Which lift is higher: Squat or Deadlift?

[Buffalohed]

I am writing this poll because I'm curious. It seems that with all these stats on the board that almost everyone deadlifts more than they squat.

In the powerlifting world, which I will admit to not knowing very much about, don't most lifters have a higher squat than deadlift? Is having a lower squat the result of past inadequacies in leg training?

I voted for "My squat is 50lbs or more higher than my deadlift". Yesterday on my 3rd working set of squats I pushed 495 for a set of 8 just below parallel. I am fairly certain I could hit around 600 1rm. As far as deadlift, I pulled 445 for a set of 4 on my 3rd working set a couple days before, and the 4th rep wasn't a full lockout. I doubt if I could pull 500 off the floor fresh for a 1rm. It is kind of embarassing actually so that is why I am curious as to other people's situations.

[Retardo-pex]

A few years ago, my squat was around 20 lbs more then my deadlift. A short while later I got lazy and lost a lot of weight ( relative to how much I gained the 4 years before) This past summer, I finally got back to where I was strength wise and now I deadlift my squat max for reps.

I believe my grip was to blame back then, and the fact that I swapped from conventional stance to sumo has had a big effect on it as well.

2004:
Deadlift- 415
squat- 435

2006:
Deadlift- 405x4
Squat- 405x1 (Not a true max, this was after 7 sets)

[Canadian Iron]

See attached pdf:

[Buffalohed]

See attached pdf:

Very interesting. Thanks.

[John Prophet]

in the powerlifting world the squat has become heavier than the deadlift because of the use of lifting gear......suits, knee wraps....and also because of lax judging standards...plain and simple

in some federations the judges absolutely do NOT make people squat to parallel like they used to...sometimes you can plainly see on video that they are 2-3" above parallel.....so that makes the squat poundage go way up

also the lifting gear, suits etc, are incredibly strong now

the gear helps the squat and bench WAY more than it helps the deadlift...so actually a lot of powerlifters today BENCH more than they deadlift

so some people today say the deadlift is the last true test of strength

[nwfisher]

My deadlift is over 1.5 TIMES my squat.

[Downtheline]

My deadlift is way higher, over 100lbs. But this gap will probably close over time.

I think most people would start off with a higher deadlift but after a while grip becomes the limiting factor. I guess that over time your posterior chain has more potential to improve compared to your grip so this could explain how the squat could overtake. How far your squat or deadlift is ahead of the other could just be a function of how advanced you are in your training.

[darklight79]

I deadlift 505, i squat 310. Lol. It's pathetic. And i've been squatting way longer than i've been deadlifting. But it's normal isn't it? People's deadlifts are usually higher than their squats. I saw the poll result.

[.aeterna]

dead

[sgtrobo]

I am writing this poll because I.....

pushed 495 for a set of 8 just below parallel. I am fairly certain I could hit around 600 1rm.

at 22 years of age, 5'10? Impressive. Post a vid.

As far as deadlift, I pulled 445 for a set of 4 on my 3rd working set a couple days before, and the 4th rep wasn't a full lockout. I doubt if I could pull 500 off the floor fresh for a 1rm.

your grip must be horrible if you aren't BS'ing with your numbers (Which I would suspect you are)

regardless, having a raw squat that is 50+ lbs more than your deadlift is typically reserved for those with horrible grips or for the morbidly obese

[Andrew.Cook]

I have had this same kind of conversation with Dominik a couple times (among others, I'm certain) and I think that some people are built to squat. I think others are built to deadlift, others are built to bench... That isn't an excuse to bench 400lbs and never squat, but obviously people are going to develop talents in certain areas. I've always been a fairly talented bench presser, and my deadlifts aren't half bad either... however, my squat isn't so great. That's ok with me. I'm not a powerlifter, and for strongman type competitions I feel like my deadlift skills are going to be more utilized than squats. Either way I'm just going to keep plugging away at it and improving.

[ScrillaKeith]

I have had this same kind of conversation with Dominik a couple times (among others, I'm certain) and I think that some people are built to squat. I think others are built to deadlift, others are built to bench... That isn't an excuse to bench 400lbs and never squat, but obviously people are going to develop talents in certain areas. I've always been a fairly talented bench presser, and my deadlifts aren't half bad either... however, my squat isn't so great. That's ok with me. I'm not a powerlifter, and for strongman type competitions I feel like my deadlift skills are going to be more utilized than squats. Either way I'm just going to keep plugging away at it and improving.

^^ Definately true. http://www.t-nation.com/readTopic.do?id=740326

[bongd]

I’ve always have a higher squat than anything. I’ve got the ass to show for it. But ever since I started training with wraps and over-reaching, my deadlift passed my squat (even without straps).

I definitely wasn’t made to bench much though. Deadlift’s 335lbs, squat’s 315lbs and bench is only 225lbs. All for reps of course, I don’t go lower than 3 reps. But I can agree with you, Andrew. I think I was probably built to squat. I know I could go much heavier than 315lbs if I really warmed up and tried going for a 1 rep max, I just don’t see any point because I’m not in competition though.

[Andrew.Cook]

I find setting my true 1RM to be very helpful in planning out my workouts and in having an actual goal. As I did come from a competitive power lifter background, I feel very comfortable and confident in setting 1RM's. Granted, now I usually leave a little in the tank, as long as there is an improvement (PR) in my lift. No reason to leave it all on the floor, but a true test of strength is always fun for me.

[KopyKat]

I have had this same kind of conversation with Dominik a couple times (among others, I'm certain) and I think that some people are built to squat. I think others are built to deadlift, others are built to bench... That isn't an excuse to bench 400lbs and never squat, but obviously people are going to develop talents in certain areas. I've always been a fairly talented bench presser, and my deadlifts aren't half bad either... however, my squat isn't so great. That's ok with me. I'm not a powerlifter, and for strongman type competitions I feel like my deadlift skills are going to be more utilized than squats. Either way I'm just going to keep plugging away at it and improving.

Of course, and i fully agree. Think of all the possible combinations of limb lenghts, muscle bellys, leverage and other things that contribute to the big compound movmements especially, its a direct relation id say.

[Andrew.Cook]

See, I'll never have the best squat if you put me in a group of guys that train... but I may have close to the best bench. I'll be pretty damn near the top on deads too. However, if you show my numbers to your average gym goer, they will likely be blown away. I'm way above the norm in the grans scheme of things... And when my son brags "My dad is bigger than your dad" on the playground, he's not talking out of his ass!

[k_townsfinest]

I box squat 205 for 3 and deadlift 265 for 6 or so. My max dl is 300, but I've never maxed on squats.

[Oh_Riginal]

My squat and dead are pretty close (420 and 410 respectively). At one point, maybe a year and a half ago, I was squatting 2-3 times a week and NEVER deadlifting. I've been deadlifting consistently for only about 6 months.

I think that if I started both at the same time, my dead would definitely be 50+ lb. over my squat.

[DuracellBunny]

I squat every week and throw deads in when I feel guilty 'cause I get a lot of carry over from squats to deads but very little in the other direction. My deads are still heavier than my squats even though I don't do them regularly as such.

[SolidSnake84]

damn some of you guys are strong!

i have lifted on and off for many years, but have seriously started up around july with about 1 week off for vacation. since august ive been focusing on doing just power movements and right now my lifts are at

bench press-150 x 5 x 3
atg squat 135 x 10 x 2
deadlift 225 x 4

the reason my squats are so low is because i dont have a squat rack and i workout at home, i think i could handle at least 175 without a prob. ive always felt my back was my strongest feature and my deads certainly soared from when i started at about 155 only a month and a half ago. i think my legs are built for squatting as well, it's just a matter of not being able to clean and press any more than 135 over my head right now. bench press for me has always been weak as hell, and my highest weight on it ever was 155 for 2 reps but im hoping to surpass that next workout (with 155 x 5 x 3) as my lifts have all been going up pretty quickly the past few weeks.

bodyweight is 145, height 5'7" btw...i cant wait til im 200+ in bench and squat and 300+ in deads...its freakin addicting to keep breaking personal records..ive got a ways to go til i am up there with some of you strongmen, lol

[John Prophet]

as far as I have gathered...."new" lifters...with, say, 2 years or less of hard lifting...will generally have a substantially bigger dead

I am not sure why....maybe it is fear factor...there is none with deads, lol....but when you get that bar on your back to squat the fear may come......and also the squat is more technical...a lot of guys CANT squat to start with....they have to learn balance etc...whereas with deads they just grab and go, lol

also..being sort of skinny doesnt hurt the dead as much as the squat...so a lot of newbs are pretty thin so they have like no stability to squat etc but they still dead ok

---

also everyone should look at themselves and others to compare arm lengths, leg lengths, spine lenghts etc.......if your buddy has little short T-Rex arms and you have monkey arms then you shouldnt feel so bad that he outbenches you....when you do deads you will have the advantage on him

my dead was 40 lbs higher than my squat early last year.....I had deaded 405 when my squat was 365......but by the end of the year they got closer...425 squat, 445 dead

[aiwass]

My deadlift is over 1.5 TIMES my squat.

Mine is almost twice as high. Last time I maxed on deads I did 440, and I think I could maybe do 450 now. The heaviest I've squatted is 230, and I doubt I could do more than 240 for a single.

I also bench a good 60 lbs more than I squat. My lifts are so messed up...

[RU4A69]

See attached pdf:

That's comforting



Squat - Adult Men
Body Weight Un-trained Novice Intermediate Advanced Elite
114 78 144 174 240 320
123 84 155 190 259 346
132 91 168 205 278 369
148 101 188 230 313 410
165 110 204 250 342 445
181 119 220 269 367 479
198 125 232 285 387 504
220 132 244 301 409 532
242 137 255 311 423 551
275 141 261 319 435 567
319 144 267 326 445 580
320+ 147 272 332 454 593

[papi93]

See attached pdf:

Do you know if these totals are raw or with equipment?

[Andrew.Cook]

Do you know if these totals are raw or with equipment?

Good call. I'm an advanced bench presser raw, but I'd be elite with a shirt (and practice with a shirt, of course).

I'm not half bad with just my raw lifts. Makes me feel good to know.

[Zensuji]

I deadlift 505, i squat 310. Lol. It's pathetic.

both those lifts are excellent, not pathetic. i think over time good trainees make alot of adjustments to their squats for safety and stimulation purposes which holds the numbers back but not progression.

[dbcb314]

I am writing this poll because I'm curious. It seems that with all these stats on the board that almost everyone deadlifts more than they squat.

In the powerlifting world, which I will admit to not knowing very much about, don't most lifters have a higher squat than deadlift? Is having a lower squat the result of past inadequacies in leg training?

I voted for "My squat is 50lbs or more higher than my deadlift". Yesterday on my 3rd working set of squats I pushed 495 for a set of 8 just below parallel. I am fairly certain I could hit around 600 1rm. As far as deadlift, I pulled 445 for a set of 4 on my 3rd working set a couple days before, and the 4th rep wasn't a full lockout. I doubt if I could pull 500 off the floor fresh for a 1rm. It is kind of embarassing actually so that is why I am curious as to other people's situations.

wow strong lifts...

[lordmatt]

I consider it a good day when I rep 325 @ 155lbs.

[Buffalohed]

I have been training for about 10 years now, since 7th grade football. The official strength program doesn't start kids on legs until 9th grade, but I did them with some friends in 8th. Squats have always been my favorite exercise and I never exclude them from a workout week - ever, and of course they were heavily included in high school football lifting. Deadlifts I never even tried until I was in the marines, around 18 yrs old. In the past they were always secondary to me, and on a particularly rough week etc. I would opt out of them.

I've changed my attitude however and now always plan my workouts around back day and leg day so I can get deads and squats in no matter what. I used to deadlift with almost a sumo style but hands on the outside. I have recently corrected my form to have a much narrower stance, which I am not used to. I have a chronic ankle injury which prevents my right ankle from bending properly, so I have to go wide on squats to be able to go down far enough. It is very possible that my legs being so well trained in a wide stance accounts for not being as good as deads.

I lift raw except for a belt which I always wear, never even owned straps or knee-wraps until recently. I weigh about 230 now and have been training for 10 years like I said so my lifts shouldn't be that hard to believe. My bench is awful, the most I have ever 1rm is 335 and that was when I weighed 245, I might be a little stronger now but still I doubt if I could push 350.

Good information in this thread guys, keep it coming.

[gymratluke]

I am writing this poll because I'm curious. It seems that with all these stats on the board that almost everyone deadlifts more than they squat.

In the powerlifting world, which I will admit to not knowing very much about, don't most lifters have a higher squat than deadlift? Is having a lower squat the result of past inadequacies in leg training?

I voted for "My squat is 50lbs or more higher than my deadlift". Yesterday on my 3rd working set of squats I pushed 495 for a set of 8 just below parallel. I am fairly certain I could hit around 600 1rm. As far as deadlift, I pulled 445 for a set of 4 on my 3rd working set a couple days before, and the 4th rep wasn't a full lockout. I doubt if I could pull 500 off the floor fresh for a 1rm. It is kind of embarassing actually so that is why I am curious as to other people's situations.

Dude, if you can squat 600lbs once...you can definately pull 500 off the floor! I'd be lucky to squat 400+ right now, but I can probably get 550 on Deads. Thats 150+ lbs for deadlift!!!