Ever since my training “enlightenment” about nine months ago (Read: I started reading t-mag), I have been under the impression that the uber-exercise was the squat.
Especially with articles like “The Howl: You Gotta’ Squat!” (Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION), it seemed like the squat was THE measure of whether someone actually knew WTF they were doing when it came to weight training. You know: someone says, “I can bench this much and curl so-and-so…” “Yeah, but how much can you squat?”
But now as I’ve started to read the t-mag forums regularly (wow, what a great place!), I’m noticing that everyone is like deadlift-crazy or something.
Are deadlifts the new squat or what?.. Did I miss something?
Paul, you should probably check out the Westside Conjugate method of training. You’ll see how they incorporate both the squat, deadlift, and various other exercises into the same program.
…a general test of strength would be your combined deadlift, squat, and bench total.
Every few months someone asks the same question. Must be because it’s a good question. The last thread we had on this topic provided lots of good answers. For me, though, it’s a fun exercise that gives you tremendous physiological benefit and it elicits strange looks. All good reasons for me to do it.
You’re quite right - the deadlift has become the new squat. As late as 1997, deadlifts were not effective for putting on strength or muscle mass. That all changed in August of 1997 with the publication of, “Squats: A Girl’s Best Friend”, by Richard Simmons.
While “Squats” was right on the money, it was soon completely laughable to get caught squatting, as it identified you as a pansy aerobics pussy. So in order to address the effects that the squat had on the body while not looking like a leotard-wearin’ sissy, a man by the name of Ed Coan retooled the deadlift in late 1997.
Before his retooling of the deadlift, the deadlift did not promote hypertrophy or strength gains. Through some subtle mechanics changes, the once ineffective deadlift actually proved to be taxing.
That is how we came about having the modern day deadlift.
The deadlift is actually an older exercise than the squat. When the squat was invented, people would either clean the weight up, press, and get under it, or they would stand the bar up on end(!) tilt it, and start squatting.
Then someone had the bright idea to make squat racks.
Whereas the invention of the Deadlift went something like this:
“Well, Hans, we have this heavy weight. Now what?”