Deadlifts vs. Squats

[Guest guest]

I just thought I'd comment on the discussion that has been going on regarding the difference between squats, bent leg deadlifts, and straight leg deadlifts, so that maybe I can help some of you get the right form.

The proper form for a squat is to keep your knees over your ankles and stick your butt out. This requires leaning the upper body forward by bending at the hip in order to maintain balance. The barbell is balanced on the shoulders. Over the years, squats have been modified in many forms, placement of the weight, heels elevated, toes elevated, etc. Each is fine as long as you make sure your knees don't go past your toes.

A traditional deadlift is done just like a squat but with the barbell hanging in front of the body. When the stiff-legged or straight leg deadlift gained popularity, this became known as a bent leg deadlift. In actuallity, it is just a traditional squat with the weight hanging in front.

A stiff-legged or straight leg deadlift is actually done by keeping the legs from bending excessively during the movement, but not with the legs completely locked out. The major movement is actually a bend at the hips, not the waist. If the movement is done at the waist, or if the back is rounded during the movement, you will feel it in the low back, which is wrong and potentially harmful. If you bend at the hips and keep the back flat (I tell clients to look up a me so they don't round), you will feel it where it was meant to work, in the hamstrings and glutes.

Hope that all makes sense so you can get the right form without hurting yourself. That's the problem I have with a lot of videos, they expect you to know what they are talking about without any previous fitness education. Most certifications don't even go that in depth in explaining the differences, so a lot of trainers don't know, so how is an uncertified individual suppose to know? I know there are some here who are thinking of getting certified, when you do, get the Exercise Explorer cd that comes with the ACE study materials. It gives video of more exercises then any other certification I've taken, so you'll have a much broader knowledge of the exercises.

Tonya