Deadlift intensity

[Peter Dempster]

So I've been playing around looking at my future novice progression and was wondering about the decrease of deadlift frequency over time. I understand that this is for two reasons; primarily to avoid overtraining issues, secondly to balance strength with squats (or to save energy week over week for squats maybe?).

I am curious if someone could comment though on why exactly deadlifts are so much harder on say the CNS than squats. I agree that they feel more intense but I cannot personally put together why this is. Intuitively I would have thought that squats have greater intensity and CNS stress due to the use of more muscle groups but I suppose I'm wrong.

[Adam Skillin]

I am curious if someone could comment though on why exactly deadlifts are so much harder on say the CNS than squats. I agree that they feel more intense but I cannot personally put together why this is. Intuitively I would have thought that squats have greater intensity and CNS stress due to the use of more muscle groups but I suppose I'm wrong.

This is addressed quite thoroughly in SS:BBT3. Have you read that particular book?

[Peter Dempster]

Yeah, but I must have missed it. I'll look again.

[JudoATunez]

The squat doesn't use as many muscles groups as the deadlift, although their is great overlap between the two (quads, hamstrings, adductors, glutes, lower back, abdominals, etc.). However, the squat uses many of these muscles groups over a larger ROM, and all at the same time, being the most effective exercise at training the complex movement pattern of ''Hip-drive''. The squat trains these muscles with the aid of the stretch reflex, which allows a more powerfull contraction, due to the recruitment of more muscle fibers by the nervous system.

The Deadlift, on the other hand, places more stress of the posterior chain, because the hip-extension torque is greater, and involves more muscle mass (the upperback muscles, the hands, the forearms, the arms, and God knows what more ).

Because so much muscle mass is involved in the Deadlift, it's the exercise the trainee can handle the most weight. However, the Deadlift begins with a concentric contraction, therefore the musculoskeletal system has to overcome the resistance without the aid of the stretch reflex. Because of this (most weight handled; lift from a deadstop), the Deadlift is the most stressful of all the big 5.

[Peter Dempster]

Thanks judoatunez.

I think another way of thinking about it is the difference between muscle groups that are working and muscles that are just active. For example I perceive that my upper back is active in a squat but it is working in a deadlift, forearms are active in a squat but working in a deadlift, etc.

[Frankie]

I think another way of thinking about it is the difference between muscle groups that are working and muscles that are just active. For example I perceive that my upper back is active in a squat but it is working in a deadlift, forearms are active in a squat but working in a deadlift, etc.

Nope. What Judo said was right.