Sunday, May 6, 2012

Using deadlifts to improve squats

Usually it is the other way round.  Squats provide you with better quad development which then carries over well to the deadlift.  But this particular article that I recently read got me thinking.  Maybe deadlifts can help me improve my squats.

Squats are challenging for me.  I have always struggled with it.  But it is still one of the most efficient lower body exercise that has ever existed and for that, squat I must.

Anyway, the article was mentioning about segregating exercises into movement patterns, and how the trapbar deadlift and the sumo deadlift closely resembles a squat.  I don't have a trapbar.  But I sure can do sumo deads.

So testing out the theory, I first tried out the back squat (that's the nice thing about having barbells lying around in the living room) then I tried out the sumo deadlift.  There are differences.  But there are also similarities in terms of the movement pattern.

So when I start my next training programme (I am torn between Yoked and Triple Threat Muscle.  Yes, both are Jason Ferruggia's programmes) I'll be using sumo deadlifts instead of my preferred regular deadlift and see whether it could help improve my squat.

I have nothing to lose really.  If the experiment fails I still get a good workout at the end of the day.

1 comment:

matt said...

Keep up the good work.