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Deadlifts physique vs Squat physique

Abe Lincoln

Abe Lincoln

Well-known member
I'm curious if anyone has ever thought about how each of these change physique overall compared to each other.

I feel deads tighten (make physique look better) overall in abs, back, arms, hams, back. Squats make my quads/legs bigger/tighter, but does nothing else for anywhere else. Calves are good size but I believe that is from direct work and genetics as they are the same size as my arms.

Thoughts on how each change physique?
 
Abe Lincoln said:
I'm curious if anyone has ever thought about how each of these change physique overall compared to each other.

I feel deads tighten (make physique look better) overall in abs, back, arms, hams, back. Squats make my quads/legs bigger/tighter, but does nothing else for anywhere else. Calves are good size but I believe that is from direct work and genetics as they are the same size as my arms.

Thoughts on how each change physique?
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Are you really Abe Lincoln
 
If I had one to choose, I would pick deadlifts, ONLY because I am bias and just love the DL and do well being built for that exercise.
That said, the squat IMO absolutely trains nearly the entire body in some ways. The loads that can be utilized, can stress and strain a good bit of mass legs/hips/glutes/some low back and upper body perhaps more statically in say abs/trunk, erectors, shoulder girdle etc. along with training the other systems like cardiorespiratory, nervous, hormonal systems etc.
I think the reason why it is such an uncomfortable exercise to do, is because how much of the body it really does train or effect.
 
I agree with the first post. However I do think that depending on genetics, deadlifting can cause some people to develop a blockier mid-section, which has a negative impact on physique appearance overall. I prefer squats to try to build my lower body and create the V-taper look with a small waist and big lats/legs
 
Over the many years, I have found that DLs help my overall strength, but squats are much more impacting on physique. They compliment each other and building a strong back, hams, and glutes have benefited my squats.
 
kisaj said:
Over the many years, I have found that DLs help my overall strength, but squats are much more impacting on physique. They compliment each other and building a strong back, hams, and glutes have benefited my squats.
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That is interesting. I lowered my volume on squats and deads to focus on bench as I just got back from injury. My physique isn't totally off, but I noticed less definition in back, abs, quads, arms. Mainly ab and back. I got my bench where I wanted for now, so starting to move up volume on deads.
 
Deadlifts for me. Arms and back bulge up, but so does the legs..best of everything.
 
Abe Lincoln said:
That is interesting. I lowered my volume on squats and deads to focus on bench as I just got back from injury. My physique isn't totally off, but I noticed less definition in back, abs, quads, arms. Mainly ab and back. I got my bench where I wanted for now, so starting to move up volume on deads.
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I've trained with many people over the years and still see it with anyone that is consistent and experienced, that someone can look much less imposing or strong and be able to deadlift a lot. The strength is there, but the physical appearance isn't. But, I rarely come across someone that squats a lot and doesn't look developed.
 
I don't think deads or squats are some magical lifts that alter your physique whatsoever. It all boils down to diet and genetics. I've lifted legs for periods of time without squats and deads and for periods of time with them both and periods of time with one or the other. Physically nothing changed with or without the exercise. It's all about preference. The supposed GH release from these exercises are negligible. From my experience (this only applies to natural lifters) putting in the work automatically forces you to see changes in the body. "Oh I feel the burn oh **** I'm so sore I must be growing" realistically nothing might be changing whatsoever. You might be gaining some more muscle but you might also be fatter vice Verca losing fat and maintaining muscle or in most cases losing quite a bit of size. Steroids make all the difference. Fact
 
kisaj said:
I've trained with many people over the years and still see it with anyone that is consistent and experienced, that someone can look much less imposing or strong and be able to deadlift a lot. The strength is there, but the physical appearance isn't. But, I rarely come across someone that squats a lot and doesn't look developed.
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This seems somewhat apparent to me as well. I mean right off the top of my head I think of Roy Mason (wt; #160 and looked rather like a model farmer, thin and lanky, pulled #535 at 74 y/o)

IMO, some or a good bit of it is the ROM. You're not bending at the knees as deep as you would in an actual squat.
If you took the same individuals and they squatted to the same high depth as their bent leg or higher DL, it might be a closer match of physiques just because the body is the absolute strongest in those more advantageous positions.

Honest Abe said:
but I noticed less definition in back, abs, quads, arms. Mainly ab and back
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Well I think doing the 2 exercises that utilize 80% of the body's mass, is going to churn & burn and create the biggest system changes.
I have never had to lay on the floor for a while after doing BP's or chins, or rows, or curls... but I have been known to lay on the gym floor after intense squat or dead session. So I would guess more energy and mass was engaged.
 
BlockBuilder said:
I don't think deads or squats are some magical lifts that alter your physique whatsoever. It all boils down to diet and genetics. I've lifted legs for periods of time without squats and deads and for periods of time with them both and periods of time with one or the other. Physically nothing changed with or without the exercise. It's all about preference. The supposed GH release from these exercises are negligible. From my experience (this only applies to natural lifters) putting in the work automatically forces you to see changes in the body. "Oh I feel the burn oh **** I'm so sore I must be growing" realistically nothing might be changing whatsoever. You might be gaining some more muscle but you might also be fatter vice Verca losing fat and maintaining muscle or in most cases losing quite a bit of size. Steroids make all the difference. Fact
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Not saying they are. But from dropping volume in these 2 exercises I have noticed a difference. Diet, cardio, genetics are accounted for, plus I'm on the juice.
 
BlockBuilder said:
I don't think deads or squats are some magical lifts that alter your physique whatsoever. It all boils down to diet and genetics. I've lifted legs for periods of time without squats and deads and for periods of time with them both and periods of time with one or the other. Physically nothing changed with or without the exercise. It's all about preference. The supposed GH release from these exercises are negligible. From my experience (this only applies to natural lifters) putting in the work automatically forces you to see changes in the body. "Oh I feel the burn oh **** I'm so sore I must be growing" realistically nothing might be changing whatsoever. You might be gaining some more muscle but you might also be fatter vice Verca losing fat and maintaining muscle or in most cases losing quite a bit of size. Steroids make all the difference. Fact
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Wait, are you saying that steroids magically make a lift change your physique to a higher extent?

IMO, it's hard to call anything that lacks both squats and deadlifts as leg training. How do you remove the most fundamental lifts and expect to not be restricted?
 
I used to do neither and thought I looked good. Now I do both and look better. I'd rather have numbers. Without squats you are not gonna get big deadlifts and vice Versa. They change your physique because your getting stronger. Both lifts make you grow. Plain and simple. If you're worried about getting big legs and a big ass you probably shouldn't be lifting.
 
Lol, I don't think anyone is worried about that, but I agree with the first parts for sure. Reps buddy.
 
Well deadlifts work more muscles vs squats, yet I've read squats burn more calories. From there it's diet and genetics.
 
I do like deads way more than squats. I can pull 100lbs more than my squat so that's actually the main reason why I like DL.
 
For what it's worth I hate deads and like squatting. With that being said my legs are my best body part and my back sucks.

I've started to either hit rack deads of full deads (mostly rack bc full deads tweak my sciatic nerve)

My back looks much better in just 5 weeks. I honestly never really did deads much in my prior 10 years of training. You can see width difference in my ab and thigh shot
 

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There's some good info in this thread, and some really bad info in this thread. Unless a person is hindered by an injury, squats and deads are a must for body building. I lifted for 10 years before I started doing deads, and I was plateaued for the last two years of that. Then I added deads. Within 2 years, I added 50% onto most of my compound lifts. It was a game changer.
 
Honestly, like Rodja said, how can you limit yourself by not doing either one of these lifts? Deadlfts carry over into real life better than any other exercise. I mean, how often do you have to pick up heavy stuff in real life? If you deadlift, you will be better at that.

Squats are the #1 functional exercise. Our body is designed to squat and stand. You have to be good at it if you want to be good at most endeavours. How many nagging pains in your back, legs, neck do you have? Start squatting often and watch how fast those pains you have been carrying for years clear up.

If I had to choose between those two exercises which one to drop, I would drop the bench press. Haha. The bench, IMO is one of the least useful exercises in every day life and the one that gets the most interest. Ironic.
 
HIT4ME said:
Honestly, like Rodja said, how can you limit yourself by not doing either one of these lifts? Deadlfts carry over into real life better than any other exercise. I mean, how often do you have to pick up heavy stuff in real life? If you deadlift, you will be better at that.

Squats are the #1 functional exercise. Our body is designed to squat and stand. You have to be good at it if you want to be good at most endeavours. How many nagging pains in your back, legs, neck do you have? Start squatting often and watch how fast those pains you have been carrying for years clear up.

If I had to choose between those two exercises which one to drop, I would drop the bench press. Haha. The bench, IMO is one of the least useful exercises in every day life and the one that gets the most interest. Ironic.
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Let me ask you this. How much can you lift on flat bench?
 
goodvibes said:
Let me ask you this. How much can you lift on flat bench?
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Lol, not much. 1RM of maybe 250 or 260. How many times am I laying on a bench in real life trying to move things though? Pretty much never.
 
Lol, I think he may have...but just in case.
 
Just messin around man. I'm envious of people who can bust out heavy pulls right now. I love deads but I have to stay out because of a bad back. You got some strong numbers HIT4ME
 
goodvibes said:
Just messin around man. I'm envious of people who can bust out heavy pulls right now. I love deads but I have to stay out because of a bad back. You got some strong numbers HIT4ME
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goodvibes ....I wasn't sure you were joking. People love their bench, haha. Thanks for the compliment.

I don't think I am bad, but lots of people on here have more impressive numbers. I've seen some of what you talk about doing and it kills me. I am just a small guy in a fat guy's body.
 
I am a fan of both myself but I used to not be.

For the longest time I never felt that any kind of dead lift gave me any kind of improved hypertrophy and I did it because I always read "deadlifts give you a big back." For the longest while it just wasn't true for me. However what made the difference is about two years ago I felt that my mind muscle connection needed an over haul in basically every body part and so I began to revert back to basic compound movements with the goal of ensuring I could contract and train the muscles the movement is supposed to be working properly.

Once I did this I found I was able to pull deads more with my hamstrings, glutes and back and not just move weight. When I learned to do this I began to love the deadlift because i could feel everything working like it was supposed to and that begin to increase hypertrophy.


Same for squats. Once I learned how to move the weight with my quads, hamstrings and glutes and keep proper tension on the muscles my leg development really increased too.
 
Cole Dreyer said:
I am a fan of both myself but I used to not be.

For the longest time I never felt that any kind of dead lift gave me any kind of improved hypertrophy and I did it because I always read "deadlifts give you a big back." For the longest while it just wasn't true for me. However what made the difference is about two years ago I felt that my mind muscle connection needed an over haul in basically every body part and so I began to revert back to basic compound movements with the goal of ensuring I could contract and train the muscles the movement is supposed to be working properly.

Once I did this I found I was able to pull deads more with my hamstrings, glutes and back and not just move weight. When I learned to do this I began to love the deadlift because i could feel everything working like it was supposed to and that begin to increase hypertrophy.


Same for squats. Once I learned how to move the weight with my quads, hamstrings and glutes and keep proper tension on the muscles my leg development really increased too.
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Well said. I went through the same phase with the exception of chest. From the beginning I was in line with my chest and it grew the fastest. Imo back is the hardest to grow to a massive size. It took me years to really focus on the traps and lats the way I'm doing it now.
 
goodvibes said:
It took me years..
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I think this short bit says a lot about back training, actually. If one is of average body structure and natty, it can take a few years to build a large, thick back from regular hard heavy work. Thinking it happens over night (like bis or tris) or in six months is short sighted IMO.
Just like it can take a few years to get up in the #400-#500-#600+ registers of deads and squats, so too can it take that time to build the muscles and tendons/ligaments to support such weights, especially for longer periods of time say and multi reps/sets.
 
goodvibes said:
Well said. I went through the same phase with the exception of chest. From the beginning I was in line with my chest and it grew the fastest. Imo back is the hardest to grow to a massive size. It took me years to really focus on the traps and lats the way I'm doing it now.
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I find that most people have a more difficult time learning how to properly contract and activate the musculature of the back when training. It's figuring that out which holds people back the most imo.

However once someone can do that well and then begins to work on progressive overload now that they can effectively train the back is when you see major increases in development come.
 
PaulBlack said:
I think this short bit says a lot about back training, actually. If one is of average body structure and natty, it can take a few years to build a large, thick back from regular hard heavy work. Thinking it happens over night (like bis or tris) or in six months is short sighted IMO.
Just like it can take a few years to get up in the #400-#500-#600+ registers of deads and squats, so too can it take that time to build the muscles and tendons/ligaments to support such weights, especially for longer periods of time say and multi reps/sets.
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I agree with this, especially the second paragraph. As you get up to those kind of loads with the ability to place all of that right on the musculature you really start to see some growth.
 
I prefer squats over deads but they're both fantastic for lower body development IMO. Whether or not squats and deads can be great for building an aesthetic physique on their own is totally subjective. It just depends on your genetics. I'm a leg guy, my legs grow much faster than my upper body. I get brilliant leg gains from squats and deads but once you have 27" quads sporting 15" arms it's probably time to put the deads and squats on the back burner until the upper body catches up.
 
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