Wow…after MONTHS of being frustrated on exactly where to put Deads in an overall workout, your response on a previous thread PERHAPS provided an answer hetyey: Alternating Deads with Squats in each successive workout! However, I can’t let you get away without a few questions, big guy! 1)I take it that you don’t ascribe to the dogma that to put on mass, squats “have” to be in every leg workout?2)It would appear that if you did alternate squats with Deads, the more “hip-dominanant” Sumo’s would be the way to go due to their greater similarity to squats as it relates to target muscles.(Or maybe even consider alternating Sumo’s with Conventionals?) 3) Would subsequent exercises on “Leg Day” change significantly depending on whether you did Squats or Deads? 4)Your feelings on the 20 rep “Super Squat” set as advocated by Randall Strossen in the classic “Super Squats”. Pick a weight you can do 10 reps on…then do twenty…use your mind…push it out…1 set…GROW! As always…thanks!
My current leg program is centered around front squats and something
I call “LIttle Sumos.”… Little sumos are sumo dead lifts done with
plates no larger than the 35’s and sometimes as small the 25’s!
The trick is to keep upright as much as possible…They totally
blast your entire leg, not to mention traps, rear dealts, mid back
forearms, obliques, glutes, and even a little chest!..(Your “dead lifting”
fool, Joey Z.)
Mufasa, keep in mind I do legs once a week so I squat 2x’s a month and dead(regular)2x’s a month, no I do not think you need to do squats EVERY leg day, I do think you need a large mass compound movement. right now I am trying to see how much I can handle in the stiff leg deads (I think I can get up to about 600lbs for low reps) so I have put less priority on squats and more on deads. My leg/lower back day goes like this; workout A= squats, then stiffleg deads then legpress, thats it (and yes, after warm up I do just ONE set to failure of each)workout B= regular deads, leg press then stiffleg deads (same way), I think which ever deads you can use the most wt. on is the one you should do (reg. or sumo), to me the idea is to overload the body as much as possible, if you can handle more in sumo’s do them if reg.'s are better do them. I do not think in overall strength or mass you will ever notice any difference if you prefer one style over another. as always peace.
This just in…BigRob agrees with hetyey225 on exercise selection. Mufasa, I personally feel that all should rotate around the deadlift and posterior chain exercises. I’m not gonna talk poundages because 600 pounds is impressive hetyey225. But i find that because my training tends to angle towards strength/stability, deads are priority, then a “balance” type exercise that is quad dominat. Squats on a swiss ball is my fave.
However, if heavy squats are gonna be done, I think the rotation of deads/squats/deads/squats is best. Between my core training and bent rows, my erectors can't take the beating from squats and deads in the same workout.
Now at the risk of starting a debate, I think deadlifts are more important then squats. Bear in mind I’m no BB (6’3" 225). Squats have a place, and I think they’re integral in leg development, regardless of goals, but if I had too choose one, deads would be the one.
Does anyone here bleed on the shins when they do deads? How to protect? I wore long pants today.
I say wear those scabs on your shins like little deadlifting badges of honor. BTW, I used to get them too when I first started deads now I don’t and I’m not sure what I’m doing different but no more scrapes.
bigrob, let me make this clear before some one says I claimed to do stiffs w/600lbs., I can not do that now I just think w/my bodytype and my strength now that is something I should be able to do one day. peace hetyey225
I think you should emphasize the exercise that is “harder” for you. If you can squat a truck (generally short and thicker) do deads, if you can pull the world (tall and longer) do squats. I am pretty strong, but I can’t full squat as much as I can stiff legged deadlift off of a block (where the bar travels to about 2" below my feet). So squats for me, they are humbeling when done slow and super deep (I am 6’4", so the bar moves about mile).
Now I don’t feel like such a panzy! I just started deadlifting seriously months ago so it’s not my strongest lift. Still the beauty thing is that i can add 50lbs almost evry few weeks. 600lbs here we come!
Just a couple comments to some one who asked about bloody shins when doing standard deads. I don’t have an overly long torso or overly long legs, and I’ve never hit my shins on the pull. But then again, I’m not pulling a great amount of weight. When I worked at Bally’s, they had a bar with a big offset section in the middle. I used it a couple times doing deads, and aside from some tendency of the bar to rotate a little, it worked well. Kept the bar away from the legs nicely (but if you have a wide stance it might not help). A trap bar is a possibility as well. Or maybe doing sumo style. Or, you could try using soccer shin guards. Look for the full coverage type that go up to the kneecap. Not legal for competition, but would definitely save some skin.