Squats vs Deadlifts

When it comes to building muscle, no plan is complete without the addition of at least one of these two exercises.

Both exercises will work a similar range of muscles, though the dead lift does incorporate slightly more muscles.

Squats

Squats are without doubt the king of the weights room, sitting, or squatting, at the very top of the muscle food chain. In one movement, you blast every major muscle group in your lower body, you engage your core muscles as if being punched by David Haye in the belly and your shoulder stability gets a roasting as well. Most things in life always seem to be too good to be true when this good. The squat, though an exceptional exercise, for most people is too good to be true. A proper squat will increase muscle mass and fat burning like it’s going out of fashion. Unfortunately, 99.9% of gym goers are doing them totally wrong.

This simple step by step guide tells you how:

1. Do 5 to 10 minutes of warm up before you start squatting.

2. Stand straight with knees relaxed, feet hip-width apart and toes

3. Bend your knees, tilt your hips back and slowly lower your behind, like you're going to sit in a chair. Extend your arms to help maintain balance. Hold your breath and keep your back straight and upper body muscles in a tight contraction, so all the work is done by your legs.

4. Aim to squat down until your thighs are parallel to the floor. Don't let your behind drop below your knees or your knees go in front of your toes.

5. Lift up slowly from the squat by pushing with your heels and using only the strength of your legs. Stay in control by keeping abdominal muscles tight and you’re back straight. Exhale as you rise.

6. Work towards doing three sets of 10 to 15 squats per set. To maintain a slow pace, count to three while going down and three on the way up.

7. Once you complete your sets, gently stretch your hamstrings and quadriceps. To get full benefits, spend 30 seconds on each stretch.

The Dead Lift

If squats are the king of the weights room, then dead lifts is the heir to the throne. Like the squat, you blast your lower body, your core, shoulders and also works your back. The only reason I don’t have the dead lift on the same level as squats is due to the fact that it is very, very easy to I jure yourself during dead lifting. Only ever do these when with a personal trainer, not a gym instructor, an actual personal trainer. It may take several sessions od dead liditng to get the hang of these lifts nailed down. Do them properly, and see your results lift up from the dead and go sky high!

To do a dead lift properly, follow these steps:

1. Stand with the barbell with your palms facing oppositely.

2. Hold the barbell with a little more width than your shoulders.

3. Now start lowering your hip like a seated position. Try to get your thighs parallel to the floor.

4. Your back must be a little concave upwards so that it doesn’t not lead to after stress or strain

5. Now slowly lift the bar to the starting position.

6. Perform the number of reps prescribed.

If neither squats nor dead lifts are in your workout program currently, get on it ASAP!! One of my personal favourite gym meme's shows the importance of these bad boys!

As always, if any of you need help with exercise programs or planning, just fire your questions at me via the contact info below!

Written by Maurice Walsh, BSc of Exercise and Health Studies

About the author

Maurice works as a personal trainer and lifestyle transformation coach at The Gym, Rathgar. He also works as a physique model. To get in contact with Maurice regarding training and nutrition go to www.facebook.com/totaltransformationfitness

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