Best Squat Variations for the Deadlift?

Bigger Stronger Leaner
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Greetings all:

Which squatting variations have you found to have the best carryover to your deadlift, and why/how? I’ve never had much access to specialty bars, and now I’ve got a buffet.

Obviously, the best carryover to deadlift is deadlift, but I’m running a conjugate style and max effort deadlift variations don’t jive with my back for long. I’ll keep the hinging with higher reps at lighter loads, as that strategy seems to work well when tested in competition, and will keep about 80% of the ME stuff squats.

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I would definitely go with the Zercher squat. You are able to lift quite a bit (for me, about 80% of a back squat), and the weight is in the most similar position to the deadlift compared to other squats. It really hits the lower back, core, traps, and upper back.

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I noticed a pretty good jump in my deadlifts when I started using the SSB regularly.

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For me personally I only high bar back squat and front squat. But both paused squats and front squats seem to drive up my deadlift.

What each lift I think does to help:
Pause Squats - Build the same muscularity needed for DL.
Front Squats - Helps with breaking off the floor and helps keeps your back stay straight during heavy loads.

I’ve heard SSB has direct carryover, but I personally couldn’t vouch for that because I don’t have the experience to say.

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Box front squats worked well for me a couple years ago.

Zerchers, SSB, front squats? I guess anything where a load on the front crushes your abs and upper back?

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Sorry in advanced for it not being a squat variation. But good-mornings w/ a safety squat bar have some decent carryover and feel crazily similar to a deadlift without the crazy systemic fatigue :slight_smile:

They’re great for ME or any rep range.

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I’ve actually been running nothing but deadlift variations for ME work for the past few months now and it’s been working out well. You may still have some viability there. I’ve had success rotating between full ROM and partial ROM stuff to save the back, making use of mat pulls and high handle trap bars for partial ROM work and deficit axle deads against bands and top down deads for full ROM work. I’m swapping the top down deads for chain suspended good mornings and the deficit axle deads for snatch grip axle deads in my current cycle, but was able to run that for about 2 full cycles at 2 weeks a piece for all 4 movements.

Otherwise, chain suspended super round backed SSB squats have had great carryover.

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I generally recommend snatch grip deadlifts. Make sure to use straps and select the correct grip width, which will place the bar in the hip crease at lockout.

SGDL’s have the following advantages:

  1. Easier on the low back. The load you have to use is lighter, so even maximal weights will be less than what you are used to on conventional deads.

  2. Targets upper back more. The grip width forces you to engage the lats more because of how open your armpits are. It’s also very difficult to get a tight setup position without focusing on thoracic extension, so that is trained heavily as well.

  3. Strength off the floor. The setup requires more knee bend which makes the bottom portion of the lift very leg dominant.

  4. Lockout strength. Because the lockout will place the bar at your hip crease, the lockout is much longer than a conventional deadlift. In fact, anthropometric differences won’t give any individual a distinct advantage because no matter what, the lockout will always cover the entire length of the thigh (if the correct grip width is used). This also means that the back will be at shallower angle when the lockout starts, which trains you to start locking out earlier than you would with a conventional dead.

So this might be a good ME movement for you to try, but also you might consider throwing it in as one of your high rep hip hinge movements.

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Squat-Leg Exercises For The Deadlift

  1. Quarter Rack Squats; Place that bar in the rack so that it replicates your Quarter Squat Position in the Deadlift. These can be Back or Front Squats.

  2. High Box Squats: The box height should replicated the starting height position of your Deadlift position.

Box Exercises: Back Squats, Front Squats, Zercher Squats, etc.

  1. Quarter Box Steps Ups: This is simply a One Leg Squat. Select a box high the replicates the Quarter Squat height that you Deadlift starts from.

  2. Leg Press: Again, these should be performed from a quarter position that replicates the starting position of your Deadlift.

  3. Trap Bar Deadlift-Squat

The Trap Bar Deadlifts is more of a Squat, placing the work load on the quads.

Foot Stance Position

The foot stance in the Squats should replicate your Deadlift.

Sumo Deadlifter: A wide stance like your Deadlift.

Conventional Deadlift: A narrow like your Deadlift.

Quad Drive

  1. Sumo Deadlifters are more reliant on the Quads for breaking the weight off the ground, the weak point. Thus, quad strength is important.

  2. Conventional Deadlifters initiate drive off the floor with the lower back with assistance from the quads.

Quad Strength is important for Conventional Lifters but not to the same degree as it is for Sumo Deadlifters.

Kenny Croxdale

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Thank everyone very much for taking the time to reply - great Community here as always.

I’m a little out of pocket right now, but am soaking up all of the great ideas pitched and intend to respond in detail. I’ve been looking at this a bit too narrowly I think, and I appreciate theses new perspectives.

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@antiquity thanks man. I need to start bringing in those more. A couple of ME exercises back I did zercher axle squat with chains added. It really helped my hips drive though. Totally forgot about the full cycle, that would be a really interesting one that I could see carrying over to stones well.

@atlas13 thanks! Honestly that was something I was hoping to hear. I need more excuses to use the SSB

@isdatnutty thanks man. I sort of swore off low bar squatting with a straight bar, bothers my elbows and shoulders but haven’t done high bar or pause squats in a while, good call. I love front squats. Now that I think of it, I did pull a big deadlift PR after a while lot of front squatting…

@FlatsFarmer thanks! Always forget about the weight in front of you concept. I haven’t done front box squats since I switched gyms - I did them out of necessity due lack of a proper squat rack. Such a humbling exercise, but sadly they didn’t budge my deadlift. Not really sure why, maybe because the weight had to be reduced so substantially. I guess that could mean I just need to make that stronger and my pull would move.

@Fletch1986 no apologies, thanks for the input! I love the SSB. GM variations sadly are pretty buried into my “no go” list of max effort exercises along with RDLs for some reason.”, but I do like both in the 6+ rep range

@T3hPwnisher thanks! I still want to deadlift about 20% of the time. High handle is a big winner. I love that it’s a lift which requires very little technique. Never had a back issue with those. I’ve never done axle deficit deads with and grip, much less against accommodating resistance and am quite intrigued - I’ll try it.

Don’t really get the top down deads though. I understand the exercise, but how do you feel it’s easier on the back?

@Facepalm_Death thanks for that detailed write-up on SGDL. I’ve never incorporated them a whole lot but I’m thinking that’s going to need to change. I could see myself losing position with a heavy weight, so definitely something that I’ll need to weave into the higher rep supplemental work to start off.

@KennyCrox thanks Kenny. I’ve never even thought about a lot of that. I pull conventional, but have always tried to drive it with quad assistance and have never done much with foot positioning. Narrow stance quarter rack squats sound like a fun movement to push hard, and I’ve been looking at ways to mix up my unilateral leg work so I’ll absolutely be tossing low box step-ups into the mix

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I saw a video with George Leeman where he did deadlift stance box squats and did these conventional. He did another video with Silent Mike where he had him do these sumo, since Mike pulls sumo.

Whats worked for me:
SSB/Transformer Bar Squats. Dunno what it is about it, but really hits the back musculature more than regular ol barbell squats.

Pin Squats - helped my Squats too, but def made my bracing tight af

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@SOUL_FIGHTER great to know man. Odd that I’ve really never focused on foot placement - guess I’ll need to change that up. I’ve always wanted to try a transformer bar.m, that however is one thing I don’t have. I’ll keep hitting that’s SSB. When I do it, I pull down hard on the handles similar I think to what @T3hPwnisher is describing above

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I might try those too

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I don’t feel that the top downs in and of themself are easier on my back, but more that since I’m spending 4 of 8 weeks NOT pulling from a full ROM (with the trap bar and mat pulls) it makes the full ROM work like the top down and deficit deads not as culmulative in beating up my back.

I actually don’t find the top down a great choice for max effort due to the timing of the eccentric to concentric reversal. I’m phasing them out for some chain suspended good mornings. But for a few cycles, it worked.

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If pin squats feel like they’re going to fuck up your joints then try them pin suspended. It lets you make those tiny micro-adjustments and and it’s not as jarring when you bring the bar back down.

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Oh yeah, I actually use safety straps instead of pin squats, so it doesn’t have as much bounce when I use the hard safeties.

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@Fletch1986 @SOUL_FIGHTER thanks guys. I too find collisions with the pin pretty jarring. I have access to band suspension - haven’t messed with it but certainly sounds worth it. Last GM session I had to drop out from under the SSB each rep.

@T3hPwnisher thanks man, I’ll toss it into the high rep stuff. So I’m probably misreading cumulative fatigue for acute back pain incidents. I go go go, but one weird move and I’m out for a few days. It’s always on moves where the bar path is in front of me and I can use a lot of weight. ME RDL was a recent culprit (a couple training cycles ago). Trying to play it smart this time around

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Car Straps

As Soul Fighter stated, using straps works.

Car Straps do the same thing as Spud Straps but are less expensive.

You don’t beat up you rack weight pins and there no noise with the straps.

Bounding Off Car Straps

You will get a little recoil off the straps if in a movement, you allow the weight to basically free fall.

I use them for what I term a quazi-Plyometric Good Morning; allowing the weight to free fall, getting a slight bounce off the straps and then driving the weight back up.

This method elicits a different training response; somewhat like performing a Paused Bench Press vs a Touch and Go Bench.

Strap Strength

Each straps is rated for over 1,000 lbs.

However, it best to place the rack pins just below them for safety.

Kenny Croxdale

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