Why It Is Important To Learn How To Do A Deadlift Before You Learn The Squat

Written by: Nick Jack

Category: 2014

on 26 October 2023

A question I was asked recently was, “Why do you prefer teaching deadlifts before squats?" Many of your articles and videos you mention this but do not explain why this is the case?” This is a very good question and there is a good reason why I often do say this, although I will say it is not a hard and fast rule I always stick to as there are many times I do teach both movements at the same time. Perhaps one of the main reasons I do this is that I see so many people with injuries and problems with the hips, knees, and lower back and usually the movement that creates the most pain and discomfort is the squat. However, the deadlift at times is equally as painful to learn yet I still persist in teaching this movement so this is not the only factor. In this article, I will explain the multiple reasons behind this philosophy and begin to see the long term benefit from learning this way.

Deadlifts and Carries Should Be the First Exercise You Ever Learn When You Start Strength Training

When I first started training I did not teach deadlifts, farmers walks, and loaded carries first believing that they were too advanced for beginners to get right and learn. Only once they had the basics right should they start doing this. I would teach squats much earlier as most people had a general idea of what a squat was. Only after I really understood movement and working with so many people who had a sore back or hip from poor moving did I begin to change this way of thinking.

It is fair to say most people are not familiar with a deadlift and do not truly understand the techniques and its overall importance as a primary lifting and movement exercise, this includes many experienced gym enthusiasts. They usually perform it very badly or use something that is a hybrid version of a squat and deadlift action that only serves to cause trouble. It is also something many people fear as something that can hurt their back so they tend to avoid it.

However, when you understand that deadlifting and carrying exercises like farmer’s walks and suitcase carries are essential to strength training you recognize why it is so important to learn them first. For starters, how are you going to lift up your dumbbell or weight plates from the rack and carry them to your workout area safely if you cannot even do these correctly as specific exercises?

The quote by Gray Cook really sums up the importance of the deadlift.

He says, “Deadlifting should be the first exercise taught to anyone interested in weight training because it meets all the criteria of a great fundamental exercise. It can be modified, it promotes core stabilization, it demands good posture, it promotes shoulder stability and it forces the hips to be the driving force.”

If you have ever hurt your back before you will know exactly how scary this exercise can be and how your compensatory movements to avoid pain make it very difficult to do. When you consider that statistics show that 85% of the population will experience a severe case of back pain at least once their life this is a pretty high number of people that are likely to have trouble with the deadlift. Avoiding learning this only makes matters worse over the longer term and makes it more likely you will hurt yourself lifting your dumbbells to do another set of the chest press.

You can work on your core and strengthen your muscles with other movements, but your rehabilitation program will never be fully finished until you learn how to bend correctly which I have explained numerous times in articles about back pain and hip pain.

Read these to see more

The farmer’s walks and suitcase carry exercises go hand in hand with the deadlift for this is how you move with the weight. You may be great at lifting heavy things with exercises but not have the skill or endurance to carry anything. One could argue it would be better to train our ability to walk with load first before spending time lifting heavy loads!

This is an argument renowned Physical Therapist Gray Cook has made many times in his videos and books. Here is a great quote from one of his videos I watched a few years ago that really stuck with me.

"This is one of the central problems in Western fitness: We try to lift things before we have carry capacity. Take the kind of weights you want to lift and carry them. Let’s carry those with alignment and integrity under load. Guess what would happen if we all did more carries than lifts? You wouldn’t be looking for correctives. This can help your endurance.

It can help your core stabilization. It can help your posture.

This is where balance starts—carries, not with deadlifting; not with bench pressing and not with single-leg deadlifts, and not with Turkish getups and swings and push presses.

Balance starts with work capacity. Alignment with integrity is good balance. A balance beam on the floor is a pre-requisite for this, but now alignment with integrity under load is a good rebuttal." - Gray Cook.

With the squat movement we do not use this as a means of lifting things. When it is used to lift things is when things can go horribly wrong which is something I come across frequently with manual handling techniques in the workplace. This is a topic I devoted an entire article (see why manual handling instructions create back problems instead of preventing them) to as I see so many people injured from adopting poorly designed lifting techniques that look more like a hybrid version of a squat.

This is where people are taught to lift with their knees to prevent rounding their back but this is a terrible instruction and is where a lot of the confusion begins. If the person understood how to use their hips more effectively they would find lifting heavy objects so much easier and safer for their body.

Take a look at the table below that highlights the difference between the two types of instructions.

While the squat is a great exercise and serves a very important purpose for other movements, it is not something we need immediately as a loaded exercise like the deadlift or the carrying exercises.

Also it does often exacerbate problems with the hips and this brings me to my next reason why I do not teach the squat first.

Quad-Dominance and Poor Hip Centration

Quadriceps dominance is very closely linked to the posterior pelvic tilt posture that is becoming increasingly more common. The reasons this is becoming more of a problem is due to the fact we sit too often and do not move anywhere near enough to strengthen our hips and develop our movement efficiency. However, there is also a very poor understanding how to position our pelvic correctly when we exercise that the posterior tilt is actually taught as a good thing!

This is regularly seen in Pilates that teaches people to “imprint” the spine by flattening the back on the floor and also in many gyms that encourage core bracing by gripping the glutes and tightening the abs. It is NEVER a good idea to lose the natural curve of the lumbar spine, as it needs to be kept in neutral for optimal stability and control. Sure some people may have too much extension and need to use some flexion to correct the excessive curve, but it must not go beyond neutral. For if it does you now create new problems.

You will notice that the "ideal posture" shown in the picture to the left still shows a small curve in the lumbar spine created from a slight tilt forward of the pelvis. This is known as a neutral pelvis and neutral spine.

For males, the optimal range of tilt is between 5-7 degrees.
For females, the optimal range of tilt is between 7-10 degrees.

The flat back and sway back postures shown above demonstrate the posterior pelvic tilt and this is where you will begin to see quadriceps dominance during movements involving the legs that will set a person up for problems with either their hips or lower back. This is why it is important to address any postural dysfunctions by using an assessment in the beginning to identify areas of concern with regards to mobility or basic stability demands. You don’t need to be 100% perfect at this point but you do need to have something that may be helping you to align your joints more effectively before any type of physical training or strengthening is attempted.

Before attempting to do any type of functional exercise or teaching someone how to lift correctly I will spend time teaching them how to brace the core correctly. Sometimes this can be the major cause of their problems as their body has learned this faulty stabilizing strategy for moving that forces them into a poor position that over-uses the quadriceps and as a consequence inhibiting function of the glutes.

Watch the videos below to see how to correctly brace the core with basic floor exercises and then with integrated functional movements.

How exactly does quadriceps dominance cause problems with the hips and lower back?

With most common hip problems such as femoral acetabulum impingement (FAI), Sacroiliac dysfunction, and Piriformis Syndrome, you will find weakness in the posterior muscles of the glutes and the beginning of what is referred to “anterior femoral glide syndrome". This is where the femoral head has moved excessively forward and is overly compressed in the acetabulum, creating the impingement feeling at the front of the hip and a reaction of trigger points in the glutes to try to restore the lost stability.

Take a look at the picture below where the image on the left (a) has the head of the femur right in the middle when you lift your leg. The picture on the right (b) shows how the head of the femur is unable to stay in the centre of the socket when you lift your leg and begins to move forward and eventually pinch the front of the hip. If this impingement is not corrected it will inevitably lead to osteoarthritis of the hip joint.

If you are not sure what this looks like take a look at the picture below.

This is where the Romanian Deadlift works perfectly to correct this problem by realigning the femoral back deep into the glutes by releasing the hip and strengthening the glutes. The anterior pelvic tilt is essential for this to happen and allow the glutes to generate their full capacity for strength.

The squat however, will continue to drive the femoral head upwards and into the acetabulum if the glutes are not strong enough or the hip flexors are not mobile enough to centre the femur into the hip socket. As the squatting movement encourages the strength of the quadriceps it can further exacerbate these problems. This does not happen with every person and sometimes the person may actually feel incredibly good doing squats or movements that allow them to leverage their quad strength. However, over time this does come at a cost and will be seen more clearly in hip loaded movements where strength or the ability to position correctly to avoid hurting the lower back is impossible.

For the person who does have FAI or SIJ pain already the squat is often extremely painful and difficult to do for these very reasons, whereas the deadlift and exercises that load the hip are not. The hip loaded exercises enable them to develop the strength into the glutes and eventually restore the stability to the SIJ or hip joint. Training strength into the glutes with hip extensions, clams, and other isolated exercises are helpful but they are not enough to restore the stability in the standing position which is what makes the Romanian Deadlift so vital.

Watch the video below where I show how the Romanian Deadlift helps to correct these problems.

How to Teach the Squat Once You Have Perfected the Romanian Deadlift

Once I am sure the person has adequate hip mobility, strength in the glutes, and the ability to demonstrate good form with the Romanian Deadlift I know I can begin teaching the squat. One of the best ways to do this is to use a technique that encourages greater range of motion than the parallel depth most often used.

This encourages a greater range of motion which is good when working with the person who is quad-dominant as it takes their over-reliance on the quads out of the equation and makes them learn how to integrate correctly with other joints and muscles. When a person squats below parallel and they are predominately using their quads to push through the movement, they will begin to fall backwards as they will be unable to release their quads to allow the glutes and core muscles to effectively stabilize their body.

Basically, the quadriceps will inhibit the more powerful glutes and the important core muscles from firing which not only sacrifices considerable strength but exposes the body to injury. It does not matter how much strength you may have with your glutes in a hip-thrust or an exercise that favours the glutes for they will not be able to generate any power if a poor position is used.

When someone learns to squat with more depth they gain a better understanding of how to use their glutes in combination with stabilization of the pelvis and core by the inner unit abdominal muscles to initiate the vertical movement up to parallel, where the quadriceps and hamstrings can then take over. The person may have great core strength with other exercises or when tested with isolated exercises but all of this is sacrificed during a squat if a poor movement strategy is adopted. Ironically, over-use of anterior core exercises that force the trunk to flex could be one of the reasons the body loses the correct posture so easily.

To read more about this check out the article – Can you have too much abdominal strength?

To develop the core stabilization needed it has to be learned within the squat pattern and one of the best ways to do this is to use the reverse squat shown below.

This is an exercise method I learned from Gray Cook called reverse patterning and it is by far the best way to teach someone great squatting technique. Don’t be fooled into thinking it is easy because it is only a body-weight exercise, most people find this much harder than a weighted barbell back squat when they are not used to this!

This takes advantage of the fact that you will learn how to squat from the bottom up, as opposed to the top down. This is exactly how you first ever learned to squat as a toddler when attempting to stand for the first time and something I have discussed in detail before in the article about infant development exercises. The way we are taught to squat in the gym or at school is completely against the way we use this in nature where you would not be able to do this, unlike the deadlift which is completely in harmony with how we lift things.

The reverse squat enables the person to set up at the bottom and position the joints as close to perfect as possible and use the right muscles to stand. For many people this is the first time they have experienced squatting to full depth with good form and not surprisingly it is extremely difficult. The only way to get up without losing your posture and falling backwards is to use the core and the glutes as discussed earlier.

When core strength is lost you will see the person round their lower back to prevent falling backwards as their body tries to find a way to engage the quadriceps. Unfortunately, this creates stiffness that robs the glutes and the stabilizers of the pelvis from firing and as a result all strength is lost.

Watch the video below to see a perfect example of this in action at the 6:43 mark.

When this happens I may need to explore mobility restrictions that prevent them from achieving this position but I may also need to make it easier for them to learn this. This is where I will often use heel plates to assist them in finding the correct position more easily and allow them to feel what the squat should be like for the first time. Many people think this is cheating but I have found it to be a huge advantage in learning how to position all of the other joints and develop the skill and strength required by muscles not used to working like this to hold a good posture throughout the movement.

I used to think it was a lack of ankle mobility as the reason why they needed the plates but in most cases it was more to do with the body finding another way to use the quads that was the real problem. Sure, there are some cases where the ankle mobility is a definite problem and in this case I would include a few ankle mobility drills to improve this but other times the mobility was already fine. The problem was that mobility of the ankle was seen by the brain to be a necessary sacrifice to find the lost strength from the glutes.

When I want to find an exercise to develop strength into the glutes what do you think is right at the top of the list as the best choice? That’s right, the deadlift!

You will also notice how far the knees must move forwards over the toes during this type of squat. This is another reason why so many people develop poor squat technique in the first place. It has nothing to do with their glutes, core, or ankle but it is simply poor coordination and often because someone told them that they must keep their knees behind their toes.

I won’t go into too much detail about this as I covered this off in great detail as to why this common instruction is so bad in the article – Why your knees must go over your toes when you squat.

The critical things to take note of is that the squat will require perfect balance of work between the two moment arms creates symmetry and perfect timing of the body to handle loads.

A moment arm is simply the length between a joint axis and the line of force acting on that joint. Every joint that is involved in an exercise has a moment arm. Take a look at the picture below to see what this looks like.

This type of squat will be pain free and able to generate massive force to build strength and power. You can also begin to see how this differs from the deadlift in that you need to control two moment arms where the deadlift only requires one. In theory this makes it easier to learn the deadlift however, I would say both can be difficult to learn at first.

To read more about the various deadlift and squat techniques you can use with video demonstrations of each refer to the articles in the link below.

Do You Need More Help?

The deadlift and squat are both great movements to learn but they can cause a lot of trouble for some people and while I have given you some great tips you will need to do a lot more than this if you are in pain. If you currently suffer with hip, knee, or back problems you will find our online programs shown below a great resource that take you through all of the assessments and corrective exercises to get you back to full strength and out of pain. The single leg deadlift features prominently in ALL of these programs.

Summary

There is no doubting that the squat is an incredible movement to use for increasing strength, stability and power. However, we must stop to acknowledge that many people make real mess of this due to the fact that their bending action (deadlift form) is so bad to begin with. By developing your skill and strength with the deadlift first you will have a much better chance of succeeding with the squat.

Also when you consider how many people suffer with hip or knee related injuries, stiffness, arthritis you can see how the squat will be a real problem to work with. The deadlift will often be one of the main corrective exercises for these problems as it will address the weakness at the hips and glutes much more effectively and without any further aggravation of the existing pain or injury.

The reverse squat method is difficult at first but once you get the hang of it you will see how beneficial it is over the longer term.

For more ideas and information on specific topics I may not have covered in detail be sure to check out our INDEX PAGE on the website that has over 300 of our best articles. These are all sorted into categories for quick reference so you can find what you are after more easily. You can also subscribe to our FREE fortnightly newsletter to stay up to date with all of our latest tips and training methods by clicking here.

If you live in Melbourne and feel you need specific help with your exercise program please feel free to reach out to me for help and we can set you up with your individualised program.

About The Author

Nick Jack is owner of No Regrets Personal Training and has over 18 years’ experience as a qualified Personal Trainer, Level 2 Rehabilitation trainer, CHEK practitioner, and Level 2 Sports conditioning Coach. Based in Melbourne Australia he specialises in providing solutions to injury and health problems for people of all ages using the latest methods of assessing movement and corrective exercise.

References:

Functional Anatomy of the Pelvis and the Sacroiliac Joint - By John Gibbons
8 Steps To Pain Free Back - By Esther Gokhale
The Vital Glutes - By John Gibbons
Movement - By Gray Cook
Corrective Exercise Solutions - by Evan Osar
Back Pain Mechanic - by Dr Stuart McGill
Diagnosis & Treatment Of Movement Impairment Syndromes - By Shirley Sahrman
Low Back Disorders - by Dr Stuart McGill
Ultimate Back Fitness & Performance - by Dr Stuart McGill
Core Stability - by Peak Performance
Athletic Body in Balance - by Gray Cook
Anatomy Trains - by Thomas Meyers
Motor Learning and Performance - By Richard A Schmidt and Timothy D Lee
Assessment & Treatment Of Muscle Imbalance - By Vladimir Janda
How To Eat, Move & Be Healthy by Paul Chek
Scientific Core Conditioning Correspondence Course - By Paul Chek
Advanced Program Design - By Paul Chek
Twist Conditioning Sports Strength - By Peter Twist
Twist Conditioning Sports Movement - By Peter Twist
Functional Training For Sports - By Mike Boyle
Athletes Acceleration Speed Training & Game Like Speed - by Lee Taft
Knee Injuries In Athletes - by Sports Injury Bulletin
The ACL Solution - by Robert G Marx
Understanding & Preventing Non-Contact ACL Injuries - American Orthopaedic Society For Sports Medicine