# Is deadlifting and squats, the corner stone of a good physique?



## BigBiff (Sep 30, 2008)

I believe these 2 exercises aswell as military press are the necessary good physique builders etc, ive been doing deadlifts ever since i started doing weights and ive progressed through them over time. But ive decided to take a break from deads as ive platoud and with work, strict diet,dodgy training hours and other things ive stopped doing them.

without these exercises is it possible to still build a good level base? a wide back and thick traps? bulging biceps etc, im probably one of the smaller guys in my gym and im the only one that does deadlifts...most are recreational gym users with amazing genetics and potential that dont realize it lol who drink on weekends and eat 3 meals a day of sh1t.


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## Big Dawg (Feb 24, 2008)

It's always stated as much, but I reckon you could believe just as good a physique without them. Many pros rely almost exclusively on machines.


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## rodrigo (Jun 29, 2009)

i get the most pain from them next day any hows so i stick at them layin off deads for a week or two tho every 2 months as lower back gets some stick.


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## Jimmy1 (Aug 14, 2003)

trained for years without squatting, or deadlifting


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## LittleChris (Jan 17, 2009)

Jimmy, what was your contest weight?

Looked at your photos the other day and thought you had a good physique, looked same height as me (5ft10)


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## martin brown (Dec 31, 2008)

AlasTTTair said:


> It's always stated as much, but I reckon you could believe just as good a physique without them. Many pros rely almost exclusively on machines.


Most pro's also built their physique around squats and deadlifts.

Do what they did, not what they do in this case.


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## big_jim_87 (Jul 9, 2009)

deads and squats are two of the must do exercises imo, if you swap deads for bent over rows i dnt think this is the worst thing in the world, as long as you do free weight bent rows or deads then your back will grow. some sort of squats are a must for me tho no replacements for them!


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## Guest (Jul 30, 2009)

Its how i built my physique, with out these two moves my body would look rubbish like 99% of all other gym goers.

Heavy body wrecking compounds build muscle that stay long after the drugs and even training have stopped. Just look at any ex strength athlete even those who no longer train often still maintain a ton of mass.

I compare it to building a house on sand if you build your body from easier exercises combined then with drugs and diet you obviously can look amazing but drop the training and drugs and in a matter of months the person shrivels away to nothing. A body built with compounds is like a house built on a concrete foundation its not going any where quick.....

It has to do with the fast twitch fibers and training the cns and probably tons of other stuff which i will leave for some one like natural1 to explain because i can not.


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## testosterone1 (Jun 24, 2009)

I love deadlifts however I don't squate as it builds my legs too big I'm pretty suffice with a heavy leg press. But yes deadlifts definately are the corner stone of a good psycique.


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## bkoz (Apr 29, 2008)

I biult my body on weighted chins,dips and push ups..Never did deads and only did squates with body weight..I did my ciatic nerve in lower back and deads and sqates scared me..I do them now just not heavy 200kg is were i stop on deads and 100-120kg on squates..If you cant do them?You can still build a decent body.But i,d say do them.As they do make you stronger and if your stronger you,ll def get bigger..


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## godsgifttoearth (Jul 28, 2009)

if you want to build natural, then i think you need to squat and deadlift really.

people with the best backs will deadlift.

people with the best legs will squat.

as soon as you throw anabolics into the mix, you can get away without doing them. i think that if you dont deadlift or squat, you have to do a lot more work to make up for them.

instead of ATG squat, you have to leg press and leg extension.

instead of a deadlift, you have to work the entire posterior chain separately. deads also hit the traps and lateral delts quite well. so you then have to work ur traps and lateral delts more etc.

or atleast in my experience.


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## anabolic ant (Jun 5, 2008)

absolutely dead right...deadlifts,squats,heavy flat barbell benching...heavy barbell rows and shoulder barbell pressing...all these compound movements form the basic and solid foundations for all the single joint exercises to work around these...

i think without these to build you up to a certain standard of strength,mass and core exercises,you couldnt get further than goldfish trying to swim up the niagara falls!!!!

people may say...oh the pro's this n massive dude n he uses machines...but how did they get there???

ask everyone who started training who is of somewhere substantial in their training what they started with...if they started from a machine from the start and are still on it...i'd like to see the physique!!!!

but on the other hand if their is a physique built well on machines...good on you...but it still begs the question of not being a true hardcore real player of the gym...

i mean people come up to me and ask me the same old stupid question...'how much do you bench'...WTF the fcuk does it matter,i could be benching 60kg and have a massive chest...but you know when somebody says to you,'how much do you squat or dead' then you know this separates you from the nancy boys on the fancy machines n designer clothes without a sweat or lump or bump or even their balls have dropped!!!!

sorry...i'd say it is the foundation and the beginning of true solid foundation,the righteous pathway to a superb physique...even if its light,if you do em your there and part of the way its sposed to be...if you dont do em then your part of something else i dont know about...and if you dont do em,then your a discriminater against the oldest best tests known to bodybuilders and powerlifters etc!!!!

if you have a valid reason not to incorporate these exercises in your training regime one way or another then,thats cool

but otherwise...either start doing them or be part of the machines that killed ol skool bodybuilding!!!

like CD's are killing vinyl!!!!

deadlifts,squats,heavy flat barbell benching,heavy barbell rows,heavy barbell shoulder pressing...what more is there to life...hahahaha

i must say i love barbell rows...they are fcuking lovely...but when you get a nice squat ryhtmn and pump going thats daddy too...but on the same par...pulling a nice heavy deadlift feels friggin super...you just cant get these feelings any other how...yes a love affair with these compound exercises...its called *compound love*


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## big_jim_87 (Jul 9, 2009)

ok yes they are. swap over from time to time to a similar compound move and you will grow. ok


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## big_jim_87 (Jul 9, 2009)

lol nice rant lol


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## godsgifttoearth (Jul 28, 2009)

anabolic ant said:


> absolutely dead right...deadlifts,squats,heavy flat barbell benching...heavy barbell rows and shoulder barbell pressing...all these compound movements form the basic and solid foundations for all the single joint exercises to work around these...


that is basically my entire routine now lol. i only do 8 lifts.

bench, shoulder press, p bar dips, squat.

curl(i cycle this), pulldown, row, deadlift

id like to think im a good enough size.


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## big_jim_87 (Jul 9, 2009)

wide grip chins?


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## pickle (Jul 19, 2009)

is there anyway i can learn how to do a perfect dead lift. id love to start doing them and see many different people doing them many different ways. and youtube videos out there? ................ I do, do squats


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## dave13 (Aug 2, 2008)

hey pickle, id say back straight, ass out and chin up would be my 2pence on deadlift form


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## godsgifttoearth (Jul 28, 2009)

YouTube - Konstantinovs hang deadlift 370kg(815lb)-6 reps

not necessarily perfect form, but 370kg for reps.......


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## essexboy (Sep 7, 2008)

big_jim_87 said:


> wide grip chins?


Chins yes, but shoulder width, not wide, palms facing. Despite what many believe, you are limiting the rom by using a wide grip, you will get more involvement of muscle by a narrower grip.Heavy negative only chins, 10 seconds lowering, for 6/8 reps to failure.


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## Captain T (Jun 22, 2009)

Of all my friends, I'm the only one that squats and deadlifts regularly and I'm the smallest of the lot, but most of them have been training longer than me.

But a friend who started training same time as me can't deadlift or squat due to knee surgery and he has got much, much bigger than me in the same time frame - 1 stone bigger infact.

I don't think they are necessary, I just enjoy doing them.


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## Jason Griffiths (Jun 25, 2009)

They will build a base to build upon. Some pro's may not do them now, but I'm certain the majority did them to get their size.

Look at Jay Cutlers bulking regime: Squats/Deads/Bench/Military Press/Row ....if all the bicep boys in the gym did a routine like this they may actually make some progress!

Too many people want to take the easy route. These compound movements require a lot of effort. Why dont people realise that it's not meant to be easy!!


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## Jimmy1 (Aug 14, 2003)

LittleChris said:


> Jimmy, what was your contest weight?
> 
> Looked at your photos the other day and thought you had a good physique, looked same height as me (5ft10)


just a tad over 90kg

i dieted too quickly though, so always lost too much weight...prob was muscle as well as fat


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## adesign (Jun 10, 2008)

pickle said:


> is there anyway i can learn how to do a perfect dead lift. id love to start doing them and see many different people doing them many different ways. and youtube videos out there? ................ I do, do squats


http://stronglifts.com/how-to-deadlift-with-proper-technique/


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## LittleChris (Jan 17, 2009)

Jimmy said:


> just a tad over 90kg
> 
> i dieted too quickly though, so always lost too much weight...prob was muscle as well as fat


Heavier than I thought as well. Good stuff. :thumb:


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## MXD (Jan 23, 2008)

I didn't deadlift or heavy back squat for 3 months, my other lifts plateaud fast. I started heavy deadlifts and squats again and BAM I started to gain again and quick.


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