12 Week Powerbuilding Program Plus Benefits, Tips & FAQs

Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S

Fact checked by Kirsten Yovino, CPT Brookbush Institute

FACT CHECKED

November 11, 2022 3 Comments

Powerbuilding put simply is a workout program that is an amalgamation of two training styles: powerlifting and bodybuilding. This hybrid training method might not be a completely new concept but it has been gaining steam over the past decade. Powerbuilding workout routines should lead to an increase in muscle growth and overall strength.

In this post we’ll try to touch on all aspects of powerbuilding including:

What is powerbuilding?
Who is powerbuilding for?
12-week powerbuilding workout program
Benefits of powerbuilding workouts
Powerbuilding Tips
Powerbuilding FAQs
How to create your own powerbuilding split

Let’s dig into it now, so you still have time to get your powerbuilding program started today...

powerbuilding workout

What is powerbuilding?

The best of both worlds, powerbuilding combines the concepts of powerlifting and bodybuilding. If done properly, powerbuilding programs will pack on muscle mass and strength. Powerlifting and bodybuilding have different training protocols, principles, diets and end targets. Historically, powerlifters train for maximizing strength or power in specific lifts while bodybuilders train to maximize hypertrophy (increase muscle size). Therefore, powerbuilders can be thought of as bodybuilders who want gain the power to match their muscles or powerlifters looking to improve their overall musculature aesthetics to match their strength.

What is powerlifting?

Powerlifting is exactly what is sounds like, lifting weights to become more powerful. Powerlifting is a sport where athletes compete for their one rep max (1RM) in three main lifts.

Squat
Deadlift
Bench press

Most competitions allow competitors three attempts to hit their maximum lifted weight. The competitions have age and weight classes and the winner of each class is the one who has the highest powerlifting total.

Powerlifting training generally entails focusing on the big lifts working with weights ranging from 80-95% of their 1RM in a rep range of 1-5 and a set range from 3-6. The techniques powerlifters use center around recruiting as much musculature as possible so that the coordination between muscles produce more combined strength. They also try to reduce the range of motion that the barbell has to travel, such as an arched back when doing bench presses. Lastly, powerlifters focus on form and technique to avoid injuries while lifting such heavy weights.

What is bodybuilding?

Bodybuilding is also a sport or style of training where people look to “build” or add muscle to their entire body. Bodybuilding is the focus on the aesthetics of the body with less regard for actual strength or power that those muscles produce. The quintessential term in bodybuilding might very well be “muscle hypertrophy” or the enlargement of muscles. To increase muscle size the training routine must include:

Mechanical Tension
Metabolic Stress
More Volume

Mechanical tension refers to lifting a relatively heavy weight through a full range of motion for a certain amount of time. The time under tension (TUT) on muscles results in more mechanical tension which should help muscle grow.

Metabolic stress can be thought of as the process of the constant pumping of blood into active muscles. This “pump or burn” is produced by blood filling your muscles which results in micro tears of the muscle fibers and the accrual of metabolites which are believed to stimulate anabolic signaling aiding in muscle growth.

More volume is perhaps the most important factor in promoting hypertrophy. This is why you’ll find bodybuilders generally using weights of 75-80% of 1RM with a rep range of 8-12 and sets of 3-4, although this can vary.

Another major difference is that bodybuilders perform a wide variety of exercises unlike powerlifters who only stick to a handful. To sculpt their muscles properly bodybuilders will perform many isolation exercises (single joint exercises) at a variety of angles. Bodybuilders also employ training methods such as drop sets, compound sets, forced reps and training to failure.

12-Week Peak Powerbuilding Program for Strength and Hypertrophy

We created a powerbuilding program that is spread over 5 training sessions throughout the week. You should have two days off per week to allow your body ample time to recover from the stress put on your body. As you will see the major lifts on the power days have the rep and sets as:

Weeks 1-4: 5 sets x 5 reps
Weeks 5-8: 6 sets x 4 reps
Weeks 9-12: 7 sets x 3 reps

Note: Feel free to switch up the accessory lifts if you don't have access to certain equipment or if you want to target certain muscles more or less than we have. Just make sure to keep the major lifts in your powerbuilding program. As always, get a 5-10 minute dynamic warm up in before you begin your workout followed by a 5-10 minute cool down.

WEEKS 1-4: MONDAY = UPPER BODY POWER DAY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Flat Bench Press	5	5	Up to 2.5 mins
Bent-Over Row	5	5	Up to 2 min
Decline DB Bench Press	3	6-8	Up to 1.5 mins
Lat Pull Down	3	6-8	Up to 1.5 mins
Standing Military Press	5	5	Up to 2 mins
Skullcrushers	3	8-12	Up to 1 min
Alt. Hammer Curls	3	8-12	Up to 1 min
Pallof Press	3	8-12	Up to 1 min

WEEKS 1-4: TUESDAY = LOWER BODY POWER DAY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Squat	5	5	Up to 3 mins
Deadlift	5	5	Up to 3 mins
Front Squat	3	6	Up to 2.5 mins
Leg Press	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Split Squats	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Standing Calf Raise	3	8-12	Up to 1 min
Cable Crunches	3	8-12	Up to 1 min

WEDNESDAY = REST DAY

WEEKS 1-4: THURSDAY = SHOULDERS, CHEST, TRICEPS HYPERTROPHY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Incline DB Press	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Decline DB Press	5	8-10	Up to 1.5 mins
Pec Deck	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Seated Arnold Press	3	8-10	Up to 1.5 mins
DB Lateral Raise & Rear Delt Lateral Raise (Superset)	3	8-12	Up to 2 min
Triceps Pressdown	3	8-10	Up to 1 min
Overhead Triceps Extensions	2	AMRAP	Up to 1 min
Hanging Leg Raises	3	10	Up to 1 min

WEEKS 1-4: FRIDAY = LOWER BODY HYPERTROPHY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Hack Squats	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Single Leg DB Stiff Legged Deadlift	3	10-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Leg Curl & Leg Extension (Superset)	3	12-15	Up to 2.5 mins
Back Extensions (weighted)	4	10	Up to 1 min
Seated Calf Raises	3	15-20	Up to 1 min
Cable Woodchoppers	3	12-15	Up to 1 min

WEEKS 1-4: SATURDAY = BACK, BICEPS HYPERTROPHY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
T Bar Row	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Seated Cable Row	3	8-10	Up to 1.5 mins
Close-Grip Lat Pulldown	4	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
DB Trap Raises & Cable Face Pulls (Superset)	3	8-10	Up to 2 mins
Preacher Curls & Incline DB Curls (Superset)	3	8-12	Up to 1 min
Weighted Plank	3	30 seconds	Up to 1 min

SUNDAY = OFF

WEEKS 5-8: MONDAY = UPPER BODY POWER DAY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Flat Bench Press	6	4	Up to 2.5 mins
Bent-Over Row	6	4	Up to 2 min
Decline DB Bench Press	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Lat Pull Down	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Standing Military Press	6	4	Up to 2 mins
Skullcrushers	4	8-12	Up to 1 min
Alt. Hammer Curls	4	8-12	Up to 1 min
Pallof Press	3	8-12	Up to 1 min

WEEKS 5-8: TUESDAY = LOWER BODY POWER DAY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Squat	6	4	Up to 3 mins
Deadlift	6	4	Up to 3 mins
Front Squat	4	5	Up to 2.5 mins
Leg Press	3	8-10	Up to 1.5 mins
Split Squats	3	8-10	Up to 1.5 mins
Standing Calf Raise	3	12-15	Up to 1 min
Cable Crunches	3	15-20	Up to 1 min

WEDNESDAY = OFF

WEEKS 5-8: THURSDAY = SHOULDERS, CHEST, TRICEPS HYPERTROPHY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Incline DB Press	4	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Decline DB Press	4	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Pec Deck	4	12-15	Up to 1.5 mins
Seated Arnold Press	3	12-15	Up to 1.5 mins
DB Lateral Raise & Rear Delt Lateral Raise (Superset)	3	10-15	Up to 2 min
Triceps Pressdown	3	10-15	Up to 1 min
Overhead Triceps Extensions	2	AMRAP	Up to 1 min
Hanging Leg Raises	3	12	Up to 1 min

WEEKS 5-8: FRIDAY = LOWER BODY HYPERTROPHY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Hack Squats	4	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Single Leg DB Stiff Leg Deadlift	3	12-15	Up to 1.5 mins
Leg Curl & Leg Extension (Superset)	4	10-12	Up to 2.5 mins
Back Extensions (weighted)	4	12-15	Up to 1 min
Seated Calf Raises	4	15-20	Up to 1 min
Cable Woodchoppers (both sides)	3	15-20	Up to 1 min

WEEKS 5-8: SATURDAY = BACK, BICEPS HYPERTROPHY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
T Bar Row	4	8-10	Up to 1.5 mins
Seated Cable Row	3	10-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Close-Grip Lat Pulldown	4	10-12	Up to 1.5 mins
DB Trap Raises & Cable Face Pulls (Superset)	3	12-15	Up to 2 mins
Preacher Curls & Incline DB Curls (Superset)	3	12-15	Up to 1 min
Weighted Plank	3	1 minute	Up to 1 min

SUNDAY = OFF

WEEKS 9-12: MONDAY = UPPER BODY POWER DAY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Flat Bench Press	7	3	Up to 2.5 mins
Bent-Over Row	7	3	Up to 2 min
Decline DB Bench Press	4	6	Up to 1.5 mins
Lat Pull Down	4	8	Up to 1.5 mins
Standing Military Press	7	3	Up to 2 mins
Skullcrushers & Hammer Curls (Superset)	4	8	Up to 1 min
Pallof Press	3	12-15	Up to 1 min

WEEKS 9-12: TUESDAY = LOWER BODY POWER DAY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Squat	7	3	Up to 3 mins
Deadlift	7	3	Up to 3 mins
Front Squat	4	5	Up to 2.5 mins
Leg Press	3	10-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Split Squats	4	8	Up to 1.5 mins
Standing Calf Raise	4	8	Up to 1 min
Cable Crunches	3	15-20	Up to 1 min

WEDNESDAY = OFF

WEEKS 9-12: THURSDAY = SHOULDERS, CHEST, TRICEPS HYPERTROPHY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Incline DB Press	4	8	Up to 1.5 mins
Decline DB Press	4	8	Up to 1.5 mins
Pec Deck	2	15	Up to 1.5 mins
Seated Arnold Press	2	12-15	Up to 1.5 mins
DB Lateral Raise & Rear Delt Lateral Raise (Superset)	2	8	Up to 2 min
Triceps Pressdown	3	10-15	Up to 1 min
Overhead Triceps Extensions	2	AMRAP	Up to 1 min
Hanging Leg Raises	3	15-20	Up to 1 min

WEEKS 9-12: FRIDAY = LOWER BODY HYPERTROPHY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
Hack Squats	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Single Leg DB Stiff Legged Deadlift	3	10-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Leg Curl & Leg Extension (Superset)	3	12-15	Up to 2.5 mins
Barbell Good Morning (weighted)	2	10	Up to 1 min
Leg Press Calf Raises (Toes forward, Inward outward)	3	30 total	Up to 1 min
Cable Woodchoppers	4	12-15	Up to 1 min

WEEKS 9-12: SATURDAY = BACK, BICEPS HYPERTROPHY
Exercise	Set	Rep	Rest
T Bar Row	3	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
Seated Cable Row	3	8-10	Up to 1.5 mins
Close-Grip Lat Pulldown	4	8-12	Up to 1.5 mins
DB Trap Raises & Cable Face Pulls (Superset)	3	8-10	Up to 2 mins
Preacher Curls & Incline DB Curls (Superset)	2	8	Up to 1 min
Weighted Plank	3	1.5 minutes	Up to 1 min

SUNDAY = OFF

Benefits of Powerbuilding Workouts

Powerbuilding programs offer numerous benefits thus its popularity continues to grow in the fitness community. These days you might see powerbuilding being talked about on Reddit forums or other social media platforms with before and after transformations. The core benefits of powerbuilding is to improve strength and body composition. Let’s take a look at some other benefits powerbuilding has to offer.

Strength Matching Muscles: As touched on before powerbuilding is a well-rounded training protocol because it should lead to both muscle growth as well as strength gains. All too often the jacked people you see walking around have the muscles but the strength doesn’t match the size.
Variety: A powerbuilding workout routine isn't boring because you have days focusing on different lifts, both compound and isolation movements with varying set and rep ranges.
Efficiency: One of the major selling points of Powerbuilding is that you’re combining two workout modalities into one program. Instead of doing a bulking program for a few months then moving to a cutting program, Powerbuilding can allow you to put on size and strength without the extra fat (*if following a good nutrition plan).
Split Training: Many powerbuilding programs are built around splits where you will be training upper and lower body muscles twice a week. With split training you can reach a good volume for all major muscles without over-training.
Personal Preferences: By getting a taste of both powerlifting style training and bodybuilding style training many people report that they are able to identify more with one of these methods. This comes down to personal preference of course but powerbuilding gives you a chance to dip your toes into both worlds at the same time.
Freedom to Choose: The low reps and sets for most compound movements in powerbuilding routines are due to the load and the intensity. This gives you the chance to add more volume for isolation or accessory movements as you see fit. There is a feeling of more freedom because of this whereas other workout programs you have to stay within defined parameters of exercises, sets and reps.

Tips for Powerbuilding to Maximize Strength and Muscle Gains

In order to get the most of any powerbuilding program and each training session you should follow some rough guidelines to make sure all your time and effort isn’t being wasted

Make sure you know the fundamentals of the big compound lifts so you can perform them with proper form and technique. On your power days you should be pushing yourself to the absolute limit.
You can get creative with your exercises by switching up the variations time to time. However, the power days must be comprised of some variation of bench press, squat or deadlifts.
Eating enough clean calories is essential to gain as much strength and muscle mass as possible during your powerbuilding program. You must get at least 1 gram of protein per pound of bodyweight. You might also want to consider carb loading on your power days to help fuel your more taxing workouts.
Track your progression. You should be adding weight to your lifts on power days as the weeks go on. Shoot for an added five pounds on upper body lifts per week and 10 pounds on lower body lifts. If you can’t add weight to your lifts then try to increase total training volume or time under tension.
Consider mixing in special sets on hypertrophy days including supersets, drop sets, forced reps, partial reps, or reps to failure.
If possible, try to train with a partner for your first powerbuilding program so you can push each other to the max in a safe way. This also helps to track progress, hold each other accountable and promote healthy competition.

powerbuilding routine

Reps and Sets for Powerbuilding Program

Briefly touched on above, let’s have a look at the end goal then work backwards.

Reps and Sets for Muscle Gain: Usually in the range of 8-12 rep range with 14-20 sets per week per major muscle group. In this area we are generally speaking about accessory lifts so you can mix things up a bit to cater to your personal needs or to address imbalances/weak areas.
Reps and Sets for Endurance: Rep and set ranges for muscle endurance can have a large range anywhere for 10-20 reps or even to failure (AMRAP). In general, endurance training involves higher rep ranges. In powerbuidling routines, muscle endurance exercises will be limited to accessory lifts. Usually sets can range from 1-4.
Reps and Set or Strength Gain: Weights between 80-95% of your 1RM for 1-5 reps with sets ranging from 3-8.

Warmup for Your Powerbuilding Workout Program

Preceding all workouts, warmups are a must. It’s an integral part of a workout session to get the blood flowing and the joints loosened up. This holds particularly true for powerbuilding programs where you will be lifting some heavy weights.

We always recommend a dynamic warmup consisting of full body dynamic stretching exercises while specifically targeting the muscles you will be working the hardest. You should also do some light reps of the targeted exercise, slowly progressing up in weight.

powerbuilder program

POWERBUILDING WORKOUT PROGRAM FAQ:

Let's go over some frequently asked questions about powerbuilding programs, just in case you have some unanswered questions...

How to create a powerbuilding program?

In order to know how to make a powerbuilding plan you should first understand that you must include the big lifts in your program including:

You should also include a variety of accessory lifts throughout your powerbuilding training program. There isn’t a set format for powerbuilding programming, apart from the need for the big compound lifts at low rep range and accessory or other compound lifts at mid rep range.

You can split up your powerbuilding training routine based on upper/lower body (best for a beginner powerbuilding program) or push/pull/legs (best for a more advanced powerbuilding program). You can even split up your routine by the main lifts i.e. deadlift, squat, bench press, overhead press day, etc., rather than by specific muscle groups.

Moreover, your program can be any number of days or weeks. For example, a 3 day powerbuilding program is very popular.

We lean towards powerbuilding plans that hit all the major muscle groups twice weekly.

Who is a Powerbuilding Routine Good for?

A powerbuilding training style can be good for beginner to advanced lifters who wants to gain strength and muscle. The following groups of people could benefit from a powerbuilding training program.

Powerlifters and Bodybuilders: Powerlifters can use powerbuilding after their competitions in the offseason to retain strength while also improving body composition. Bodybuilders can use powerbuilding workouts a few months before their bodybuilding competition then transition into more of a cutting sculpting routine to get ready for their show.
Athletes: Powerbuilding programs can be great for athletes of all sports during the offseason to gain lean mass and strength. Then when the season is approaching, they can transition to more sport specific training methods.
Everyone else: Powerbuilding provides a well-balanced training regimen for people who want to gain muscle and strength while improving their overall fitness foundation. Even if you want to lose weight, a powerbuilding workout plan makes sense because more muscle leads to a stronger metabolism, and all those power lifts will burn a ton of calories (way more than your average workout). Finally, powerbuilding programs are the perfect choice for those who often get bored or lose motivation because they're always performing workouts based on 3 sets of 10 reps for every exercise.

Note: A word of caution to beginners, is that in order to complete a powerbuilding routine properly you must have good form and technique of the bigger compound lifts including squats, deadlifts, bench press and overhead press.

What is the best powerbuilding program?

There isn’t an exact answer to this question as workout programs and their results depend on a multitude of factors. What might work for one person might not work well for the next. Fitness is a lifelong journey where you have to find your own way. Here are 10 popular powerbuilding workout programs you can find online:

Hepburn Method
Phatburn Powerbuilding program
Sheikburn Powerbuilding Program
Bill Starr Powerbuilder Program
Extended Russian Power Program
Prime 4 Week Intermediate Powerbuilding Program
Metallicadpa 6 Day Ppl Program (Reddit PPL)
Brograins Powerbuilding Program
Jeff Nippard Powerbuilding Program
Russwole Powerbuilding Program
Phul (Power Hypertrophy Upper Lower) Workout Routine
Phat (Power Hypertrophy Adaptive Training) Powerbuilding Program

Note: Not all of these are free powerbuilding programs.

What is the difference between powerlifting and powerbuilding?

The difference between powerlifting and powerbuilding is that powerlifting is centered around three big lifts, squats, deadlifts and bench press whereas powerbuilding consists of these exercises plus a bunch of accessory lifts. In powerlifting the reps are fewer and the weights are heavier in the name of one pursuit, to get stronger. In powerbuilding there is a mix between power compound lifts with lower rep schemes and mid-rep range lifts covering both compound and accessory exercises to increase muscle size.

Is powerbuilding good for athletes?

Yes, powerbuilding is great for athletes whose sports require strength and a high fitness ability. Running a good powerbuilding program during the offseason can help athletes get stronger and possibly enhance their performance in some activities. Athletes can then transition to more sport specific training closer to their season.

How many days a week can I powerbuild?

Most powerbuilding programs are typically 4 or more days per week with at least one day of rest. The frequency of your workout should be based on a few factors including your end goals, schedule, fitness level, recovery ability and personal preference. A powerbuilding workout split will often hit individual muscle groups twice weekly. It allows for this as you will be hitting multiple muscle groups on all your training days.

Whatever training frequency your powerbuilding program is make sure you get adequate rest so that your muscles can recover before putting them through the ringer again. This is why splitting up your workouts by different muscle groups is important, as certain muscles can rest while muscles that are fully recovered get put to work.

Can you build muscle with powerbuilding?

Yes, doing a (minimum) 8 to 10 week powerbuilding program is one of the best ways you can build muscle. The lower rep scheme with heavier weights allows you to also build strength. The mid rep range of 8-12 is perfect for hypertrophy (build size). Therefore the combination of the two makes powerbuilding one of the best training routines to build muscle with real strength. And with our program being 12 weeks, we are confident you are going to see some great results.

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WRAPPING UP THIS POWERBUILDING WORKOUT PROGRAM:

A quick search on Google Trends shows that powerbuilding is a breakout search term. As more people are exposed to powerbuilding and its benefits we believe more people will be hopping on this freight train and labeling themselves as a powerbuilder; it's showing no signs of slowing down.

Powerbuilding workout programs are challenging yet rewarding. Powerbuilding programs are the way to go for those who have the dedication to improving their aesthetics while getting freakishly stronger. Don’t just take our word for it, start our 12 week powerbuilding workout program today.

More Workout Programs:

powerbuilding split

Garett Reid

Author

3 Responses

Shaz

January 05, 2023

What should be the weight in each day here in this program?

Kirsten @ SET FOR SET

July 26, 2022

Hi @ROB – You could do either. Another solid option is reverse pyramiding, which works really well when you’re training for strength. After a proper warm-up, you’ll do your heaviest set first. For set one, go as heavy as you can while still being able to hit the suggested number of reps. For set two, decrease the weight a bit to adjust for fatigue, making sure it’s still heavy but enables you to once again hit the suggested number of reps.