T Nation

Deads good. Squat sucks. help please.

Supplements and Nutrition
#1

i saw the other thread about squats bigger than deads but i didnt want to hi-jack it with this post. so…

i have always been able to dead more than i can squat. alot more. be it sumo or conventional vs. wide or narrow. my best deads have been 455sumo/505conventioal dead.(1year ago)

315 wide/335 narrow squat.(1yr ago)

im just getting back into things but as an example, on my last DE day i pulled 365 for 8sets of 1 (i can pull the 365 as fast as i can pull 245, so yes, my speed is good). this was after doing speed box squats with straight weight.
for my speed squats 9x2 i used 185 (much more and i slowed down too much).

my max squat is around 275. i failed at 285, but did 235 for 6 sets of 1. i can max triple 235. all of this pretty much points to my 275 max squat being accurate. right?

today on ME SQUAT/DEAD i did some deads before suspended safety bar good mornings. this was the first time i did the susp. safety bar gms and i tripled 225 (these things are fucking wicked by the way!).
my deads were, off a 5"box.
conventional: 135x5
245x2
295x2
i just did these to warm up. then i switched to sumo (i was curious to see where i was with my sumo since ive only been deading conventional lately)
sumo: 295x2
335x2
385x2
405x2 easy.
im pretty sure im good for 450.

i stopped there becuase i didnt want to wear myself out for the ME GOOD MORNINGS.

my current conventional dead max is probably around 450 too. maybe more.
so, deads are obviously my strong point but i cant figure out why. it looks like im going to beat my PR’s from a year ago at a lighter bodyweight. i have done ALOT more deadlifting than i have squating in the past. still, im pretty comfortable with my squat form, which basically mirrors my sumo-dead stance (of course im not quite to parallel in the beginning of my sumo dead…).
do you guys think i just need to keep working my squat and it will improve with frequency of training or am i lacking strength somewhere?

thanks for the help guys,
ryan b.

#2

Hey Ryan B, I am in the same situation as you, with pretty much identical numbers… I think it has something to do with the bone structure of the body. For instance i remember seeing a program on bicycle sprinters and how much of their strength depended on the ratio between the length of their femur and tibia/fibula… this supposedly affected the leverage of the leg when making a downward push, much like a squat. With the deadlift, especially sumo style, the effect of this ratio is diminished because your not squatting near the depth with the legs… When i was powerlifting some years back, i had a sumo dead 450 and a 330 squat in competition- i thought my legs were weak but i coul do full leg extensions with the full stack plus a 45 for 6 to 8 reps with proper form- no vastus muscle weakness there! Maybe someone with more knowledge can answer this, I would be very interested! Take care,
Pete

#3

Well, without seeing you squat it’s difficult to address any weakness in your form. If you have access to a video camera you could video yourself from different angles and then compare your form your form with those who excel in the squat.

You need to get away from doing exersizes that you’re very good at and concentrate on exercizes that your suck at. For you this would mean putting your deadlift on the backburner for a while and start to concentrate on various squatting type exersizes (i.e. narrow stance high-bar squats to well below parallel, narrow stance manta ray squats to well below parallel, after speed squats work up in weight instead of doing speed deads, etc…) to get your glute strength to catch up to your hamstring and back strength.

Be patient and good luck.

#4

if your deadlift is below your squat you are either 1)not wearing equipment, or B)your too small. gain some weight.

#5

Goldberg,
i should have mentioned those numbers are raw. ive never use a suit or a belt.
and yeah, im a skinny bastard too.

DPH,
my dead form sumo in sumo has me above parallel but still pretty deep.
conventional, im " bent over" alot. not in a deep squat position at all (ie. no where close to parallel); somwhere between a stiff leg and ass to grass.
i dont feel the conventionals hardly at all in my quads. the sumos i do.

ill try to post a pic.
thanks,
ryan b.

#6

yea the only thing here is you need to gain some weight…this means your levrages are much better of for deadlifting than squating…gain some weight espicially in your abs, hips, ass, and upper back…and dont forget to try to build spinal erectors that look like logs running down your back…big martin