No gym fitness routine is complete without squats and deadlifts. Along with the barbell bench press, the two are the principal exercises of powerlifting training and competitions. They have a bearing on athletic performance too.
Both the compound exercises improve the lower body maximal strength and jump performance, according to a 2020 research paper. Among their other common benefits are activation and strengthening of the lower body muscles, improving posture, activating the core muscles and boosting metabolism, thereby aiding fat loss.
Even though both squats and deadlifts work the lower body muscles and have a similar push movement from the knees, they differ in terms of the primary and secondary muscles activated, and also in the purpose they serve in a fitness routine.
Squats vs deadlifts: Basic difference
“The first basic difference is that squats, along with pushups, planks and pullups, are a part of the beginner workout,” says Rishi Jethwa, an Ahmedabad-based ACE-certified fitness expert. “As they are bodyweight workouts, beginners too can do them. Deadlifts, on the other hand, are a power workout, and are suitable for those with intermediate to advanced level of fitness.”
Apart from the lower body muscles, deadlifts also involve the muscles of the upper body through an isometric tension while holding the weights.
“Even if someone practices weighted squats by placing the barbells on the shoulders, the isometric tension is mainly felt by the lower body muscles,” he adds. “But in a deadlift, we hold the barbell and lift, with the weight being borne by the arms throughout the exercise.”
Squats vs deadlifts: The muscles activated
The muscles involved in both the exercises are almost the same. The difference lies in the primary and secondary muscles activated.
“In deadlifts, the muscles which are primarily activated are hamstrings, glutes and the muscles of the lower back,” says Kishor Rathod, a Mumbai-based fitness trainer. “In squats, quadriceps are the primary muscles activated. As deadlifts also actively involve the muscles of the upper body, the overall involvement of the muscle groups is higher too, and though both involve the core muscles, the activation is higher in deadlifts.”
Squats and deadlifts complement each other. “The primary activation of the respective muscle group in one exercise becomes the secondary muscle in another exercise, but that doesn’t mean that one doesn’t need the secondary muscle group to do the exercise,” adds Jethwa. “And then there is the similar push movement. Thus it can be said that both the exercises complement each other.”
Recovery time and injury risks
The recovery time needed in the two exercises is different. This has a direct bearing on the number of times each exercise can be incorporated into a weekly fitness routine.
“The recovery time needed in squats is less — ranging from 24 to 42 hours — and is directly related to the rep range,” says Jethwa. “In deadlifts, the recovery times range from 48 to 72 hours. So, the ratio of inclusion of the exercise per week is 1:2, meaning deadlifts once and squats twice.”
It is important to keep in mind that both exercises come with injury risks. While improper form and overloading can lead to injury in the knee joint in squats, lower back injury is a risk in deadlifts.
Takeaways
- The basic difference between squats and deadlifts is that the former can be practiced by beginners, whereas deadlifts are suitable only for those who have intermediate to advanced levels of fitness.
- While the primary muscles targeted by deadlifts are the hamstrings, glutes and lower back, squats target the quadriceps. The degree of core activation is higher in deadlifts.
- The recovery time is higher in deadlifts.
