The Student Room Group
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>
Uni students - Complete our survey >>

Are deadlifts and squats intrinsically harder, or just heavier?

I've always found some exercises (such as squats, deadlifts and pull ups) to be far more physically taxing and psychologically intimidating than others (e.g. bench, ohp, rows). Is this because those 'hard' lifts are actually intrinsically more taxing - for example because they use more muscle groups - or is it simply that my bench, press and row are still weak enough that I don't find them so hard?

This might sound kinda like a dumb question but I don't think it is. For example, when you get to the point that you can squat 100kg for reps, it's still not really 'comfortable', easy or light - it still feels flippin heavy, it's just that you can lift it now.

Spoiler

(edited 7 years ago)

Scroll to see replies

Squats and deadlifts especially use such an enormous amount of your musculature, and require such good form, that they do tend to feel more taxing.
Good question. No idea.

I find Bench quite taxing tbh. Whatever 'big' exercise i start the day with, i find tough.

Probably there is something to the fact that the sheer weight is taxing for squats and Deadlifts.

On the other hand, time under tension is a factor.

I know it sounds silly but DB bicep curls are honestly rank. Due to the alternating nature, you are really doing 20 reps (10 per arm) so the set takes AGES and is a slog.
(My opinion)

So idk mate haha
(edited 7 years ago)
Massive amount of musculature, massive racing to central nervous system.

They also, always feel heavy even at like 70% due to the mechanics of the lift and lack of stretch reflex (particularly deadlifts)

Posted from TSR Mobile
I've noticed this too. Deadlifts in particular. Even when I'm lifting a weight I'm completely able to do it still feels insanely hard, awkward and uncomfortable - but I can do say, 60kg and it feels just as crap as 90kg initially. Yet bench and generally upper body stuff feels much easier, I don't dread it. On my 5x5 squat-bench-row days I actually see these as a bit of a doss compared to the deadlift day which feels like a "proper" workout. I would have thought that seeing as my upper body is weaker and I'm supposedly pushing it harder that I'd find bench more taxing, but it's fine for some reason.*
You're moving your entire body as opposed to just moving your arms, it takes a lot of energy to forcefully contract all those muscles so it's going to tire you out more. You're also hoisting weight up from a bent position, which requires a lot of exertion and makes it harder to breathe.
I agree, I'd go as far as to say that I've noticed an entire hierarchy of perceived effort among exercises. Skullcrushers, for example are harder than overhead extensions and Cable exercises are always easier.
Yes. Paused squats and deadlifts are easier because it's less weight. I invented a new exercise to take advantage of this phenomenon called double paused squats. You pause in the hole, then on the way up an inch or so above parallel. They're harder, so you can't use as much weight, which means they're easier. They're the third best squat assistance exercise I do.
Deadlifts require you to exert 100% effort of the floor.

Massively taxing on the CNS.

Similarly Squats put a large load onto your body. But tax the CNS more evenly throughout the lift.

They 'feel' harder mainly cause of the last amounts of neurons 'firing' to activate your muscles as well as stabilise your body due to being free weighted exercises.

Heres me taxing my CNS. Ayyy lmao!.
[video="youtube;8iussFRDnak"]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=8iussFRDnak[/video]


Oh yea i can easily squat 140kg for 5 and even at my prime when I did a triple of 160kg for 3 anything over 100kg felt a bit heavy that said it was still a fast explosive squat.
(edited 7 years ago)
Reply 9
Avatar for shawtyb
shawtyb
20
how on earth can you find deadlifting and squats intimidating? there my favourite!! i could outsquat most people when i trained, even weighted squats
Original post by shawtyb
how on earth can you find deadlifting and squats intimidating? there my favourite!! i could outsquat most people when i trained, even weighted squats


"even" weighted squats? What other sort of squats were you doing.....
Original post by LavenderBlueSky88
"even" weighted squats? What other sort of squats were you doing.....




trololololol
Original post by Akbar2k7


trololololol


yes I do realise I'm not completely dense lol. I just meant in terms of compound lifts that this thread is mainly discussing. She said she can outsquat anyone - EVEN weighted squats which doesn't make much sense. How can you outsquat anyone without taking weight into account, unless she just means sheer number of reps.

*
Original post by shawtyb
how on earth can you find deadlifting and squats intimidating? there my favourite!! i could outsquat most people when i trained, even weighted squats


How much did you squat and pull? Im not sure how anyone could fail to be intimidated with 100+kg chilling on their back lol

Posted from TSR Mobile
(edited 7 years ago)
Lots of talk about deads and squats - does anyone feel the same as me about chin ups and pull ups?

On a PR set of chins I'll feel like I do after deads/squats - wrecked, maybe a bit like voming. After a PR bench I'll just be like 'ok.. what now?' yeah if it was a high rep set my chest or tris might be sore, but none of that crazy exhaustion like with deads, chins etc.

Posted from TSR Mobile
Original post by Implication
How much did you squat and pull? Im not sure how anyone could fail to be intimidated with 100+kg chilling on their back lol

Posted from TSR Mobile


I feel the same at times when doing squats/deadlifts. They take a lot of energy
out of me and only do them when listening to edm/rock music pretty loud I.e hype. :lol:
Original post by shawtyb
how on earth can you find deadlifting and squats intimidating? there my favourite!! i could outsquat most people when i trained, even weighted squats


Even weight squats? Nice!

Did you do weighted deadlifts too?
Reply 17
Avatar for BKS
BKS
19
I don't feel pull/chin ups are at all the same. Even now I'm decent at them and do weighted for heavy low rep, I just don't feel it the same way. I have no science, just never that thing where you finish a set and think '**** that was hard'.


When it comes to squats, I don't think it is so much the weight as it being so more muscle/movement involved. I think first you have to be able to grind reps to feel it, that's a skill in itself. But beyond that, I don't think the weight so much matters (absolute or relative to BW), just that it's effort for you. I can't back squat so just do front so weight is less and it feels just as hard even though my heavy sets are usually just 85-95kg.
It's probably just mental. A few months back I hit 140 kg for reps on the squat and now, after 2 months of not training, 100 kg feels the same way as 140 kg did back then. Same with bench press. 70 kg feels like 90 kg and I can barely even get 8 reps on that now :/ It might be a personal thing though.
(edited 7 years ago)
Original post by BKS
I can't back squat so just do front so weight is less and it feels just as hard even though my heavy sets are usually just 85-95kg.


Front squats use a lot more of your core than back squats, as you're stabilising a mass that's not in line with your spine, so you're resisting more torque on your spine. It's lighter weight, but the torque on your spine is probably more than the heavier sets.

Quick Reply

Related discussions

Latest

Trending

Trending

Articles for you