T Nation - 19 Squat & Deadlift Variations

19 Squat & Deadlift Variationsby Bret Contreras | 11/07/13

Here's what you need to know...

• Variety is good for both strength and hypertrophy and it helps prevent overuse injuries.

• Every body is unique, and the best form for a lifter is the one that best suits his unique anthropometryand injury history.

• Contrary to popular belief, there's no standardized perfect form, only what form is best suited for yourbody and goals.

Strength training gurus love to say there's only one way to perform a lift, and that all other techniques andvariations are either wrong or ineffective. Such a philosophy is shortsighted, and this article will showhow intelligent variation can build a bigger, stronger, bulletproof body.

First, every body is unique, and the best form for a lifter is the one that best suits his or her unique limblengths, body segment proportions, tendon attachment points, muscularity, and injury history.

Second, the form that a lifter uses is heavily predicated on his or her overall goals. These goals might

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include hypertrophy, in which case it's possible to accentuate tension on a particular muscle; strength, inwhich case it's possible to perform a lift in a manner that maximizes leverages; or transference, in whichcase it's possible to execute an exercise in a manner that best transfers to another lift or sporting action.

And third, all lifters should purposely perform lifts in a variety of ways in order to build well-rounded andmaximal strength.

Stubbornly sticking to a particular form or variation that isn't right for you, no matter how popular it is,will eventually lead to injury. It's akin to forcing a square peg through a round hole.

Top Athletes Vary in Exercise Form

All my powerlifting and strongman friends look markedly different when they squat, deadlift, and bench.Hell, take a look at the various powerlifting world record holders, strongman champions, top Olympicweightlifters, and even the best bodybuilders on the planet – you'll see that their techniques with the biglifts vary markedly.

They've all taken the time to figure out the style of each lift that caused the least pain and injury,maximized their leverages and performance, and/or allowed them to best reach their particular goals.What's hilarious is that many of these top strength and physique athletes "break the rules" according tovarious experts, making it difficult to find merit with any hard rules in lifting mechanics.

The top lifters have also taken the time to figure out their favorite exercise variations. The topbodybuilder might prefer rack pulls over full-range deadlifts because they're safer on his low back, butstill might hammer his entire posterior chain.

The top powerlifter might perform low bar squats and sumo deadlifts in competition, but prefers high barsquats and conventional deadlifts in training until a month out before the meet since they better build hislifts.

The strongman might tell you that he gave up low bar squatting years ago to preserve his shoulder health,but that he still front squats every week. Lastly, the top Olympic lifter may prefer the Romanian deadliftand high-bar full squat as assistance lifts, whereas the top powerlifter might prefer the deficit deadlift andhigh box squat. You get the picture.

Useful Barbell Variations of Squats and Deadlifts

I realize most don't have access to specialty bars, so I only included traditional barbell variations.However, there are dozens of incredible variations that use the rackable cambered bar, safety squat bar, orDead-Squat™ Bar, to name a few.

Deep Back Squats: High Bar Versus Low Bar

Though the difference might appear subtle, the high-bar squat exhibits less forward trunk lean andtherefore places more stress on the quads. Conversely, the low-bar back squat increases trunk lean andplaces more stress on the hips.


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Strong quads are critical for proper squat performance, as are strong hips. You should incorporate bothtypes of squats into your training arsenal.

High-Bar Back Squat

Low-Bar Back Squat


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High-Bar Versus Low-Bar Parallel Squats

With sufficient training experience, most lifters will find that they're stronger with squats when they use alow-bar placement and take a wide stance. However, there are lifters who discover that they're indeedstronger with high-bar squats.

Usually, high-bar squats are performed with a moderate stance as opposed to a very wide stance. Again,the high-bar squat emphasizes the quads, whereas the low-bar squat will emphasize the hips. Bothvariations are great for squat training.

High-Bar Moderate Width Parallel Squat

Low-Bar Wide Stance Parallel Squat


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Front Squats: Wide Versus Narrow Stance

Most of the time, when you see someone performing front squats they're using a narrow stance. Butthere's no reason why you can't perform front squats with a wider stance. Again, both should be used inyour training regimen.

Narrow Stance Front Squats


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Wide Stance Front Squats

Box Squats: Low Box/High Bar Versus High Box/Low Bar


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Most lifters are familiar with high box/low bar squats where they sit back and keep vertical tibias, therebymaximizing stress on the posterior chain. However, it's also a good idea to perform low box/high barsquats from time to time. This variation places considerable stress on the quads and is quite usefuldepending on the purpose.

High Box/Low Bar Squat

Low Box/High Bar Squat


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ZercherSquats: Hip Emphasis Versus Quad Emphasis

Most lifters only employ one style of Zercher squats but it's a good idea to occasionally perform twodifferent styles. To stress the hips, take a wider stance, keep the shins vertical and sit back more,descending to parallel. To stress the quads, use a moderate stance, keep the torso more upright, sit down,and descend below parallel.

Hip-Dominant Zercher Squat

Quad-Dominant Zercher Squat


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Deadlift: Conventional Versus Sumo

You should perform both conventional and sumo deadlifts from time to time. They build each other,especially if you have a huge strength discrepancy between the two variations.

Conventional Deadlift


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Sumo Ddeadlift

Block or Rack Pulls: Conventional Versus Sumo


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The same logic applies to block or rack pulls. You can and should use a conventional and sumo stancethroughout your training year.

Conventional Block Pull

Sumo Block Pull


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Sumo Deadlifts: Quad Versus Hip Dominant

When you pull sumo, there's a sweet spot for trunk angle and joint ROM that enables you to hoist theheaviest loads. That said, sometimes it's a good idea to use lighter loads and practice your sumo deadliftsusing a quad-emphasis or a hip-emphasis. With the quad-dominant style, sink deeper and keep a moreupright trunk. With the hip-dominant style, raise the hips and use a greater trunk lean.

Quad-Dominant Sumo Deadlift

Hip Dominant Sumo Deadlift


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Deficit Deadlifts: Clean Grip Versus Snatch Grip

When pulling from a deficit, you should employ a traditional grip width as well as a snatch grip width.The snatch grip deficit deadlift increases joint ROM and is a brutal yet useful variation.

Deficit Deadlift


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Snatch Grip Deficit Deadlift

Hack Lift


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The hack lift is a nifty way to build quad strength in a deadlift. Just place the bar behind the back and tryto mimic your typical deadlift form. This variation stresses the knees and should be used onlyoccasionally. The lockout can be tricky, but most lifters can learn to perform the movement correctly withpractice.

Hack Lift

The Spice of Training

Variety is good for both strength and hypertrophy and it helpsprevent overuse injuries. Through tremendous effort andexperimentation, accomplished lifters determine optimalpositioning and technique for their bodies as well as figure out themovements that transfer best to their particular goals.

The takeaway point is that the best do what works best for them,not what some guru tells them to do. Contrary to popular belief,there's no standardized perfect form, only what form is best suitedfor your body and goals.

There's more than one way to skin a cat... or squat or deadlift a


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weight.


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T Nation - 19 Squat & Deadlift Variations

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