Squats and Deadlifts

[EL_VIEJO]

Since I got back in to weight training last June after several years layoff, I've done a lot of reading. I've noticed that everybody and their uncle from Men's Health to Iron Man to T-Nation to Stronglifts to this forum and others recommends deep squats and deadlifts as essential exercises. However, where I workout I have not seen 1 person doing DL's and those few that squat do the same half-assed squats that I used to do before starting HST. My question is - are people doing deep squats and DL's at the gyms where you work out? The few people that I know who workout with weights all say the same thing - "I can't DL or squat because of my back". When I tell them that I was starting to develop chronic lower back pain and it got better AFTER I'd begun to deep squat and DL they usually say that that's fine, but they are not going to risk injuring their backs. Everybody is entitled to do what they want. You can lead a horse to water, but you can't make him drink.

IMHO, even after all the articles promoting these exercise in mags and on the Internet, the real reason people don't deep squat and DL, is that they are hard and exhausting to do.

 

[Bulldog]

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(EL_VIEJO @ Jan. 26 2008,15:09)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">IMHO, even after all the articles promoting these exercise in mags and on the Internet, the real reason people don't deep squat and DL, is that they are hard and exhausting to do.</div>
Bingo! That's why I never did them when I was younger. Now that I'm older (and I would like to think, wiser) I do them all the time. And now I wish I would have done them when I was younger. All those wasted years.

 

[EL_VIEJO]

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(Bulldog @ Jan. 26 2008,15:16)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Bingo! That's why I never did them when I was younger. Now that I'm older (and I would like to think, wiser) I do them all the time. And now I wish I would have done them when I was younger. All those wasted years.

</div>
Ain't that the truth! I did squats in the past, &quot;parallel&quot; squats. It was only a couple of months ago that I realized the &quot;parallel&quot; squats I thought I was doing weren't even close to being parallel. When I started going deep I really had to reduce the weight to an embarrassingly wimpy amount - less than I could bench press.

I never thought I would like DL's. I tried them once many years ago, but dropped them - too much work.

However, now they are becoming one of my favorite exercises.

 

[DWhite2741]

Yeah I am about to go do my 10s with 205 full squat so I'm a little nervous about it. Last time my legs got really sore. I wanted to do my workout yesterday but I think I was being lazy. Now that I got the extra rest day in it's time to hit the weight. I'll probably be back after I'm finnished to post on my log that nobody reads anymore.

 

[EL_VIEJO]

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(DWhite2741 @ Jan. 26 2008,16:11)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">Yeah I am about to go do my 10s with 205 full squat so I'm a little nervous about it. Last time my legs got really sore. I wanted to do my workout yesterday but I think I was being lazy. Now that I got the extra rest day in it's time to hit the weight. I'll probably be back after I'm finnished to post on my log that nobody reads anymore.</div>
Your log has been viewed 451 times. Somebody is reading it.

 

[TunnelRat]

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(EL_VIEJO @ Jan. 26 2008,15:09)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">However, where I workout I have not seen 1 person doing DL's and those few that squat do the same half-assed squats that I used to do before starting HST.</div>
I've only seen three other guys at my gym doing squats, one time each, and then they were only half-assed squats...!

I haven't seen anybody doing deadlifts (except for the strikingly handsome, older gentleman in the mirror

).

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(Dwhite @ Jan. 26 2008,16:11)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I'll probably be back after I'm finnished to post on my log that nobody reads anymore.
</div>
Just cause we don't post on your log doesn't mean we don't read it.

 

[Totentanz]

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(TunnelRat @ Jan. 26 2008,16:32)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">I've only seen three other guys at my gym doing squats, one time each, and then they were only half-assed squats...!</div>
It's like that quote:

<div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">While working out the other day...

As a quarter squatter was dominating the rack, I heard a conversation between an old powerlifter (easily in his 60's) and what I would guess was his grandson (15-yrs old):

Kid: &quot;So, why does he stop so short on his squats? That looks weird to me.&quot;

Old PL'er: &quot;He's afraid if he squats deep, his vagina might touch the ground.&quot;
</div>

 

[EL_VIEJO]

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(Totentanz @ Jan. 26 2008,17:34)</div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE"> <div></div><div id="QUOTEHEAD">QUOTE</div><div id="QUOTE">While working out the other day...

As a quarter squatter was dominating the rack, I heard a conversation between an old powerlifter (easily in his 60's) and what I would guess was his grandson (15-yrs old):

Kid: &quot;So, why does he stop so short on his squats? That looks weird to me.&quot;

Old PL'er: &quot;He's afraid if he squats deep, his vagina might touch the ground.&quot;
</div></div>
That's one I'll have to remember.

I have to tell you about a guy I saw w/o about a month ago. He was already doing his w/o when I walked in. While I was there he did almost every leg exercise known to man. I saw him do Back squats, front squats, goblet squats, overhead squats, walking lunges, leg extensions, and leg presses. I don't know how many other leg exercises he did before I showed up. When he started doing overhead squats I was impressed (that's an exercise I'd like to be able to do someday) and I took a minute to watch him more closely. To my disappointment he wasn't even getting close to parallel. He obviously had been reading up on leg exercises, but he must have skipped the part where it tells you to bend your knees while squatting.

 

[quadancer]

Odd that our local Gold's and L.A.Fitness megagyms have empty squat racks or no racks at all. But you go to our clean little Christian owned, mostly freeweight meat gym and there are chalk boxes, a PL team, giant chains, bands, hydraulic squat rack, 4&quot; thick floors over cement and 500+lb squats are not uncommon. Big guys making big noises lifting big weights. $240/yr membership.
Backwards, it seems.

 

[XFatMan]

I have seen two people squatting at the gym. One uses a respectable weight but a range of motion of less than two inches. The other one really wants to learn and checks his ego at the door. I haven’t seen anybody doing deadlifts in the 18 months I’ve been working out there. People usually look at me as if I came from another planet when I squat or deadlift. They come up with questions like, “Aren’t you afraid that doing those exercises will hurt your back?” I always answer that not doing these exercises will hurt their back in the long run. They always look at me as if they wanted to say, “You must be nuts!” Sigh. And as EL_VIEJO said, the only reason why people don’t do those exercises is because they’re very demanding and exhausting. I always loved squats and deadlifts and cannot imagine going a week without.

 

[quadancer]

You just hang in there X. When you start pulling over 400 and pushing well over 300 they tend to shut up. Except for those irritating little squirrels who come over to give you advice - for stuff they don't even do!