Deadlift vs. Squat: Muscles Trained, Benefits, and Strength Ratios (2024)

Most important points:

• Deadlifts and squats both train your hip extensors (= your glutes), but differ in that squats train your quadriceps more than deadlifts, and deadlifts train your back more than squats.
• The average ratio of squat to deadlift is 1:1.23 in men and 1:1.25 in women.
• Squats have been extensively researched and proven to improve jumping and sprinting, and it's likely that deadlifts offer similar benefits.

***

OfsquatIndeadliftare two of the most popular strength training exercises in the world. Based on millions of workouts in our workout trackerStrengthLog, they are the second and third most practiced exercises, only afterbench press.

Although squats and deadlifts work many of the same muscles and have similar movement patterns, there are still some key differences. In this post I will delve deeper into these differences regarding:

• The muscles worked
• The strength ratio between deadlift and squat
• Deadlift versus squatting to sprint and jump
• When you have to choose one over the other

Let's start by looking at which muscles they primarily work.

Deadlifts vs. squats: the muscles worked

There are many similarities between squats and deadlifts. Both arecompound exercisesthat works a lot with muscle mass, especially in your legs, hips and back. So there is a considerable overlap in muscle activation with the deadlift and squat, but there are also some differences.

Let's take a look at the muscles used in each exercise.

Muscles worked in the squat

The primary muscles workedsquatare quads, adductors, glutes and lower back. These are your main knee and hip extensors, the joint actions that are most stressed during the squat. To a lesser extent, your calves are worked during the ankle extension that takes place.

How much do these muscles grow with squat training? A 2019 study gives us some insight.1In this study, participants trained deep squats twice a week for ten weeks, doing three sets of eight repetitions per set. training and added weight when they completed all the reps. They used MRI to measure muscle volume in the hamstrings, quads, glutes and adductors before and after the training period.

Results?

Squats were great for the quads, glutes and adductors. To the hamstrings; not so much.

(If you're surprised that hamstrings haven't grown from squats, you might want to read my articleDo squats work for your hamstrings?)

Although they didn't measure erector spinae growth in this particular study, these muscles show high muscle activity in the squat and are responsible for keeping your spine extended during the exercise.2 3

Muscles worked on deadlifts

The deadlift is more of a hip hinge, putting more strain on your posterior chain than the squat. The primary muscles trained are the glutes and lower back, but many more are trained secondarily: quads, hamstrings, adductors, trapezius, and your forearm flexors (which means your grip).

As far as I know, there are no studies that look exclusively at muscle growth from deadlifts. Instead, we are exposed to measurements of muscle activity using EMG and biomechanical reasoning.

EMG studies typically show high muscle activation in the lower back and glutes. It is quite reasonable that these muscles should do most of the work, given their long moment arm: the hip and lower back are far away from the bar. The knee joint, on the other hand, is located directly above the bar, thus limiting the amount of work the quadriceps can perform.

Consequently, the quadriceps do not show very high muscle activation in the conventional deadlift. In thesumo deadlifthowever, quad muscle activity increases at the expense of lower back muscle activation.4 5 6

In an American study, hamstring muscle activity was tested in 34 collegiate athletes at their 6RM (approximately 85% of1RM) in six different exercises, including:stiff leg deadlifts. The hamstring activity appeared to be high with that exercise, but not as high as with pure hamstring exercises such as Nordic hamstrings orleg curls.7And keep in mind that the stiff-legged deadlift will likely have higher hamstring activation than the conventional deadlift because there is no knee extension.

Muscles worked: conclusion

• Squats mainly train your quads, glutes and adductors. They also train your lower back very well, but not as hard as the deadlift.
• Deadlifts mainly work your glutes and lower back, but your entire back is involved to some extent. They typically work your legs less than squats, due to the shorter range of motion and torque arm.
• In summary, squats are good for training your legs and deadlifts are good for training your back.

It was the muscles that worked. Let's move on to the typical strength levels and ratios between these two exercises.

Deadlift vs. Squat: Strength Ratio

Most people can lift heavier weight with the deadlift than with the squat. But how much weight difference are we talking about?

Based on millions of lifts from more than 200,000 usersStrengthLog, this is what we can say about the average strength ratios between squat and deadlift:

• For men, the median 1RM is 130 kg in the squat and 160 kg in the deadlift.
  • Squat:deadlift-ratio =1:1,23
• For women, the median 1RM is 80 kg in the squat and 100 kg in the deadlift.
  • Squat:deadlift-ratio =1:1,25

This means that the median 1RM for the deadlift is ~24% higher than for the squat.

The ratio shrinks slightly as we increase in strength levels and look at the 90th percentile (i.e. those who are stronger than 90% of all users).

• For men, the 90th percentile 1RM is 185 kg in the squat and 220 kg in the deadlift.
  • Squat:deadlift-ratio =1:1,19
• For women, the 90th percentile 1RM is 120 kg in the squat and 140 kg in the deadlift.
  • Squat:deadlift-ratio =1:1,16

Note that this doesn't necessarily say anything about how much you should squat in relation to your deadlift, or vice versa. It simply indicates what the average strength level is in the two lifts and the ratio between them.

See more about the strength standards for squats and deadlifts here:

• Squat standards
• Deadlift standards

You may also want to read our article abouttransfer between squat and deadlift.

Deadlift versus squats for sprints and vertical jumps

Squats and deadlifts are commonly used in the strength and conditioning world of sports to help athletes run faster, jump higher and increase overall strength.

In view of this, the classic back squat is undoubtedly the more popular of the two, and also the one that has received the most attention in research and sports science.

While this is by no means a complete summary of all research, here are some examples of studies showing the effectiveness of squats in improving sprinting and jumping performance.

• Deep squat or deepfront squatTraining twice a week for ten weeks improved vertical jump height by 7-8%.8
• Squat training twice a week for eight weeks improved vertical jump and sprint speed in young soccer players.9
• A meta-analysis of 15 studies and 510 participants showed a very large, significant correlation between increases in back squat strength and sprint performance (r=0.77).10

There's no doubt that the squat is not only your leg strength, but alsoa good exercise to run fasterand jump higher.

But what about the deadlift?

In one study, 54 untrained participants were assigned to a no-exercise control group or a deadlift group that trained twice a week for ten weeks. After the ten weeks of training, the deadlift group had improved their knee extensor torque development by 19-49% (depending on the angle tested) and their vertical jump by 7.4%. The control group did not improve on any outcome measure.12

Another study had also trained highly skilled rugby playersstiff leg deadliftsor Nordic hamstring curls, twice a week for five weeks. They saw a solid 5% improvement in vertical jump height in the stiff-leg deadlift group, but only a 1% increase in the Nordic hamstring curl group.13

Read more: Stiff Leg Deadlift vs. Nordic Curl for Hamstring Growth?

A third, more recent study gives us a comparison in which twenty-five resistance-trained men trained the squat or deadlift three times a week for six weeks. Vertical jumpcurrent(which roughly translates to jumping height in this case) increased by 2.7% in the squat group and 1.9% in the deadlift group (not a statistically significant difference).14

What about deadlift training for sprints?

I know of only one study examining whether deadlifts improve sprint performance: a small pilot study with a limited number of participants per group.15For six weeks, eight participants received squat training and six participants received deadlift training. They completed the training three times a week, testing the vertical jump, broad jump and sprint. The squat group saw no significant improvement in vertical jump or sprint, but improved their broad jump by 2 inches (2.1%). The deadlift group also saw no significant improvement in sprinting, but improved their broad jump by 13 cm (5%) and their vertical jump by 1 cm (1.4%).

Considering that sprint performance is highly dependent on lower body strength, the amount of force you can transmit into the ground, and the similarities and correlations between deadlifts and squats, I'd say it seems likely that deadlifts can also improve sprint performance , but I would like to see more research.

What is better: deadlifts or squats?

Well, it obviously depends on your goals and your individual circ*mstances. It's also clear that this doesn't have to be a binary choice for most people: you are perfectly capable of training both squats and deadlifts.

But for the sake of argument, and also because there may be circ*mstances where you need to choose one over the other (for example, due to limited time or volume tolerance), let's quickly weigh them up.

Squat is a proven, good exercise forfourIncar peepsmuscle development. It is of course also effective in improving jumping and sprinting.

The deadlift, on the other hand, is only a slightly less popular exercise, but much less studied than the squat. That's why we lack (as far as I know) the same kind of studies on how effective the deadlift is at developing certain muscles, and at improving athletic skills like jumping and sprinting.

Deadlifts generally work wellback musclesmore than the squat, and also trains your glutes to a large extent. However, it doesn't work your quadriceps muscles as well, at least not compared to the squat. Therefore, a combination of these two exercises will lead to a very well-rounded workout of your leg, hip and back muscles.

If you want to build full-body strength with weight on your legs, squats (and squat variations) are the better choice. If you're looking to build full-body strength with an emphasis on your hips and back, the deadlift (and its variations) may be the best exercise.

Frequently asked questions about deadlifts vs. squat

Let's close with some frequently asked questions.

• Are deadlifts easier than squats?
• Can deadlifts replace squats?
• Which builds more muscle, squat or deadlift?
• Can you squat and deadlift in the same workout?
• Should you deadlift or squat first?
• How do you get stronger in squats and deadlifts?

Are deadlifts easier than squats?

Based on user data fromStrengthLogWith the deadlift people can generally lift 24% more weight than with the squat. This is of course an average number, and althoughmostPeople find the deadlift easier than the squat. It varies from person to person depending on body structure, strengths and weaknesses and prior training.

There is also the technical aspect. Most people find the squat more technically challenging, often due to limitations in mobility, coordination, or both. The loaded squat also doesn't really resemble any form of movement we normally perform in our daily lives. The deadlift, on the other hand, places lower demands on mobility and the technique of picking something up from the ground is reminiscent of something we do every day.

Can deadlifts replace squats?

As for leg muscle growth: no. Squats train your quadriceps much more than deadlifts. Because leg strength is important in many sports, this may have consequences for the question of whether the deadlift is suitable as a replacement for the squat in a general training program for athletes.

The squat should mainly be seen as a leg and hip exercise, while the deadlift is mainly a hip and back exercise. Therefore, they cannot directly replace each other.

What Builds More Muscle: Squats or Deadlifts?

Squats mainly build muscle in your quads, glutes, adductors and lower back. Deadlifts primarily build muscle in your back (upper and lower) and glutes, and secondarily in your adductors, quads, and hamstrings. That's why both squats and deadlifts build a lot of muscle, but in different places.

Can you squat and deadlift in the same workout?

Yes, that's possible. Powerlifters compete in the same competition in the squat, bench press and deadlift and therefore often practice two or even all three lifts in the same workout. However, because the squat and deadlift overlap in terms of which muscles they work, the performance of the other exercise is often degraded.

Should you do deadlifts or squats first?

If you squat and deadlift in the same workout, it is generally recommended to do the squat before the deadlift. Most people find that deadlifting first inhibits their subsequent squat more than leading with the squat. If you're a powerlifter, it doesn't hurt to train either, since you compete every now and then and you do deadlifts after you squat.

How do you get stronger in squats and deadlifts?

By training hard, smart and consistently.

Are you unsure about how to structure your training? We have plenty of high-quality training programs for deadlifts, squats and powerlifting in general. You can read about some of them atour training programs page, but you'll find them all (and many more) in the premium program library in our appStrengthLog.

StrengthLog is onefreeworkout tracker and workout log, but you need a premium subscription to access our premium training programs.

Would you like to try Premium? We offer all new users a free 14-day premium trial that you can activate in the app.

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Read more:

• Transfer between squat and deadlift: new study
• Squat depth: How deep should you squat?
• Deadlift Disco: Deadlift program for powerlifting
• The 5 Best Dumbbell Hamstring Exercises to Build Muscle

References

1. Eur J Appl Physiol. 2019 Sep;119(9):1933-1942. Effects of squat training with different depths on lower limb muscle volume.
2. J Strength Cond Res. 2011 Jan;25(1):149-54. An electromyographic comparison of trunk muscle activity during isometric trunk and dynamic strengthening exercises.
3. J Strength Cond Res. November 2007; 21(4):1108-12. Activation of the body muscles during dynamic strength training exercises and isometric instability activities.
4. With Sci Sports exercise. 2000 Jul;32(7):1265-75. A three-dimensional biomechanical analysis of the sumo and conventional deadlift.
5. With Sci Sports exercise. April 2002; 34(4):682-8. An electromyographic analysis of the sumo and conventional deadlift.
6. With Sci Sports exercise. April 2002; 34(4):682-8. An electromyographic analysis of the sumo and conventional deadlift.
7. Int J Sports Physiol Perform. March 2009; 4(1):84-96. Hamstring activation during lower body resistance training.
8. J Strength Cond Res. 2012 Dec;26(12):3243-61. Influence of squatting depth on jumping performance.
9. J Strength Cond Res. 2009 Nov;23(8):2241-9. Effects of a back squat training program on leg strength, jumping and sprint performance in junior football players.
10. Sports Med. 2014 Dec;44(12):1693-702. Increases in lower body strength are positively transferred to sprint performance: a systematic review with meta-analysis.
11. J Strength Cond Res. 2016 Jun;30(6):1534-9. Effects of strength training on squat and sprint performance in football players.
12. J Strength Cond Res. 2015 Jan;29(1):1-10. Barbell deadlift training increases the rate of torque development and vertical jump performance in beginners.
13. Muscle adaptations to training programs using the Nordic hamstring exercise or stiff-leg deadlift in rugby players. Sports Sci Health (2021).
14. J Hum Kinet. July 2020; 73: 145-152. A comparison of squats and deadlifts for lower body strength and power training.
15. Journal of Trainology 6(1):13-17. Effects of a six-week squat, deadlift, or hip thrust training program on speed, strength, flexibility, and power in experienced lifters: a pilot study.

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