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Why not all 3? Squat, bench & deadlift is the foundation for total size and strength. Most of the pros and gym vets will tell you this You really shouldn't have any knee/joint pain doing squats unless your form is off. I do my squats at medium width so as to target my quads/buttocks in addition to my legs. You want to go as low as possible, preferably below parallel for max benefit.
Why not all 3? Squat, bench & deadlift is the foundation for total size and strength. Most of the pros and gym vets will tell you this You really shouldn't have any knee/joint pain doing squats unless your form is off. I do my squats at medium width so as to target my quads/buttocks in addition to my legs. You want to go as low as possible, preferably below parallel for max benefit.
Depends what your goals are. Some people find that cleans and snatches are better for overall strength than squats and bench. Although I'm sure if you were mainly asking powerlifters you would get the DL-S-B response.
Love all three, but squats are my favorite exercise for improving overall strength. Squats have helped improve my bench press, deadlift, and just about everything else. I use my legs more than ever when doing "push" exercises like bench/incline/decline press.
Have you tried front squats, instead of back squats, TX?
Yes, but still creates neck issues, I guess because the weight is still transferred through the upper spine. Same thing, I can front squat 185 with minimal issues, but more than that starts hurting the neck. Fortunately, my legs respond well to weights, so even without barbell squats my legs are very proportionate to my upper body.
Depends what your goals are. Some people find that cleans and snatches are better for overall strength than squats and bench. Although I'm sure if you were mainly asking powerlifters you would get the DL-S-B response.
In a way you're right on snatches/c&j. In high school, bench and clean and jerk are the two lifts that are used in weightlifting meets.
Quote:
Originally Posted by Pacific Swell
Love all three, but squats are my favorite exercise for improving overall strength. Squats have helped improve my bench press, deadlift, and just about everything else. I use my legs more than ever when doing "push" exercises like bench/incline/decline press.
True If you have good lower body strength, it transfers to increased deadlifts because with deadlifts, you're lifting with your legs.
i voted squats, but it's been a while since i've done either. i never enjoyed squats, but i REALLY hated dead lifts. good lord.
it seems like your technique must be perfect for either of these exercises, or else you'll start to really hurt. dead lift technique was always difficult for me, and that factors into my decision to say that squats are better, because they seem much easier to do correctly.
If you can do the squat properly then you should be able to deadlift properly. A huge portion of proper form on both lifts is keeping your back straight. If you're doubting your form on the deadlift you might want to pay attention to your form on squat too.
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You really shouldn't have any knee/joint pain doing squats unless your form is off. I do my squats at medium width so as to target my quads/buttocks in addition to my legs. You want to go as low as possible, preferably below parallel for max benefit.
If you have good lower body strength, it transfers to increased deadlifts because with deadlifts, you're lifting with your legs.
