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The Ultimate Layne Norton

PHAT Workout To Gain Size
And Strength
Last updated: June 9, 2018 by Gabriello
Ianniruberto

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This Layne Norton’s 5 days split PHAT

(Power Hypertrophy Adaptive
Training) workout will not only enable
you to gain size and strength, but the
science proves its effectiveness.

Now that the new year is well underway,

you may be noticing that some of your
goals aren’t quite stacking up.

Maybe you are struggling to lose weight,

or your training has not helped you put
on any muscle.

There are a host of reasons why you

could struggle to make your goals, yet
above all – you need structure.

Without structure we lack the

ability to adhere to our goals –
whether that be weight loss or
muscle gain.

I’ve talked about this many times before

but next time you are in the gym take a
look around at some of the biggest guys.
Chances are you will notice that none of
them mess around with the silly machines
or complicated exercises.

The strongest guys in the gym will train

with consistency on standard exercises
with progressive overload. Not only will
this provide a strong foundation to build
on, but it locks your muscles into perfect
form.

Where am I going with this? Well,

workout structure is a big reason why
many people fail. I see it all the time.
People connect to the gym wifi, google
any workout and do the first one that
pops up in their search – over and over
again, without any structure or
progressive overload.

This puts a huge damper on your

progress and can eventually be the
reason why many people quit training
altogether.

The solution? Start a new training

program that’s complete.

My suggestion, the PHAT workout by

Layne Norton.

TABLE OF CONTENTS

What is the PHAT and Workout Plan:

Workout? Workout
What are the Description and
Benefits of This Purpose
Style of Training? The Science Behind
Workout Overview the PHAT Workout
Workout Notes How To Progress
Overtraining With The PHAT
Warm Up, Cool Workout
Down, Stretch Summary And
PHAT Schedule Conclusion
and Workout Plan:

What is the PHAT Workout?

Dr. Layne Norton –

professional bodybuilder &
physique coach.

Designed by Dr. Layne Norton, physique

coach and professional bodybuilder the
“phat” workout is a style of training that
focuses on maximizing size and strength
through the use of hypertrophy and
progressive overload.

PHAT stands for “Power Hypertrophy

Adaptive Training”. The program was
specifically designed to hit each muscle 2x
a week in both traditional strength
methods and bodybuilding hypertrophy
rep schemes.

This workout was developed for the lifter

who wants to put on muscle without the
bulk weight. The combination of high and
low rep counts in sets will help to
stimulate muscle hypertrophy, while still
enabling maximal recovery.

“Is this a Workout for Beginners?”

100%, yes. Here’s the thing about
progressive strength workouts such as
the phat workout – they’re progressive.
The weight is not the most important
aspect of the training.

We must remember that Dr. Layne

Norton is a physique coach and
bodybuilder – he developed this program
to cater the needs of many athletes and
bodybuilders.

This program is easily accessible –

even for the beginner lifter.

The most important aspect of the phat

workout is its workout day split. Each
training session has a specific target
group for muscular systems.

Day 1 and 2 of Training

Focus on Upper and Lower Body
exercises that are compound and
accessory. This builds strength through a
deep range of motion – which in turn will
stimulate greater muscle hypertrophy.

Day 4-6 of Training

The last three training sessions of the
week you have your focus on muscle
hypertrophy (stimulating the muscle cells
to grow larger). These workouts focus on
large, compound exercises for lower set
counts and moderate rep counts.

The focus for these days should be to

work hard in each set. Think about it, if
you only have to do two sets – you can
work really hard for those two sets, rather
than 4-5 sets where you would need to
save your energy.

Layne Norton Quote - Anabolic Bodies

What are the Benefits of This Style

of Training?
Beyond the obvious increases in raw
strength, this style of training will provide
a solid foundation at which to consistently
progress into the coming weeks.

Benefits of PHAT Workout

Increase raw strength
Stimulate hypertrophy
Provide solid foundation of
strength and conditioning
Teach you principles of strength

My favorite aspect of any training

program is gaining the knowledge from
the programming. This style of
programming is unique, and science-
based. You know that Dr. Layne Norton
would have tested these methods on
countless bodybuilders and athletes of all
kinds in order to develop the best training
program available.

Use this guide as a way to learn about the

various ways to improve strength and
performance in the gym.

Workout Overview

Main Goal: Build Muscle, Build

Strength, Stimulate
Hypertrophy

Workout Split
Type:

Training Intermediate
Level:

Program 12 Weeks – 4,3 Week

Duration: Cycles (2 overload, 1
deload)

Days Per 5 days/week

Week:

Time Per 90-120min

Workout:

Equipment Barbell, Dumbbell,

Required: Machine

Target Male/Female
Gender:

Author: Gabriello Ianniruberto –

Strength Expert, CSEP –
CPT

Workout Notes
Before you jump into your workout lets
break down some very important
concepts to keep you strong and prevent
injury.

Sets, Reps and Weight

As with any strength-based program, the
sets and reps will tell you everything you
need to know about the amount of weight
to use for a particular exercise.

For example: If you were doing a squat for

2 sets, 12 reps you know that you can do
a considerable amount of weight. You
only need to complete two sets, which
means you can virtually max out.

You should be pushing through

the last 1-2 reps with a high level
of difficulty.

In contrast, if you are given an exercise

that is 4 sets of 6 reps you will need to
expend your energy over the course of
the extended sets – aka, You cannot work
as hard.

Keep in mind that you always want to use

a weight that challenges you. Especially
on hypertrophy days, you should be using
a weight that challenges you to the point
of near failure each set.

Strength First, Physique Second

Many people avoid the use of strength
training because they believe themselves
to be bodybuilders. They focus on only
the physique when strength should be the
foundation of your training.

Even Dr. Layne Norton will agree that

training for strength first will enable you
to effectively make faster progressions.

Training with high weight and low reps

will teach your body to handle the higher
weight, improve gross strength and in
turn, will assist you in creating more
hypertrophy through your higher rep
schemes (seen on your hypertrophy
days).

As always, control the weight – leave your

ego at home, this is no time for injury.

Overtraining
How will you know if you are overtraining?
Your body will send you signals. A couple
signals to look for.

Overtraining Signals:
Pain at load-bearing joints (elbow,
knee, shoulder, hip)
Soreness on distal portion of
muscle (biceps pain at elbow)
Lack of sleep

I would recommend that you

deload every 3rd week, depending
on your skill level.

If you are an experienced lifter you might

be able to get away with a deload on
every 6th week, but considering the
amount of overload and weight you will
be suing you are probably best off
deloading every 3rd week.

Deloading can be done by utilizing the

same reps and sets as normal training
weeks, but decreasing the volume on the
muscle to 60-70% of the weight you would
traditionally use.

This will still allow your muscles to “work”

yet they will be able to actively recover.

Warm Up, Cool Down, Stretch

Please don’t get into the habit of walking
into the gym and jumping into a workout
right away. This will not only dampen your
success but could lead to injury.

Warm Up
Low-impact cardio and specific exercises
are the best way to warm up for strength
training.

Start with incline walking, slow stair

climber or elliptical – followed by specific
exercises to your workout.

If you’re benching, do some light pushing

exercises to warm up the muscles and
ligaments involved in the movement.

Cool Down
Keep your cool downs simple. Utilize low-
impact cardio machines to slow down
your heart rate and move into a
stretching routine.

Stretching
Avoided by many bodybuilders, yet
stretching is one of the most important
aspects of a well-rounded strength
program. Research shows that when
muscles are optimally stretched during an
exercise they can generate more power
and stimulate more muscle hypertrophy.

Take time after each workout to run

through a simple stretching routine to
open up muscle tissue and optimize
recovery.

Now that we have a concrete

understanding of the workout program in
all its features let’s take a look at the
training program.

PHAT Schedule and Workout Plan:

Day 1: Power Upper
Day 2: Power Lower
Day 3: Off
Day 4: Back and Shoulder
Hypertrophy
Day 5: Lower Body Hypertrophy
Day 6: Chest and Arms
Hypertrophy
Day 7: Off

DAY 1: POWER UPPER

EXERCISE REPS SETS

Bent Over Row 3-5 3

Weighted Pull-up 6-10 4

Flat dumbbell presses 3-5 3

Weighted Dips 6-10 2

Seated DB Shoulder 6-10 3

Press

Cambered Bar Curls 6-10 3

Skull Crusher 6-10 3

DAY 2: POWER LOWER

EXERCISE REPS SETS

Squat 3-5 3

Leg Press 6-10 2

Leg Extension 6-10 2

Romanian Deadlift 5-8 3

Lying Leg Curls 6-10 2

Standing Calf Raises 6-10 3

Seated Calf Raise 6-10 2

DAY 4: BACK AND SHOULDER

HYPERTROPHY

EXERCISE REPS SETS

Bent Over Row 8-12 4

Weighted Pull-up 8-12 3

Seated Cable Row 8-12 3

DB Shrug 12- 2
15

Close Grip Pulldown 15- 2

20

Seated DB Press 8-12 3

Upright Row 12- 2

15

Lateral DB Raise 12- 3

20

DAY 5: LOWER HYPERTROPHY

EXERCISE REPS SETS

Squat 8-12 4

Lunges 8-12 3

Leg Press 12- 2

15

Leg Extension 15- 3

20

Romanian Deadlift 8-15 3

Lying Leg Curls 12- 2

15

Seated Leg Curls 12- 2

15

Standing Calf Raise 10- 4

15

Seated Calf Raise 15- 3

20

DAY 6: CHEST AND ARMS

HYPERTROPHY

EXERCISE REPS SETS

Flat DB Press 8-12 4

Incline DB Press 8-12 3

Hammer Strength 12- 3

Chest Press 15

Incline Cable Fly 15- 2

20

Cambered Bar Preacher 8-12 3

Curls

DB Concentration Curls 12- 2

15

Spider Curls 15- 2

20

Seated Triceps 8-12 3

Extension

Cable PressDown 12- 2

15

Cable Kickback 15- 2

20

Workout Description and Purpose

The overview of the program should have
given you a decent understanding of the
structure and benefits of this program for
both muscle growth and total physique.

The PHAT program is structured as a

5/day per week split.

You will train the first two days of the

week, rest, train another three days,
followed by one day of rest. It is crucially
important that you take your rest days
seriously. Not only is rest an essential
component to actual recovery, but also to
performance.

Take care to sleep well, utilize recovery

formulas and stretch and mobilize the
muscles and joints when needed.

The Science Behind the PHAT

Workout
Dr. Layne Norton has created what he
believes to be a great program to
stimulate muscle growth and overall
bodybuilding physique, but what does the
science say?

Power Workouts
The first two days of your training week
are developed for building power and
strength. This will enable you to push
more weight during your hypertrophy
days, building your total force and muscle
mass.

Research shows that training with lower

rep schemes and higher weights are in
fact the best ways to optimally build
strength – especially in larger compound
exercises like squats, deadlifts and bench.
Katie in Thicket USA just bought
Keep in mind in order for you to optimally
CrazyBulk
about 2 hours ago
lift heavy each power workout you should
take longer rest times between sets. A
rest time of more than 2 minutes is
needed in order to reload glycogen
synthesis – the power for your muscles.

I would recommend taking up to 3

minutes rest between sets, especially for
your compound lifts like bench and
squats.

Hypertrophy Workouts
After a rest day, you will have three days
in a row of hypertrophy style training.

Dr. Layne Norton has combined

some of the best exercises for
building muscle and strength
together to force hypertrophy in
your muscle.