Why is my squat better than my deadlift?

[carltonh]

I started lifting a month and a half ago so I’m still very new. I’m about 5’5 145lbs. My squat and my deadlift are both 120. I know usually you’re supposed to be able to lift more weight in deadlift than squat.

I’ve been wanting to work work up to a plate for deadlift, but I can’t even lift it off the ground when I add 5s on. I’ve been stuck at this weight for weeks on my deadlift , whereas my squat is progressing. Here are the most recent videos I have of my squat and deadlift, both at 115 (light bar for DL).

Is this common? Will my deadlift eventually catch up?

 

[malachi569]

@carltonh Your DL form looks great. I would sit back more, but it also looks like you could add more weight. Squat form has good depth it kind of looked like your knees were caving in a bit but it was hard to tell because of the bar. All in all awesome work great job!!

 

[mercymessianicjudiasm]

@carltonh If you can't pull more off the ground, do deficit deadlifts. They help with the bottom part of your deadlift.

 

[wandaiamme]

@carltonh For me it was a mental block so it took a long LONG time for me to work up to a heavier DL bc I was super scared of hurting my back. I went So slow and steady adding weight and doing tons of aux exercises to make sure my back was strong, core engaged and form was perfect.

 

[gigatt18]

@carltonh You need to activate your glutes before deadlifting. The glutes are your strongest muscle but if they're not activated, you're using your quads more than you should.

https://www.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/pmc/articles/PMC6544005/

https://powerliftingtechnique.com/hip-thrust-help-deadlifts/

And check out the glute lab because they have amazing research. Yes, it's focused on glutes but again, you need that glute activation for your power lifts, deadlift and squat. And, especially since you're a new lifter, this will help with your form and learning to hinge correctly.
https://bretcontreras.com/

 

[kookarocha]

@carltonh Consider trying sumo deadlift? It looks lines you have long femurs, making it hard to get your body close to the bar without hitting your knees.

From your video, it's clear you're much stronger.

 

[carltonh]

@kookarocha I’ve tried sumo, but it hurt my hips very very badly so I switched back. Might try it again after I strengthen my hips thanks!

 

[bond_servant]

@kookarocha I had the same advice responding to an earlier comment. My partner is half a foot taller than me but my femurs are longer than his. Sumo is the best form for me, maybe OP would benefit from it too. I couldn’t get the weight close enough to my body with my lo legs so conventional just didn’t work.

 

[godisalwaysnear]

@carltonh I’m in the same position as you - same weight, same height, same weights - and I find deadlifts so much harder than squats! I’ve come here for the advice so thanks for posting. Good luck!!! Hope you see progress

 

[thiena]

@carltonh The other commenters already gave you a lot of great input, but I just want to add my experiences to the mix:

I had a break of about 1,5 years and used to deadlift 80kgs/176lbs before, currently am back at 154lbs after about four months back in training.

Two things: grip training and lower back training

For grip you could try: preacher curls, Romanian Deadlifts with lower weight than your max, but not setting the bar down and in a higher rep range, RDLs with dumbbells.

For lower back: either rack pulls or stiffleg deadlifts, but rack pulls are really superior. You'll feel your lower back basically directly with high weight and get it stronger in no time

 

[carltonh]

@thiena This is helpful thank you!

 

[jarsh]

@carltonh Mix grip on deadlifts helps me SO much. I also love Barehand gloves

 

[graceb]

@jarsh Seconding both, and the Barehands are awesome (and look badass as fuck)!

 

[ricardoleslie9811]

@carltonh deadlifts are way trickier than squats!!

 

[iloveyeshua907]

@carltonh Some people will have a stronger squat, I’m one of them. My deadlift is always the same or a bit weaker

 

[nicholehe]

@iloveyeshua907 same here, my deadlift and squat were about the same (though after a break from lifting during the pandemic, my squat is now only like 75% of my deadlift )

 

[kennywayne99]

@iloveyeshua907 This, it really varies between people, depending on anatomy.

 

[christ148]

@carltonh I don't think that rule applies for everyone. My squat and deadlift are about the same too. If you don't have the best quad strength you are going to struggle to get the weight off the floor even if you can hinge it. (This is what happens for me) There are people out there who can squat more than deadlift. Grip strength and mobility could also be pimiting factors during deadlifts for some people.

Maybe try deficit deadlifts on top of your regular deadlift to improve breaking off the floor. I personally added them in my routine recently based on online suggestions as I noticed I have this issue with deadlifts. Maybe give it a try too.

I watched your videos and I don't see major flaws in your form.

 

[carltonh]

@christ148 I didn’t know that! I will look into deficits thank you

 

[dawn16]

@carltonh Deadlift could use a few technique tweaks, but you’re off to a good start. Don’t stress too much since you’re so new at lifting. Eventually your lifts will even out. From what it looks like in Your videos though, you have a lot more reps in you. I was squatting about as much as I could bench because I was nervous about my knee. Now I squat way more than I thought I could after fixing my form with a strength coach.