I hate Deadlifts and Squats

24

Replies

  • mheebner
    mheebner Posts: 285 Member
    ^^ This !

    Don't be a Captain Upperbody

    (I love that term!)
  • p4ulmiller
    p4ulmiller Posts: 588 Member
    Suck it up buttercup!

    ^^
  • danimalkeys
    danimalkeys Posts: 982 Member
    nothing worth doing is easy! No matter what your goals are, if weight training is part of it, then these are the 2 lifts you should not ignore.

    For me, deads are much more taxing on my body. I know what I can and cant' do with them, so may approach on deadlift day is different than squats. Much less volume, lower rep sets, and I don't push it as hard on that day, even though the end result is I'm as wiped out as I get on squat day. Just more overall body effect with deads for me.
  • May_Rose
    May_Rose Posts: 119 Member
    Try good mornings! I had horrible deadlift form that I just couldn't get right, so I tried these and they force you into the right position. I've seen HUGE progress in my hamstrings since I've been doing them. I think you might like them better than deadlifts, and not because they're easier ('cause they're not).

    As for squats: Just gotta power through them. Leg days suck but I'd never skip 'em!
  • dare2love81
    dare2love81 Posts: 928 Member
    My goal is just to build a balanced physique and get stronger. I'm happy with my upper body progress and would like to drop from 16% body fat to 10-12%. This is where I know the squats are important. I'm only squatting 135 right now just to nail the form and 225 on my RDL. I've used straps in the past for the DL, but I'm not using them right now. My grip strength isn't currently an issue. I think for the moment, it's in my head. I've squatted and DL'ed much more, but something is holding me back a bit - maybe the fear of injury.

    I have the same issue when I try to squat and/or deadlift without my trainer. I always go lighter and if I do go heavier, I usually end up getting hurt. Not sure why exactly I can't focuson form when he's not around...guess the fear of him yelling at me for poor form keeps my form in line. LOL. Also, I hate squats, but do them because they're so great for the posterior chain. I actually love deads. My squats are weaksauce, no doubt because I don't like doing them - it's been really hard for me to get my form right on squats - even with my trainer overseeing.
  • thekyleo
    thekyleo Posts: 632 Member
    bacon
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    wait, you've been doing them for a whole week and you've haven't started enjoying them yet? and you're hoping they get easier? if you want easy, get a paper route. if you want strong legs, get a barbell and do what you have to do.
  • delicious_cocktail
    delicious_cocktail Posts: 5,797 Member
    sensitive men are sensitive

    tumblr_mque5mGa881s2amn4o1_500.gif
  • EvgeniZyntx
    EvgeniZyntx Posts: 24,208 Member
    I appreciate (almost) all of the input. So far, only one a$$wipe with nothing more to do in her pathetic Internet life but to comment that the mere title of the discussion invoked nothing but pity from her. In person, I'm sure she's awesome. On the Interwebz, she comes off a bit in-your-face-b!tchy.

    I will press on and progress through these lifts and I will ensure that my form is spot on before adding weight.

    lots of butthurt there, champ.
    Squat like a baby

    baby-squat.jpg
  • LiftAllThePizzas
    LiftAllThePizzas Posts: 17,857 Member
    if you want easy, get a paper route. if you want strong legs, get a barbell and do what you have to do.
    BJC_hIUCAAI8SCr.jpg
  • juliewatkin
    juliewatkin Posts: 764 Member
    Is it that you hate them or they just don't light you up?

    There's a big difference. I love squatting and deadlifting but bench is meh. I only bench because it's a competition lift. I just can't get amped up for bench day.

    My only advice (from the person who for 6 years has yet to love bench), is keep doing it and find a mental way to get excited about them. Start hitting PRs and trying different variations to mix it up a bit.

    I understand the difference between finding something hard and finding something meh. Hard, if it lights you up is good. Meh is boring.

    ETA: I realize my picture is a bench shot - It's just a good picture.
  • ZoeLifts
    ZoeLifts Posts: 10,347 Member
    When I started weight training, I knew that the Big 3 compound lifts were important, and my trainer ensured that I did them. When I returned to the States and was not under the supervision of a trainer, I dropped deadlifts completely and moved from weighted squats to body weight squats. I justified this to myself by citing the potential for injury, but didn't really find suitable replacements.

    I've since added them back into my routine (albeit for only the past week), but have not grown to love them any more than before. As weight lifting is about progression, I don't see these exercises getting any easier - and I'm going relatively light right now until I'm confident that I didn't lose my form.

    Are there suitable alternatives? Will they get easier? Are they really that critical? I look forward to your input.

    They are not supposed to get "easier" that is what a progressive program is for. Are you supposed to improve at them form-wise, yes, but easy is what you want in your prom date, not in your weight training program.

    If you don't enjoy them, don't do them, see what happens. I'm sure you can find alternatives that will be more fun for you, like body pump, zumba or tae bo.
  • JoRocka
    JoRocka Posts: 17,525 Member
    what do you mean they don't get easier?

    they never get easier?

    working out shouldn't ever "get easier"

    you just suck less.

    Seriously. There is no magic bullet- you should always be pushing- which means it will ALWAYS be difficult.



    I HATE chest day- I HATE benching. I don't like it- I need help- I require much biatching and moaning before I do it- and it's always my shortest least fulfilling workout.

    But I still do it once a week. Because I must. It's a requirement.

    legs on the other hand muah ha ha ha ah 2-3 times a week. YAY!!!! Legs are win.
  • odusgolp
    odusgolp Posts: 10,477 Member
    I appreciate (almost) all of the input. So far, only one a$$wipe with nothing more to do in her pathetic Internet life but to comment that the mere title of the discussion invoked nothing but pity from her. In person, I'm sure she's awesome. On the Interwebz, she comes off a bit in-your-face-b!tchy.

    I will press on and progress through these lifts and I will ensure that my form is spot on before adding weight.

    lots of butthurt there, champ.
    Squat like a baby

    baby-squat.jpg

    OMG, I love this *LOL*
  • _John_
    _John_ Posts: 8,646 Member
    This thread is making me teary eyed (for the last time I whined about this same thing and got told to suck it up)...I miss this guy:

    stock-photo--american-football-practice-blocking-sled-80930605.jpg
  • thekyleo
    thekyleo Posts: 632 Member
    i'm going to just say... stick with it
  • ryry_
    ryry_ Posts: 4,966 Member
    Some of your comments confuse me...They should not get easier because you should be progressively increasing the load.

    I am a fan of both lifts, but I'll just leave this here.

    http://www.bodyrecomposition.com/muscle-gain/squat-versus-leg-press-for-big-legs.html
  • jimmmer
    jimmmer Posts: 3,515 Member
    +1 from the hating bench camp.

    People are built differently and take (or don't take) to different things. If you hate back squatting, perhaps try a variation?

    Perhaps you could try something like trap bar deadlifts (which is a little bit squat and a little bit deadlift).

    If you have deadlifting, then perhaps something less taxing for more reps, like a RDL might suit you better? There's more than one way to skin a cat....
  • jonnythan
    jonnythan Posts: 10,161 Member
    As a guy whose bad back is the limiting factor in his squats and deadlifts, I can understand your hesitation.

    If you really hate them, don't do them. Accept the compromise that you're making. Do leg extensions, leg curls, leg raises, and hip thrusts instead to hit most of the major muscles you won't be working.
  • mheebner
    mheebner Posts: 285 Member
    Hey OP :

    squat.jpg
  • MercenaryNoetic26
    MercenaryNoetic26 Posts: 2,747 Member
    I do ALL the deadlifts at one point or another and rotate them. Actually doing rack pulls right now because I tweaked my lower back.

    The challenge is in the difficulty. It should never be easy, but you can grow more comfortable and confident the more you do them. What you learn to love, if not the exercise, is the results. Don't give up, man.
  • Why not add goblet squats, dumbbell lunges, and push presses to your routine. These hit the major muscle groups and are very doable.
  • cwolfman13
    cwolfman13 Posts: 41,865 Member
    I'll probably get flamed for this but the only people that have to do squats and deads are power lifters. Don't get me wrong...I love them...and I think you get the most bang for your buck doing them...and I think everyone should start off focusing on them as well as the other primary lifts...but that doesn't mean they are necessarily suitable to everyone for every goal and every situation.

    Personally, I know plenty of guys in my gym who have strong legs and plenty of size who haven't set foot in a power rack in ages...they do a lot of leg press, extensions, curls, etc to try to hit all of those muscles. They seem to be doing just fine for themselves.

    I personally am a big fan of Starting Strength as that's what got me back into the weight room...and I'm a big fan of Wendler's 5/3/1 program...but ultimately I'm not a power lifter. I like being strong and I like lifting and I like the gains I've made with those programs...but I like doing other things too. When I'm training for a century ride or 1/2 marathon or a triathlon I can't squat like a power lifter squats...my legs just aren't going to take that kind of abuse, especially as I push 40 here. My lifting routine changes dramatically when I'm training for these things...then I spend the "off season" focusing on the strength. I know that ultimately I'm compromising the strength gains that power lifters treasure...but like I said, I'm not a power lifter...I like being strong, but I don't need to squat 500 Lbs.

    TL/DR - I guess it really depends ultimately on your goals and how various routines fit into that..squats and deads are awesome, but they aren't the be all end all of everything.
  • KCoolBeanz
    KCoolBeanz Posts: 813 Member
    Hey OP :

    squat.jpg


    Awwwww yyeeaahhhh.
  • beekay70
    beekay70 Posts: 214 Member
    I guess some of you missed where I said I do them, I have done them, and I'm going to continue to do them. Just because I don't like them doesn't mean I'm looking for an excuse to stop. Just made the effort to seek advice on additional or alternative exercises and form.

    No one said it was easy. When I say that after returning to them after a hiatus that I didn't enjoy them anymore goes back to the root of my query: why don't I enjoy them as much as I enjoy the bench press?

    Anyway, most have been helpful, some have been snarky, and a few have been a$$es. Thank goodness for the internet; otherwise you'd have to act civilized all the time.
  • FromHereOnOut
    FromHereOnOut Posts: 3,237 Member
    Try good mornings! I had horrible deadlift form that I just couldn't get right, so I tried these and they force you into the right position. I've seen HUGE progress in my hamstrings since I've been doing them. I think you might like them better than deadlifts, and not because they're easier ('cause they're not).

    As for squats: Just gotta power through them. Leg days suck but I'd never skip 'em!

    ^^ This advice is worth trying. No substitute, but they were the first thing I thought of wrt deadlift.
    I heart good mornings! Also, maybe try weighted step-ups wrt squats.



    General advice, if there is something you don't enjoy but ought to do anyway: choose great music and then just get on with it.
  • Saucy_lil_Minx
    Saucy_lil_Minx Posts: 3,302 Member
    Am I the only one who loves deadlifts, and squats? Now lunges..... I hate those SOB's!!!
  • sarahstrezo
    sarahstrezo Posts: 568 Member
    I've since added them back into my routine (albeit for only the past week), but have not grown to love them any more than before. As weight lifting is about progression, I don't see these exercises getting any easier - and I'm going relatively light right now until I'm confident that I didn't lose my form.

    Are there suitable alternatives? Will they get easier? Are they really that critical? I look forward to your input.

    Most people don't do Deadlifts & Squats because they're HARD, and if you're progressively increasing the weight, they're definitely not going to get any easier. Deadlift & Squats are the 2 exercise that work the most muscles, that said, there are NO substitutes.

    Ditto this ^^^^
    They aren't supposed to be easy.
  • KCoolBeanz
    KCoolBeanz Posts: 813 Member


    No one said it was easy. When I say that after returning to them after a hiatus that I didn't enjoy them anymore goes back to the root of my query: why don't I enjoy them as much as I enjoy the bench press?


    For whatever reason, you don't. I'm not trying to be an *kitten*, but stop trying to analyze why you don't like it, and work at finding a way to make it better for you. Switch up your program so you can see better progression, work with a trainer to fine tune your form if you need to, or even find some different music to listen to that jacks you up a little more (worked for me for OHP since I'm not a fan of it)
  • sarahstrezo
    sarahstrezo Posts: 568 Member
    You aren't going to LOVE everything all the time.
    I'm another who loathes chest/bench day. I just don't like it...I find it boring and uninspiring. I don't get pumped thinking about bench press of any form. I still do it each week and give it my best.
    Now....squats and deadlifts....those are what keep me coming back to the gym!