worldwide. Everyone seems to have their preferred method. Between personal experience, gems passed down by prominent coaches, or studious efforts sifting through the literature, it can be hard to know which is the “right” way to hit the weights.
Layne Norton’s PHAT (that’s power-hypertrophy adaptive training) blends these perspectives into a mix of personal experience, lessons from the past, and recommendations from the more scientific side of things.
https://www.musclechemistry.com/wp-...-A-bodybuilder-working-out-with-dumbbells.jpgCredit: Lebedev Roman Olegovich / Shutterstock
If you’re looking to get bigger, stronger, and more powerful, this program is up your alley. This is Layne Norton’s PHAT, explained.
Program Overview
At its core, PHAT was designed as a forcible measure to guarantee muscle growth. Having a foundation of strength and power makes it really challenging to not add mass. A bigger and more explosive set of legs is likely going to happen as an extension of having a super strong squat or deadlift.
PHAT takes the guesswork out of the equation. You’ll no longer be agonizing over finding the “best” method. Instead, you’ll be able to narrow your focus onto what really matters — effort.
PHAT’s Main Lifts
PHAT is designed with the goal of getting you bigger, stronger, and more powerful all at once. Therefore, it follows that the main lifts of the program are big compound exercises. Barbell squats, hinge variations, bench pressing, and barbell rowing will serve as the cornerstone of your program.
PHAT Programming
PHAT uses a 5-day split to train your main lifts and their associated muscles across a plethora of accessories and supportive movements.
Credit: Slatan / ShutterstockYour major movement patterns are all exposed to either power or speed training before the 5-day split is complete. The remainder of each workout will carve out every inch of your body with strength and hypertrophy-focused exercises.
These exercises will span repetition ranges from 6 all the way up to 20, helping force muscular growth once the main work has been completed. The assistance and auxiliary exercises have also been selected to provide a balance of pure aesthetic training with performance boosts to the main lifts of the program.
The Intent of PHAT’s Lifting Styles
The name says it all. Power, hypertrophy, and adaptation to stimulus. The intent behind each element you’ll be exposed to through PHAT is to help build power and hypertrophy through regular variation.
When you train power, your goal is to move as much weight as possible with clean technique. You’ll execute 3-5 sets of 3-5 repetitions here with ample rest to allow for a full recovery. Throw everything you can into these sets, resting up to 5 minutes between each.
Your speed exercises will mimic your power exercises but with a reduced load on the bar. The intent will be to move as quickly and explosively as possible, again, without losing position. Take no longer than 90 seconds of rest here.
Credit: UfaBizPhoto / ShutterstockFor the hypertrophy exercises, assume a bodybuilder’s mentality. Training with anywhere from 6-20 repetitions with 1-2 minutes of rest and going for a vicious burn are your goals. Make sure you’re getting each set close to failure (leaving about 1-2 repetitions in the tank) while you’re at it to build some good muscle on the tail end of each workout.
PHAT’s Training Load
PHAT employs percentage-based training prescriptions for the majority of the exercises (where applicable). During speed and power training, you will be provided with a recommended percentage of your 1-repetition maximum (1RM) to utilize each time.
Your power days will utilize 3-5 sets of 3-5 repetitions with approximately 70-80 percent of your 1RM on the main lift. You’ll have a bit of leeway to choose exactly which percentage you land on here, but err on the side of starting lighter and building over several weeks.
Your speed days will use a percentage of the load you selected for the same lift on the power day. For example, your speed squat would be performed for 6-8 sets of 3 repetitions with 65-70 percent of your power day load.
While having direct guidance on every load for every exercise would be convenient, it becomes less and less feasible to prescribe as the days roll on. Once you’re into the hypertrophy side of things, playing around to find the right load that will take you within 1-2 repetitions of muscular failure at the prescribed repetition range will be the goal.
Using a rating of perceived exertion (or RPE) system here can be helpful here, but you should also at least write down the weights you work with for future reference.
Sample PHAT Training
A mesocycle is a specific period of time during which you focus on developing one or two attributes. For example, a mesocycle in a program like PHAT might run between 4-6 weeks out of an entire year (or more) of training. This allows you to organize your exercise selection, keep progressing your weights, and most importantly, deload as necessary.
With PHAT, your workouts remain generally the same for an entire mesocycle. What is changing, though, is the absolute load on each of your power or speed exercises.
Norton recommends weaving in a deload once every 6 to 12 weeks, depending on how beat up you feel. During the deload, work with 60 to 70 percent of your normal weights to help maintain your strength.
Day 1: Upper Body Power
Day 2: Lower Body Power
Day 3: Rest
Day 4: Back and Shoulder Hypertrophy
Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy
Day 6: Chest and Arms Hypertrophy
Day 7: Rest
Note: After each successful week of training, try to add an additional 2.5 percent of your 1RM to your training loads on power and speed exercises.
Why It Works
Layne Norton’s PHAT method works because it ties together several well-documented training philosophies. It employs periodization to fuel your main lifts, goes hard on concurrent training, and allows you to get a ton of technical practice in as well.
Periodization
Periodization is a form of programming structure that allows you to better manage your progress. When you periodize your program, you incorporate predetermined increases in load, sets, repetitions, or some combination, with well-timed periods of rest.
Periodization helps to assure your progress by adding objectivity to your decision-making and balancing progressive overload with recoverability.
Concurrent Training
Concurrent training is a method of organizing your workouts to attack a few different goals or adaptations at the same time. As the name indicates, PHAT is about improving your power and hypertrophy.
Both of these adaptations can synergistically help with long-term powerlifting and bodybuilding performance, so training them concurrently in the same program makes sense. They are also similar enough that they can be trained at the same time without being detrimental to your progress on either front.
Lots of Practice
You will be exposed to a ton of quality technique practice on each compound exercise you perform during PHAT. Seeing gains in strength, power, and hypertrophy in many ways comes down to how well you can execute your exercises.
With PHAT, you will be exposed to each main lift twice per week. Over the course of a few mesocycles, you should see major improvements in your technique. This technical improvement should translate to heavier loads, less wasted energy, and a better return on investment for your power and hypertrophy training.
What You’ll Need for PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT is a powerbuilding program. it’s designed to get you strong, powerful, and jacked. With that in mind, there are some equipment requirements that you should consider before starting up.
Barbells and Dumbbells
To run PHAT, you’ll need access to barbells and dumbbells. All of the main lifts will require you to either use a barbell or dumbbell variation of the basic compound movement patterns.
You’ll also need access to plenty of weight plates. The stronger you get, the more plates and heavier dumbbells you’ll need. Be sure to plan ahead and have a good facility or home gym set up to accommodate your training.
Machines
As a hybrid program for both power and hypertrophy, Layne Norton’s PHAT calls for the use of a ton of machines for the accessory and auxiliary exercises. You’ll find yourself smashing some hard sets on a variety of machines each workout. A fully-stocked commercial gym facility is ideal here.
How to Modify PHAT
PHAT has a very specific structure, but you can make some modifications if necessary. While the exact expected results are based on following the program to the letter, you can still see significant progress while tailoring it to suit your needs.
Swapping Exercises
You may not have access to the exact complement of machines or exercises called for during PHAT. It is a fairly comprehensive program that prescribes a large variety of machine or cable work. For example, a cambered bar or specific machine may not be readily available to you. In these cases, go for a free-weight analog instead.
Making Up Time
PHAT is a 5-day split. Although hitting all five days as written would be ideal to stay in line with the letter of the program, sometimes life happens.
Whether you need more recovery time, work or family life interrupts your normal schedule, or any number of unforeseen circumstances occur, you can simply extend your “training week.” Continue the program as written, but simply take as much time as you need to complete all the workouts.
Credit: diy13 / ShutterstockYou can prescribe yourself a two or three-day break from the gym to get yourself back on schedule with little to no ill effect.
Deload Timing
Norton recommends taking a deload once every 6 to 12 weeks during PHAT. This gives you a ton of wiggle room in terms of where to utilize your break. Your best bet is to wait until training feels particularly hard, or you can’t seem to generate much power during your power-focused movements. Either way, think hard about when to deload and avoid taking too many breaks if possible.
Who Should Do PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT method is not for the faint of heart. Intermediate athletes, powerlifters, and bodybuilders likely make the best candidates for this style of training.
Intermediate Gymgoers
You should have some training experience under your belt before taking on PHAT. It calls for a fairly heavy-duty workload over the course of five days. Knowing your limits and how to best recover are big assets here, so waiting until you’re in a more intermediate phase of your training is wise.
Powerlifters
Powerlifters can do well with PHAT, particularly during the off-season, as the main lifts are often the same as their competition exercises. There will be a ton of squat, press, and hinge training, all of which are relevant for the powerlifter.
The combined power, speed work, and hypertrophy are all heavily synergistic with powerlifting performance as well — so if you’re already powerlifting it’s worth a shot.
Bodybuilders
Bodybuilders are also in a position to make serious gains with PHAT. One of the original intentions behind the program was to help build some crazy legs (for both aesthetics and strength). This falls right in the wheelhouse for a bodybuilder to hybridize their training method and soak up some new progress.
Who Shouldn’t Do PHAT
Layne Norton’s PHAT method is, again, not for the faint of heart. Beginners, those with low equipment access, and those without a ton of time are likely not strong candidates for the program.
Beginners
Beginners are likely not in the position to get the most gains possible from PHAT. It is a highly demanding program that demands competence in challenging lifts like the squat, press, and deadlift.
Credit: NDAB Creativity / ShutterstockIt also can be extremely difficult to recover from if your body hasn’t had some exposure to bodybuilding or high-intensity powerlifting before. If you’re still a beginner, give yourself some more time to grow before taking on PHAT.
If You Train at Home
You’ll need much more than a basic barbell to run PHAT properly. Much of the accessory training relies on access to exercise machines and cable stations which you probably don’t have at home. Don’t try to force PHAT to fit where it isn’t appropriate; you’ll need a gym for this one.
Those Strapped for Time
Given the exercise selection, set and repetition schemes, and rest periods, PHAT workouts can take quite a bit of time. Each of the main lifts calls for some serious rest between the working sets, and you’ll need to fully warm-up to get there.
Afterward, there’s still a fairly long bout of bodybuilding to follow. If you’re not able to allocate between eight and 12 hours per week to the weight room, PHAT might not be right for you.
Who Is Layne Norton?
Layne Norton is a fixture within the fitness industry. His pedigree stretches across both powerlifting and bodybuilding, and is an accomplished researcher and content creator as well.
According to Open Powerlifting, Norton has competed in powerlifting since 2009 and boasts an impressive second-place finish at the International Powerlifting Federation’s (IPF) World Classic Championships in 2015.
His competition best lifts include a 668-pound raw squat, 727.5-pound deadlift, and a 391.3-pound bench press. On top of his performance under the barbell, Norton also has his PhD in nutritional science. In many ways, PHAT is the culmination of a career full of both practical and theoretical knowledge.
“PHAT” Gains
Power-hypertrophy adaptive training is a harmonious combination of powerlifting and bodybuilding. PHAT takes an aggressive stance on growing muscle, getting stronger, and breaking through stubborn plateaus.
While not necessarily for the inexperienced lifter, this trial-by-iron is certainly attractive to heavy lifting fanatics. Be prepared for exercises of all varieties, set some time aside for hard training sessions and recovery, and bask in the “PHAT” gains Layne Norton’s program all but guarantees.
Featured Image: Lebedev Roman Olegovich / Shutterstock
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