will doing deadlifts really help my sqaut, along with power cleans and jump sqauts. im explosive in my sport but dont have big numbers on the sqaut
depends
not necessarily but if your strength levels are unbalanced or your general strength is just low, it could possibly directly affect it. It depends on how developed you are already. Strength gains can be very specific.
It sounds like you are not super strong. But how do you define that anyway.
Deadlift will help your squat in a way.
Marshall is right.
You might be better off deadlifting or squatting. It depends on your body structure.
I squat better than I deadlift at 5’ 9" so does one of my athletes at 6’ 3", but I have some other athletes who deadlift better.
How’s that for sitting on the fence.
You need to do both. Squat’s are the top of the quad dominant exercise tree while deadlift’s are the top of the hip dominant tree. Along with that , to keep a balanced loading of horizontal push to horizontal pull, scapular retraction deads are necessary. Most cannot row near what they can press, and they tend to prioritize pressing over pulling not only in sequence but also volume. This tends to lead to too much internal rotation and can result in nasty impingement of AC joint. I feel no athlete should forgo them always.
Deads ALWAYS put some pop in my starts…If I was an elite sprinter (HA HA) I’d definitely include DL’s…AND Squats…several forms of each…try each with the focus on textbook form…along with some explosive lifts such as (all forms of) cleans, snatches, pulls, etc. But to me, deadlifts (and snatches and cleans) most closely match my start.
I find that squats develop quads and glutes well, and deads develop back and glutes well. Therefore if my back feels weak in squats I may do deads (or good mornings) to enhance back strength. And I may also do deads for further develoment of my glutes. I find that using a slow controlled eccentric phase for deads really activates the glutes.
Deadlifts are V sressful on the CNS. Also near maximum velocity in the outer range is minimal (as you drag the bar up your thighs). Olympic lifts permit ‘compensatory acceleration’ (acceleration as joints extend) and are less fatiguing. If technique permits they would be the preferable option.
David what would you do if your weakness in cleans is from the initial pull from floor. That has always been my problem. Doesn’t seem to occur snatching.
I would say you need to look at both deadlifts and squats. But I like olympic lifts so I would do them.
Weakness from the floor may be due to inadequate back strength. I would use good mornings and dead lifts. But as David states, bare in mind that dead lifts tax the CNS heavily.
I don’t do Deadlifts they seem to break down my body and they take too long for me to recover from.
Quite possibly the deads in conjunction with other training variables may be too much. Obviously heavy deads have a high metabolic as well as neural cost. Possibly other lifts may need to be reduced while using deads in your program.
Dma I think the trouble you are having from the floor is due to not using your legs correctly at the initial lift off phase. Without seeing your technique this is my guess.
Andy
Could be right. I trained with weight lifters and coaches and technique wasn’t too bad.
It is probably a combination of technique and lower back. I probably think it is more back than technique as I had no problem with snatches.
Not sure though.
Re: CNS fatigue/stress, beat up bodies, etc. I am with you guys there…I don’t usually “feel the pop” back in my muscles…the “spring in my step” so to speak, until about 5 days after my last heavy DL workout.
Don’t do deadlifts or heavy pulling movements such as good mornings during the competitive track season. They have a detrimental effect on the nervous system when done during this period. This is well known to Weightlifters as well as elite sprinters. Basically, they will slow you down. If you feel that you have to do deadlifts during the competion period, keep them light i.e. no more than about 50% of max.
Any of you out there use a trap bar or hex bar to perform your deadlifts? I have used a trap bar on occasion to give me a break (mentally and physically) from squats with good success.
For a variety of reasons, I would restrict DL variations (snatch, trap bar, clean grip, etc…) to GPP only.
Paul,
I like to use the trap bar for deadlifts. I find that I get incredible intensity since the weight is centered and I don’t have to worry about form. They seem to be more similar to squats than regular deadlifts, with three main differences. The first is that missing the lift is much less traumatic since you simply can’t pull the weight off the ground. With squat, if you go down and can’t get back up, you better have a good rack or a good spotter.
The second difference is that I don’t end up quite as deep in the down position as when I squat, even when I don’t use the raised handles on the bar. This means I can handle a bit more weight, but may not be getting as much glute and hamstring involvement.
The third difference is that you start from a dead stop (which is good for starting strength) but on the other hand, you don’t get the transition from eccentric to concentric that you get at the bottom of a squat.
Overall, I tend to prefer squats, but hex deadlifts seem to be a good substitute if I can’t do the squats for some reason or if I just want to work on lifting the most weight.
xlr8
so it will help my sqaut right?