How to Jack Up Your Deadlift & Squat

How to Jack Up Your Deadlift & Squat
                                       Part I

Above, at the WPO back stage, a Ukrainian powerlifter warms up for the squat with
                                BIG weights on the bar!

There are many schools of thought with regards to getting stronger, especially when it
comes to improving the squat, bench and deadlift.

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This article will focus on the squat and deadlift, two of which are very similar in nature.
Since my ACL reconstruction I experienced a massive decline in my squat. But, my
deadlift went up dramatically and there reasons for both.

Why did my squat go down?

   -    Less training of the barbell back squat
   -    Not enough hypertrophy work for the quads
   -    Not enough hamstring specific work such as various leg curl movements

   Above, step ups with a sandbag on your back is an excellent movement for the
       quads, hams and glutes! The weight on your back changes the stress quite
               dramatically compared to holding weights in your hands.

So, when my squat was at its highest, I was performing many hamstring dominant
movements, such as:

   -    BB or DB RDL’s: sometimes I would go very heavy on these (especially the BB
        variation) for reps in the 3 – 5 range. The DB RDL would be performed for higher

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reps since the weights were not as strenuous. The RDL was excellent for
      strengthening the entire posterior chain, all the way from the upper back down to
      the hamstrings. The entire back is critical for a strong squat. If you have a weak
      back (any area) you’ll never be able to hold heavy weights on your back!

  Leg Curl Variations: Who would have thought that bodybuilder style leg curls
  would improve your squat, but back when I was squatting heavy, I trained legs
 alone, and I often perform 2 leg curl exercise PLUS the RDL! Watch the Westside
   Barbell videos and you’ll see how Louie has his guys performing boat loads of
 seated band curls and curls on the reverse hyper on a regular basis. In addition, if
  you start speaking to some of the top powerlifters you’ll find that they do more
bodybuilding style training than one would imagine. They know that adding muscle
                               helps improve strength.

   Hypertrophy Work: These came in the form of leg presses for high reps which
  packed crazy amounts of muscle onto my quads. Believe it or not, there are guys
  who are some of the best powerlifters in the world who perform leg presses, leg
 extensions and leg curls on a regular basis. I spoke about this with Jim Wendler at
the Arnold WPO championships and I was shocked to hear such exercises were used
with powerlifters, but the truth is out there! I also performed walking DB lunges for
 very high reps with DB’s weighing 40 – 50 lbs. The reps were never counted, but I
  often walked back and forth the length of the gym (approx. 40 ft.) or around the
 entire gym. The walking lunge is an underused and overlooked movement that all
athletes can benefit from. These will hammer your quads, hams and glutes big time,
                  all of which are critical to boosting your squat!

             Where did I go wrong with squats after my knee surgery?

    I spent too much time squatting with sandbags, kettlebells and logs. There is
   certainly something to be said about specificity and how it can improve in that
   specific area and not much else, and this is why we sometimes hear of people

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performing the same movements over and over again, they simply change the
loading and intensity to avoid burn out. The repetitive training of a lift / movement
    improves the skill of that movement, hence, often times improving strength.

              So, the BIG question and one you can take info from…

How am I going to get my squat back up to where it was years ago, prior to my knee
                                     surgery?

  More back squat variations: barbell and safety squat bar (will likely invest in a
                                  cambered bar)

 More posterior work directed at the hamstrings: leg curls on reverse hyper, glute
                                    ham raises

  Strengthen lower back big time through various low back directed movements:
weighted back extensions on 45 degree and glute ham, rack deadlifts, floor deadlifts

More quad work through various lunges, step ups, split squats and heavy sled drags

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Above, DB split squats, a highly underrated lower body movement which can be
        performed with any tool or with the front foot elevated for variety.

The goal will be to get in a heavy lower body workout once a week, although I will
 leave room for variety. Why room for variety? Because back in my bodybuilding
 days I utilized a 4 way split and trained every other day (legs got worked every 9
                            days) and still got stronger.

I might get better results through less frequent, more intense lower body workouts!

                 Next time, I will address jacking up the deadlift!

                              Until the next time…..

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