David Laid’s
Powerbuilding Split
If you’ve spent any time on fitness YouTube over the last decade, chances are you’ve come across David Laid.
Known for his towering frame, wide shoulders, and trademark tiny waist, David became one of the defining faces of modern powerlifting. His training style blends hypertrophy-focused bodybuilding with strength-driven powerlifting, following a hybrid approach known as powerbuilding that has helped him build both an impressive physique and serious strength numbers in the gym.
From heavy deadlifts to high-volume accessory work, David’s workouts revolve around progressive overload, compound lifts, and strategic muscle-building work, all designed to build that classic V-taper aesthetic.
It’s his combination of strength and physique that has motivated many to start powerbuilding themselves.
Powerbuilding is a training method that combines powerlifting and bodybuilding. The goal is to increase strength on big compound lifts like the squat, bench press, and deadlift while also using higher-volume accessory work to build a well-rounded physique.
For many lifters, it offers the best of both worlds. Traditional strength training can improve strength, but doesn’t always build the physique you’re chasing. While bodybuilding focuses purely on aesthetics and on competitors being strong, it overlooks training for athletic output, functional capacity, and mobility.
Powerbuilding sits right in the sweet spot between the two. If you want to get functionally strong, keep training exciting, and enjoy the challenge of heavy barbell lifts while also working toward a muscular and aesthetic physique, you might just want to start following this split.
Here’s a breakdown of David Laid’s workout routine, favourite exercises, training principles, and how you can apply them to your own training.
What Is David Laid’s Workout Routine?
David Laid’s training style is rooted in powerbuilding: a hybrid approach that combines:
Heavy strength-focused compound lifts
Higher-volume hypertrophy work
Progressive overload
Aesthetic-focused accessory training
Over the years, he’s also spoken about using Daily Undulating Periodization (DUP) in his programming. David Laid’s DUP program is one of the biggest reasons his training style became so influential online.
What is DUP?
“Daily: it happens on a day-to-day basis.
“Undulating: meaning it changes.
“Periodization: is your systemic programming,” David explains in a 2018 YouTube Video [1].
Rather than sticking to the same sets and reps every workout, DUP rotates intensity and training volume across the week to develop both strength and hypertrophy simultaneously.
This means you might bench heavy for low reps earlier in the week, then return later for higher-volume hypertrophy work using lighter loads and more controlled tempo.
As David explains in his own training philosophy:
“I’m a strong believer in programming which prioritises strength in the development of one’s physique [2].”
He also describes strength progression as “the natural lifter’s most valuable tool” for building muscle and reaching genetic potential [2].
This philosophy sits at the centre of powerbuilding: using strength progression to support long-term muscle growth rather than treating aesthetics and performance as separate goals.
For example:
One session may focus on strength (3 to 5 reps)
Another on hypertrophy (8 to 12 reps)
Another on power or speed work
The goal? Build muscle and continue progressing on the big lifts without plateauing.
A typical David Laid-inspired DUP powerbuilding split could look something like this (more on reps and exercises below):
Day: Focus
Monday: Push (strength focus)
Tuesday: Pull (hypertrophy focus)
Wednesday: Legs (hypertrophy + strength)
Thursday: Rest or active recovery
Friday: Upper body (volume focus)
Saturday: Lower body (posterior chain focus)
Sunday: Rest
This style of training works particularly well for lifters who:
Find pure bodybuilding boring and want to switch up their training more
Still care heavily about aesthetics but want to build muscle without sacrificing strength
Want to recover better between heavy sessions
Love chasing PRs and keeping training performance-driven
Want to avoid plateauing on compound lifts
David Laid Workout Plan
David Laid’s training is commonly associated with a 6-day DUP powerbuilding split, rotating between legs, push, and pull sessions twice per week.
Rather than keeping the same intensity every workout, the program changes rep ranges and loading throughout the week. Heavy low-rep work is paired with higher-volume hypertrophy sessions to develop both strength and muscle simultaneously.
DUP Split
Across the program, rep ranges rotate between 1RM, 3RM, and 5RM work, alongside higher-volume hypertrophy sets, creating the undulating structure that defines DUP training.
David Laid’s Top 10 Muscle-Building Exercises
David Laid prioritises his big lifts as much as his isolation work and back mobility. Heavy compounds like squats, bench press, deadlifts, and pull-ups build the foundation, while movements such as lateral raises, curls, and pushdowns help create the shoulder width, back development, and arm size associated with his look.
Below are some of the exercises David Laid couldn’t live without and how they contribute to building a powerbuilding physique.
1. Squats
If there’s one movement synonymous with powerbuilding, it’s the barbell squat.
David Laid regularly incorporates heavy back squats into his training to build
Adductors
Overall lower-body strength
Heavy squats also create huge systemic fatigue, which can help drive overall muscle growth when paired with proper recovery and nutrition.
For hypertrophy-focused sets, most lifters benefit from working in the 6 to 10 rep range. For strength development, lower rep ranges are typically used.
FAQs