PHUL and extra glutes work

terar21

I ended my bulk 3 weeks ago and stuck with the same routine I was doing during my bulk. the routine was very lower body focused with legs split into one day focused on glutes (hip thrust and various accessories), one quads, and one hams. Personally I loved it because I prefer an extra focus on lower body. The other 2 days were chest/shoulders and back/bis. So 5 total days.

But I want to switch to PHUL to get my focus off purely hypertrophy. I'm just a little unsure on what to do about a couple of things.

1) I would prefer not to give up hip thrusts and abduction work. I could add this into my lower hypertrophy day. But that brings me to number 2...

2) since I just started my cut, is it going to be an issue switching from 5 to 4 days a week? Should I be concerned about dropping volume?

I thought I could just keep the glutes-focused day I'd been doing to make it simple and keep a 5 day routine but wasn't sure where I would actually put it in with PHUL. I thought maybe in that middle rest day since the glutes workout doesn't really tax my body. Or would that be a mistake?

ndj1979

terar21 wrote: »

I ended my bulk 3 weeks ago and stuck with the same routine I was doing during my bulk. the routine was very lower body focused with legs split into one day focused on glutes (hip thrust and various accessories), one quads, and one hams. Personally I loved it because I prefer an extra focus on lower body. The other 2 days were chest/shoulders and back/bis. So 5 total days.

But I want to switch to PHUL to get my focus off purely hypertrophy. I'm just a little unsure on what to do about a couple of things.

1) I would prefer not to give up hip thrusts and abduction work. I could add this into my lower hypertrophy day. But that brings me to number 2...

2) since I just started my cut, is it going to be an issue switching from 5 to 4 days a week? Should I be concerned about dropping volume?

I thought I could just keep the glutes-focused day I'd been doing to make it simple and keep a 5 day routine but wasn't sure where I would actually put it in with PHUL. I thought maybe in that middle rest day since the glutes workout doesn't really tax my body. Or would that be a mistake?

You can sub in accessory work for other lifts just don't change out the big compound lifts.

As far as volume, PHUL has enough volume that I would not be concerned about it. I ran PHUL during my bulk and am cutting now and still running it.

arditarose

I do PHUL with extra glute work. I hip thrust heavy on power day, lighter or glute bridges on hypertrophy day along with cable pull throughs. The barbell lunges scheduled for that day work well. I make a couple other substitutions as well. I don't do leg extension, only sometimes leg press, no calves, and substitute Goodmornings for one of the leg curls. I don't think you need a whole separate glute day.

terar21

ndj1979 wrote: »

terar21 wrote: »

I ended my bulk 3 weeks ago and stuck with the same routine I was doing during my bulk. the routine was very lower body focused with legs split into one day focused on glutes (hip thrust and various accessories), one quads, and one hams. Personally I loved it because I prefer an extra focus on lower body. The other 2 days were chest/shoulders and back/bis. So 5 total days.

But I want to switch to PHUL to get my focus off purely hypertrophy. I'm just a little unsure on what to do about a couple of things.

1) I would prefer not to give up hip thrusts and abduction work. I could add this into my lower hypertrophy day. But that brings me to number 2...

2) since I just started my cut, is it going to be an issue switching from 5 to 4 days a week? Should I be concerned about dropping volume?

I thought I could just keep the glutes-focused day I'd been doing to make it simple and keep a 5 day routine but wasn't sure where I would actually put it in with PHUL. I thought maybe in that middle rest day since the glutes workout doesn't really tax my body. Or would that be a mistake?

You can sub in accessory work for other lifts just don't change out the big compound lifts.

As far as volume, PHUL has enough volume that I would not be concerned about it. I ran PHUL during my bulk and am cutting now and still running it.

Thanks. Now that I think about it, that one glutes day I was doing didn't have much that I'd miss anyway outside of the hip thrusts.

terar21

arditarose wrote: »

I do PHUL with extra glute work. I hip thrust heavy on power day, lighter or glute bridges on hypertrophy day along with cable pull throughs. The barbell lunges scheduled for that day work well. I make a couple other substitutions as well. I don't do leg extension, only sometimes leg press, no calves, and substitute Goodmornings for one of the leg curls. I don't think you need a whole separate glute day.

Do you put the hip thrusts/glute bridges before or after squats?

I have to sub for extensions anyway so I might as well sub it for something glute focused. And don't need all that calf work both days.

Ahh this really does help.

arditarose

terar21 wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

I do PHUL with extra glute work. I hip thrust heavy on power day, lighter or glute bridges on hypertrophy day along with cable pull throughs. The barbell lunges scheduled for that day work well. I make a couple other substitutions as well. I don't do leg extension, only sometimes leg press, no calves, and substitute Goodmornings for one of the leg curls. I don't think you need a whole separate glute day.

Do you put the hip thrusts/glute bridges before or after squats?

I have to sub for extensions anyway so I might as well sub it for something glute focused. And don't need all that calf work both days.

Ahh this really does help.

I do them after squats. On power day I really want to focus on those squats because I love power lifting. On hypertrophy day I'm really trying to get good at front squats and want to have energy for them. Just a personal decision.

ndj1979

terar21 wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

I do PHUL with extra glute work. I hip thrust heavy on power day, lighter or glute bridges on hypertrophy day along with cable pull throughs. The barbell lunges scheduled for that day work well. I make a couple other substitutions as well. I don't do leg extension, only sometimes leg press, no calves, and substitute Goodmornings for one of the leg curls. I don't think you need a whole separate glute day.

Do you put the hip thrusts/glute bridges before or after squats?

I have to sub for extensions anyway so I might as well sub it for something glute focused. And don't need all that calf work both days.

Ahh this really does help.

i would say you should always perform the big compound movements first...

I would pretty much run the program as they lay out the order in the program ....

terar21

Thanks guys! Put them in after squats. Did lower power yesterday and worked out well.

arditarose

terar21 wrote: »

Thanks guys! Put them in after squats. Did lower power yesterday and worked out well.

Nice. So what was your whole lower power workout? Did you skip anything in the program?

terar21

arditarose wrote: »

terar21 wrote: »

Thanks guys! Put them in after squats. Did lower power yesterday and worked out well.

Nice. So what was your whole lower power workout? Did you skip anything in the program?

Squats
Hip thrust
Deadlift
leg press
Standing leg curl
Standing calf raises
Hip abduction

Thought hip thrusts between squats and deads would be good for me to try out to begin with because I've never had squats and conventional deads on the same day before.

Oddly enough that was the best/smoothest I've ever felt during hip thrusts.

I figured I'd keep the calf exercise on this day and eliminate the ones on hypertrophy day.

stephxo1

terar21 wrote: »

arditarose wrote: »

terar21 wrote: »

Thanks guys! Put them in after squats. Did lower power yesterday and worked out well.

Nice. So what was your whole lower power workout? Did you skip anything in the program?

Squats
Hip thrust
Deadlift
leg press
Standing leg curl
Standing calf raises
Hip abduction

Thought hip thrusts between squats and deads would be good for me to try out to begin with because I've never had squats and conventional deads on the same day before.

Oddly enough that was the best/smoothest I've ever felt during hip thrusts.

I figured I'd keep the calf exercise on this day and eliminate the ones on hypertrophy day.

I've never done hip thrusts between squats and deadlifts. Did it affect your deadlift numbers at all?

MityMax96

The only thing I would be concerned with is energy levels.
If you are on a cut, then you are taking in less energy....so at some point, things will begin to get really hard in the gym.

ndj1979

MityMax96 wrote: »

The only thing I would be concerned with is energy levels.
If you are on a cut, then you are taking in less energy....so at some point, things will begin to get really hard in the gym.

agree. I am cutting and running PHUL right now, but I am doing a small - 200 calorie under maintenance - cut so, so far my energy levels have been good ….

Springfield1970

More at risk for injury on a cut. Take it easier.

arditarose

When I first decided to cut more just to be lean enough for a bulk, I knew I couldn't run PHUL and maintain a deficit. I think that coming out of a bulk I could keep it up for awhile and feel comfortable.