Deadlift vs Squat: Which One is Better for Your Goals? - Old School Labs
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Home  /  OSL Blog  /  Deadlift vs Squat: Which One is Better for Your Goals?

Deadlift vs Squat: Which One is Better for Your Goals?


Key Takeaways

  1. The deadlift and squat are both powerlifting exercises that help build your muscle strength and mass.
  2. Proper form is crucial in both due to the amount of weight that can be lifted doing these exercises. Failure to use proper form can cause serious injury.
  3. Deadlifting will improve your grip strength, posterior chain, hamstrings, glutes, and core.
  4. Squats are great for strengthening your legs and core, as well as your lower back. Squats are also better for beginners just starting out vs deadlifts.
  5. Both squats and deadlifts have many variations to the basic exercise. You can use them to your advantage to target muscle groups in different ways to improve your overall physique.

Deadlifts and squats are both great lower body exercises. They are also both powerlifting exercises, which include the bench press to round out the Big Three.

While they both work some of the same muscles, they are different exercises.

If you were to ask the Quadfather, Golden Era legend & Old School Labs ambassador Tom Platz, which is better, which do you think he’d pick? Of course, he would consider squats better exercise.

Tom Platz Squat
Golden Era Legend Tom Platz Performing a Squat with Barbell

The squat is considered a functional exercise. Daily living requires functional exercises, so you may be performing squats without realizing it. 

Consider the movements used when bending down to pick up an item or sitting down on a chair. Perfecting your squat can help with improving your functionality in these aspects of your everyday life.

Today, we’re going to battle it out with the squat vs deadlift. Let’s see if one comes out the winner after discussing:

  • What each exercise is and how it’s performed
  • Which is better for beginners
  • Which works best for glutes
  • Which helps build more mass
  • Which allows you to lift more weight
  • Which is better if you suffer from knee and low back pain

Deadlift vs Squat: Which Muscles are Worked?

Squats and deadlifts work some of the same muscles in the lower body. They are both compound exercises as they work multiple muscle groups at once.

Let’s take a look at the different muscles used during each exercise:

Squats:

  • Glutes 
  • Core
  • Hips 
  • Quadriceps
  • Thighs (adductor magnus)
  • Calves
  • Lower back (Erector spinae)

Deadlifts:

  • Glutes
  • Core
  • Hips
  • Lower back
  • Trapezius
  • Hamstrings 
  • Thighs (for stabilization)
  • Calves
  • Fingers (grip strength)
Man Box Jump

The squat and deadlift are both used to build up strength, muscle hypertrophy, and athletic movements:

  • Jumping
  • Running
  • Lunging
  • Sprinting
  • Throwing
  • Swinging 
  • Pushing
  • Rotating
  • Pulling 

Many of us use some of these movements in our daily lives and can benefit from performing these strength exercises. 

Now, let’s take a look at the squat and deadlift and how each of them is performed.

What is a Squat and How is it Performed?

A squat is performed from the standing position. The hips are lowered and then the person rises back up. 

Man Doing Squat

It sounds very simple but proper form is needed when doing a squat exercise to avoid injury.

  1. To begin, stand up straight with your legs about shoulder-width apart.
  2. Keep your weight on your heels as you start to lower your hips back then down, keeping your arms out in front of you or clasped at your chest for balance.
  3. Your chest should be up, head neutral, core engaged.
  4. Once your thighs are parallel to the floor, pause for a second before rising back up to the starting position.

To avoid injury, the back should remain straight and the knees should stay behind the toes. It will take practice to get the right form down, so always start without weights first.

Squats can improve leg strength and power, and also help with jump performance, which is great for athletes.

There are at least 40 different variations of the squat that can be performed. Some include weights and machines, and the movements activate muscles differently. 

One of the best things about squats is the versatility you can use when creating your workout routine.

What is a Deadlift and How is it Performed?

Unlike the squat, the deadlift is always performed with weight, most often a barbell. Dumbbells and kettlebells can also be used in different deadlift variations.

Starting Position of Deadlift

If you have never performed a deadlift before, you’ll want to start with an unloaded (no weights) barbell. Get the form down perfectly before you add any weight to avoid injury.

  1. Start with the barbell centered over your feet, which should be a little more than hip-width apart.
  2. Grab the barbell in an overhand grip. Your back should be straight, chest up, core engaged, arms locked.
  3. Use your hips and legs to lift the barbell until it reaches your hips.
  4. Hold for a second before you lower the barbell back down to the ground.

This is a simplified version of how the deadlift is performed. If you want a more in-depth guide to the deadlift, check out this article.

Ending Position of Deadlift

Like squats, there are different variations that can be done using the barbell, dumbbells or kettlebells. The choice is yours, depending on the specific muscle group you want to target.

Here’s an example of two types of deadlifts, and how they activate muscles differently.

Deadlift vs Squat for Beginners

If you are a beginner in the gym and are just starting your fitness journey, you want to start with squats. 

Squats can be done with no weight, which is perfect for beginners. You can stand against a wall to practice squats more safely. You can also use a chair by squatting down until your butt touches the seat, then standing back up.

Group Squat

Once you are confident in your squatting abilities, add weight and variations to increase your muscle strength. Like deadlifts, you can use a barbell, dumbbells or kettlebells during your squat exercises.

Deadlifts require some strength to begin and also have a learning curve to perform correctly. The chance of injury for a beginner is much higher for deadlifts vs squats.

If you are interested in giving deadlifts a try as a beginner, it’s best to work with a trainer. They can help you perfect your form and avoid injury while practicing.

Deadlift vs Squat for Glutes

While there are other exercises that focus more on the glutes, we’re talking deadlift vs squat today. Out of the two, most people think the squat would be better for improving your glutes.

When done properly, the legs are worked harder doing the squat while the posterior chain dominates in the deadlift. From this alone, the deadlift seems like a better option to work the glutes.

However, it really comes down to your hip flexion and range of motion

If you have tighter hips, then you’ll get more benefit from using squats to work your glute muscles. If you have a greater range of motion, then deadlifts will be better to help shape a bigger butt.

The gluteus minimus and medius muscles stabilize during the squat, while the gluteus major activate to perform the exercise. During the deadlift, the gluteus maximus and minimus are activated and engaged to help lift the weight.

Consider this study comparing the single-leg squat vs deadlift for gluteus maximus activation. Both exercises have almost identical activation of the maximus, while the squat activated the medius more. 

To improve hip flexion and work the glutes, hip thrusts and glute bridges are great exercises to use. When it comes to comparing squats vs deadlifts, we think that deadlifts have a slight edge over squats for glutes.

Deadlift vs Squat for Building Mass

When it comes to comparing the deadlift vs the squat for building mass, we can’t come up with a clear winner.

This is because they both build mass differently. The squat will create killer legs with dedication and commitment, which is something that the deadlift just can’t do.

Deadlift with barbell

Think about the physiques of powerlifters, if you’ve ever watched a competition before. Deadlifters can have small legs compared to their upper body, which is not the case for squatters.

However, the deadlift will create back thickness that squats won’t be able to touch. This is due to the posterior chain activation of the deadlift and the fact it works the entire back.

The squat can help build the lower back, but the back advantage stops there.

Man Doing Squat

The squat is a great exercise to build mass and strength in the lower body. Squatting can create a stronger foundation which may allow the lifter to increase their deadlift max. 

The deadlift can then be used to build up the back and improve grip strength. Overall, you can get an effective strength workout for almost the entire body using these two exercises.

The best part? Improving the strength of your body, especially your back and hips, can help prevent future injuries. Not only are you building muscle mass, but you’re also strengthening your

  • Ligaments
  • Tendons
  • Joints
  • Cartilage
  • Connective tissue

Deadlift vs Squat: Which Can Lift More Weight?

When deadlifting and squatting, it’s possible to lift an incredible amount of weight. Both deadlifts and squats can use a rack to hold the weight prior to performing the exercise. For deadlifts, this creates a shorter range of motion to lift the weight.

When it comes to deadlifts vs squats, which do you think can lift more weight? To get the answer, we checked the Powerlifting World Records stats current through 2018. 

Here is what we found:

  • Heaviest Deadlift
    • Men: Benedikt Magnusson on 04/22/2011 who deadlifted 1,1015 lbs at 381 lbs
    • Women: Becca Swanson on 11/05/2005 who deadlifted 683.4 lbs at 244 lbs
  • Heaviest Squat
    • Men: Jonas Rantanen on 10/08/2011 who squatted 1,267.7 lbs at 303 lbs
    • Women: Becca Swanson on 10/29/2005 who squatted 854.3 lbs at 247 lbs

Becca was also the first woman to squat over 700 pounds and the only woman to squat over 800 pounds. 

However, we aren’t all powerlifters or bodybuilders. And there are lots of “regular” people who lift heavier deadlifts than squats.

Benedikt Magnusson
World Record Holder Benedikt Magnusson Performing Deadlift

Each person will have their own personal best, which could be in squats or deadlifts. Consider these factors:

  • Lift assistance – suits, racks, belts, etc.
  • Prior injuries which could play a factor
  • Imbalances and lack of symmetry from side to side
  • The depth you go (or don’t) during a squat

All of these things play a role in what a max weight is for certain people. At the end of the day, we can’t definitively say whether deadlifts or squats can lift more weight.

Deadlifts vs Squats: Which is Better for Knee Pain?

Having knee pain is no fun, and depending on the severity, it can prevent you from lifting heavyweights. If you are looking to build strength but suffer from knee pain, are squats vs deadlifts better?

Icing Knee

Many runners end up suffering from knee pain at some point. Improper form during exercise can also cause knee pain. 

Before you start (or continue) to lift heavy, get checked by a doctor to try to pinpoint the problem.

Comparing deadlifts to squats, you might find that squats aggravate your knees more than deadlifts. If you have perfect form but still have knee pain, then you should avoid squats for now.

Deadlifts might be a better option since the knee is stable during the exercise. 

Tips you can use to help alleviate knee pain during these exercises:

  • Pay attention to your knees during squats. They should align with your toes. If they are going in front of you, consider pushing them out to lessen the load on your knees. This would also mean that your toes should be facing slightly outward as well.
  • Make sure you are pushing your glutes back performing the squat and not down. You want to take the weight off your knees, not apply pressure.
  • Stretch before and after every exercise session. Dynamic stretching can help improve mobility and you can target specific warm-up exercises to what muscles you’re working that day.
  • Foam rolling can help loosen up tight hamstrings or hip flexors, which can help with knee pain during deadlifts and squats. Foam rolling can be used as a cool down after your exercise session is over.

While deadlifting puts less direct pressure on your knees, there may be some variations that work better. Consider the Romanian deadlift or the one-legged deadlift.

Using Foam Roller

The same goes for squats, you may not be able to do them all, but there will be some you can do. Try goblet squats or rear leg elevated split squats.

Deadlifts vs Squats: Which is Better for Low Back Pain?

If you suffer from low back pain or have had a prior injury, do you think the deadlift or squat would be better?

One thing to consider is the reason for the low back pain. Some people don’t know what caused it, or can’t pinpoint a specific event when it started. Low back pain can be caused by:

  • Injury (including poor form when performing exercises including the squat and deadlift)
  • Slipped disc
  • Misalignment of the hips
  • Pinched nerve
  • Bad posture
  • Weak core muscles
  • Spinal degradation with age

If you haven’t gone to a doctor to diagnose your pain, do that before you do any exercises. You could aggravate your lower back and make the pain worse if you do the wrong exercises. 

One thing you don’t want to do is stop working out altogether. Studies show that being active can actually help heal you faster than being sedentary. 

As we learned earlier, squats and deadlifts can both improve back strength and muscle thickness. So it stands to reason that one or both could help improve or even resolve your back pain.

Lower Back Pain

We can’t say one way or the other if squats or deadlifts will work best for low back pain. Try them out with low weight (or no weight squats) to see how you tolerate the exercise. If it hurts, even a little, stop immediately and don’t do that specific exercise again until you feel better.

One common problem with the squat is that people tend to flex too far forward with their torso. This can lead to low back issues due to the pressure exerted on the spine.

The great thing about both squats and deadlifts is that you can modify both. For example, the sumo deadlift might be a better option vs a barbell squat. Avoid squats that have the weight on your back. Instead, try out the landmine squat or front squat using dumbbells or kettlebells.

Deadlift vs Squat: The Final Verdict

As with most of our battles, there isn’t a clear winner without knowing your muscle-building goals. One thing is for sure, whether using the deadlift or squat, proper form is a requirement.

If you’re a beginner, then you want to start with bodyweight squats until you’ve got the form perfected. Then, you can move onto weighted squat variations before you give deadlifts a try.

Squats are also great for quad development and strengthening your hips. You can get stronger glutes as well with squats, but certain deadlift variations are better at glute activation.

Your posterior chain, core, hamstrings, and legs will benefit from deadlifts. Use the variations to your advantage to target specific muscle groups.

Regardless of which exercise you choose, you need to increase your weight volume to improve your muscle gains. Depending on your goals, you may want to add both exercises into your rotation for maximum results.

Include different variations of each to create a workout routine that works best for you.

Which exercise do you think wins the battle between deadlifts vs squats? Let us know your thoughts in the comment section.

Disclaimer: None of the individuals and/or companies mentioned necessarily endorse Old School Labs products or the contents of this article. Any programs provided for illustration purposes only. Always consult with your personal trainer, nutritionist and physician before changing or starting any new exercise, nutrition, or supplementation program.
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