"WHY DO I HAVE TO SQUAT/DEADLIFT IF I WANT MY WHOLE BODY TO BE BIGGER?"

I’m going to start this off by saying that I have zero interest in backing up anything I’m about to write with scientific studies.  My time in academia has taught me that there are studies for just about anything, and anyone that says a study “proves” something either does not understand the definition of the word “study” or “prove”.  In general, many people who enthusiastically pursue studies to read lack the ability to properly understand, interpret and extrapolate FROM said studies in the first place, whereas those that have such an ability will get the study, read it, say “neat!” and move on.  So with that said…

Once again, we could all stand to learn from Gaston

 

A common lament among many trainees is that they want to get bigger but they don’t want to squat or deadlift.  They then wonder WHY so many programs based around gaining have one or both of these movements in them.  And, inevitably, they try to work around the system by replacing the squat with a leg press, leg extension, lunges, dumbbell squats, etc, and the deadlift with Romanian deadlifts, or simply nothing (cutting them out entirely).  And, of course, they don’t get near the results they desired, and they assume this is a flaw of the program.  These same trainees will also go on to point out advanced trainees in the bodybuilding sphere who do not employ the traditional squat or deadlift and manage to make tremendous gains.

 

**THE PRECEDENT**

PSH, what did these two know about getting jacked?

 

So let’s break down a few things before we go any further.  What are some programs where the squat and/or deadlift feature prominently AND which result in fantastic gains?  Super Squats, Dan John’s “Mass Made Simple”, Jon Andersen’s “Deep Water”, and Jamie Lewis’ “Feast, Famine and Ferocity” and “Juggeryoke” protocols.  Of those, Deep Water is the only program not specifically marketing itself as a “hypertrophy program”, being more about simply reaching beyond your limits and total body transformation, but by all accounts, all people that have run it and survived saw tremendous hypertrophy outcomes.

 

Each of these programs has a slightly different manner of approaching the emphasis on the squat/deadlift. 

 

*SUPER SQUATS*

Single-handedly keeping the dairy industry in the black

 

In the instance of Super Squats, the program is centered around 1 set of (traditionally) 20 reps of “the breathing squat”: a technique wherein you take in a minimum of 3 of the DEEPEST breaths of your life into your chest between EACH rep of the squat.  This creates an effect wherein you stretch out the duration of the squat set for a LONG time compared to if you just fired off 20 reps as fast as possible.  Immediately after this set of squats, the trainee does a set of light pull overs to stretch out the rib box, and then (if doing the full program) will hit up a set of straight legged deadlifts with a very long ROM.  All of this is alongside a full fledged bodybuilding style program, with some style of pressing, pulling, arm work, waist work, etc.

 

*MASS MADE SIMPLE*

The PBJs were a lot more palatable...but the barbell complexes were NOT!

 

For Dan John’s “Mass Made Simple”, the squat is the final movement of the training day, versus being in the middle like in Super Squats of Jamie Lewis’ programs, primarily because Dan intends for you to be completely wiped out after the squat set.  Dan’s goal for the trainee at the end of the program is to be able to squat their bodyweight for 50 reps WITHOUT racking the bar.  He builds in a progressive approach to getting there within MMS, getting the trainee accustomed to high rep squatting with a variety of loads.  All of this on top of some upper body work and HEAVY barbell complexes (which, in turn, are a sneaky way to get in a few more squats).  There is no deadlifting featured in this program.  Dan has a proposed theory that there is always “one more squat” in a trainee due to the movement not requiring much use of the hands to manipulate the load, whereas the deadlift tends to be limited in that regard (I’m significantly paraphrasing here, it’s well worth seeking out Dan’s explanation).

 

*JAMIE LEWIS*

Changing your life for $80 is pretty worth it...and the menu is quite a bit more diverse

 

Jamie Lewis has 2 different squat approaches in the two programs listed.  For FFF, after some heavier squat work, Jamie has the trainee cut the weight down to a certain percentage (50-65%, depending on where they are in the program) and go for max reps.  Jamie also tends to have days where the trainee takes a heavy load for 10-12 sets of heavy singles or triples.  In the case of Juggeryoke, Jamie prescribes the weight of 135lbs for the squat and has the trainee squat for TIME: 2-3 minutes, and 1-2 sets.  A strong trainee will find themselves getting in MANY reps with this approach, but even a less strong trainee will STILL endure an equal amount of time UNDER the load: just not necessarily squatting it.  There is no specific deadlift in Jamie’s protocols: he is outspoken in his approach of NOT deadlifting to build the deadlift.

 

 

*DEEP WATER*

Super Squats had us milking the cows: this program has us slaughtering them.  Even the sacred ones.

 

Finally, Deep Water’s approach is the most radically different of the group but no less brutal: 10x10 for squats one week, 10x10 for deadlifts the next, and then either going from 4 minutes of rest to 3 to 2 over the span of 6 weeks OR getting those same 100 reps in 9 sets and then 8 sets.  Both are instances of progression via increased density, compared to the above programs where progression is accomplished via increasing load on the bar (although, in the case of MMS, it’s both, as you endeavor to get those 50 reps in as few sets as possible, eventually getting down to a single set).

 

**THE COMMON VARIABLE**

I'll give you a hint...

TIME UNDER LOAD!  No, not “time under tension”, because that concept results in trainees doing goofy things like 30 second eccentrics with a 2lb dumbbell.  By time under load, I’m referring to the notion of having a weight ON your body.  The barbell back squat (I hate having to say “back squat”, but if I don’t inevitably I’ll be asked about the front squat) in particular is incredibly effective at achieving this, because it allows a trainee to have a SIGNIFICANTLY heavy load on the body for a long duration.  You can camp out for a LONG time with a barbell on your back before you tap out.  The strongman yoke would be about the only other implement that could give that a run for the money.  In the case of the deadlift, so long as a trainee is using straps and “resting” in the locked out position rather than on the floor, they can achieve a very similar effect as well.  The load isn’t on the spine, no, but the body is “under load” while we hold onto the weight.

 

In the case of Super Squats and MMS, the time under load is concentrated within a single set, and it’s a VERY long set.  The breathing in Super Squats generates more time under load, whereas gathering oneself for another squat to get to 50 in MMS requires much time under load.  In the case of Deep Water, the sets are shorter, but there are TONS of them, and by sets 8-10 one will find themselves being under the bar for quite a while waiting for the energy to arrive to finish out the set.  In the instance of Jamie Lewis’ protocols, it’s a mix of the two: the high set/low rep heavy work accumulating much time under the bar, and the widowmakers being a long time under load as well, to say nothing of a straight up prescription for time under the bar in the case of Juggeryoke.

 

**WHY DOES THAT MATTER?**

Gonna have to disagree here

 

Once again, no studies here: let’s just use the “sniff test”.  The body doesn’t like building muscle.  It’s a metabolically expensive process just to BUILD the damn stuff, to say nothing of maintaining it.  The body prefers homeostasis.  The body will only build muscle in an instance wherein it perceives that NOT building muscle would put the body at risk.  This is done by imposing a strong demand on the body.  A heavy load placed ONTO the body generates a significant stimulus on the body to build muscle ONTO the body.  When we stand there with a heavy load on our body, our entire body is stressed, and the body receives the signal that it needs to build muscle EVERYWHERE.  It is not the bending and unbending of the legs during the squat that is causing this to occur: it’s the load we bear DURING the squat that is promoting whole body growth.

 

The process of building muscle is a process of enduring maximal STRAIN in order to promote growth.  And no matter how many goofy faces and screaming you do in the gym, a hard set of curls just isn’t going to compare to a vomit inducing 50 rep squat workout.  Again: we KNOW this on a level beyond intellect: instinctively, we know that, in order to grow, we have to strain and endure.  When we see a muscular human, we are observing a human that has engaged in frequent “overcoming”, which is why we instinctively find such a physique impressive.

 

Of course, that being said: the muscles involved in squatting and deadlifting ALSO happen to be the largest muscles in your body (which is why we can use the heaviest loads during this time), and training big muscles is another way to promote the body to grow muscle in totality, PLUS it also tends to trigger an immense sensation of hunger, which is FANTASTIC for growing big and strong.  It’s why all these programs ALSO come with an eating protocol prescribed (gallon of milk a day with LOTS of food on Super Squats, PBJs on Mass Made Simple, the Deep Water nutrition protocol and Jamie’s “feast” prescription and the content of his Grimoire).

 

**DON’T BE STUPID**

This is honestly a great start

No: squatting will not make your biceps bigger.  I mean, yes, it will a little, in the sense that adding bodyweight will make your body bigger, but you STILL need to train the muscle that you want to grow in order to make them grow.  That’s why ALL of these programs include specific upperbody work as well, and only charlatans are out there trying to convince you otherwise.  BUT, it ALSO means that you don’t need to absolutely slaughter the small muscles in order to make them grow.  The folks doing THAT tend to be the ones that are trying to avoid the REAL hard work that comes with these long/hard sets of squatting and deadlifting.  If you dedicate yourself to hard work on these 1-2 movements, you’ll find you’ll get the growth you’re looking for.

 

**THE TAKEAWAY**

Maui probably spent a lot of time under load as well

 

If you’re a newer trainee, trying to build up a baseline and grow at a reasonable rate, it’s worth the time and energy to do some hard squatting/deadlifting in your training.  When you look at the high levels dudes that no longer squat or deadlift, you’re observing folks that “earned their wings” sweating and grinding away at the basics and are in a place where it’s no longer necessary.  That’s a great goal to strive for: get there by putting in the work now!