Whether you are short on time or are looking for a new weightlifting regimen it can be tough to get things right for maximum muscle growth and that is what we are here for.
So can you squat a day after you deadlift?
Squatting day after deadlifting is not as safe as squatting day before deadlifting. So yes you can, it probably isn't the most ideal workout regimen. The reason for this is mainly fatigue and safety. If your back or knees give out while squatting you are in a heap of trouble with that weight on your back and risk serious injury. If you fail on your deadlift you can simply drop the weight.
So if you have to to do squat and deadlift in simultaneous days then yes do squat first then deadlift. You should split your compound lifts up as much as possible for the best gains however. So a simple split would be Chest Monday, Squat Wednesday, and Deadlift Friday. Then you can fill the other days with arms, shoulders and back as you see fit or mix them into the bigger lifting days.
Below we researched and got responses from actual powerlifters and just weightlifters in general to get their take as well on what is best.
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Squat and Deadlift Back To Back Days
So we didn't want you to only take our word for it on doing squat and deadlift on consecutive days so we scoured the internet to get opinions from actual weightlifters. This information was curated from different forums and Facebook groups and nothing has been changed besides any spelling or grammar where needed.
1. Deserving_Of_Gold “Squats then deads” – I'd go squats, then deads, hence the reason lots of people do a push/legs/pull or pull/push/legs split, or something similar.
2. NickThePanda “Split it up more” – Keep deadlift on pull day but switch to pull/push/legs to give yourself a rest day in between.
3. Bromo-Sexual “Do pull/push/legs” – Do pull/push/legs. Do ur deads at the beginning and then hit squats on the the other two leg days. Don't deadlift heavy more than once a week.
4. DoggorDawg “No issues” – No issues. There's plenty of programs (often powerlifting related) that have squats/deadlifts on the same day, and then on following days, many sessions per week.
5. Gamer1982 “Switch it up” – It isn't dangerous, but your legs will probably still be fatigued from squatting so I wouldn't expect to be hitting any PBs. If it is going to be a regular thing, I would alternate squat/deadlift one week, and deadlift/squat the next week, just so you get a chance to do each compound when you are fresh.
6. Byizo “May be a little worn out” – You may be a little worn out to be as strong on deadlifts as you usually are, but it's not going to hurt you. Typically a good program won't have you squatting and deadlifting back-to-back days like that.
7. MooMoo “Should be fine” – You should be fine. I've done PPLxPPL before with no problems, thought the weight was lighter. Now I do deadlifts and squats on the same day after upper strength days and don't have any issues still. If you find yourself struggling maybe change it up a bitt so you have more of a break between the two.
8. Qwerty5152 “I dead then squat” – I've done it with good results, although I did deadlift then squat. My only suggestion is to ease into it. The first week (after a deload) I was very sore from deadlifts and then loaded up my normal squat and tweaked something in my back. I took a week off and then dropped the weight to something that felt easy, then worked my way back up and well beyond where I started.
9. Kremlinagent “No issues” – Most of my lifting is PPL (well actually push-legs-pull) so I do squats then deadlift the very next day. No issues here.
10. Summerzo “Rest day in between” – should take a days rest, i usually find that doing squats the day after dealifts or vice versa my back is still sore, not recovered and the deadlift/squat whichever is done the day after definitely suffers.
11. NeededANewName “Squating before” – In Starting Strength Ripptoe says to squat every workout (3x week), even on deadlift days. I've been following it and it's fine. Today I set a new PR on squats (with proper depth) and on deadlifts without issue. I do this pretty much every week. Squatting the day after deadlifting would be more difficult as my lower back is usually sore. But squatting before or on the same workout day I don't have any problems.
12. WannabeBodyBuilder “Both on same day” – You should do them both on the same day, double the work double the gains. Do you want to be a cat ? Or do you want to be a Leopard ?
13. Breal3030 “You feel good do it if not don't” – If you feel good enough to do it, do it. If you are too sore or hurting somewhere and feel like you can't, don't. It's that simple.
14. Swolbraham_Linc0ln “Ideally rest day in between” – Ideally you'd want a day at least in-between squats and deadlifts. Doing them the same day is fine, just remember recovery is important.
15. Frank_The_Tank “Deadlift on Squat day” – I'd deadlift on leg day. Deadlift is as much a leg exercise as it is a back exercise.
Results
As you can see most people 82% of the responses we found (197 total) said that you can do squat and deadlift on consecutive days. There was a surprising number that said to do deadlift then squat which confuses m. There is a reason why in powerlifting competitions they have it so you do squat then bench then lastly deadlift. This is for fatiguing factors that can lead to big injuries during squats versus deadlift where you can just drop the weight.
Most did say that a rest day in between is the most ideal situation so I would definitely look into a workout regimen that has that kind of setup. Or you can look at doing them the same day as many mentioned as well. Start with squat and maybe do deadlifts immediately after then do the rest of your leg or back workout depending on your split.
Related Questions
Is it bad to deadlift and squat on the same day?
No it is not bad to deadlift and squat on the same day if this is what your workout regimen calls for. Typically you will have a rest day in between deadlift and squat days because they are compound workouts and you will probably get better results with that rest day. However you can also do deadlift and squat in one day then do it again later in the week which will produce great results as well.
How long should you rest after deadlifts?
Just like any body part you don't want to do deadlifts again for at least 48 hours. Typically you want one day between doing a workout like bench or squats as well. So you don't need to rest completely just train something like shoulders, bi's, or tries. Definitely not your back and try to stay away from other major lifts like squat and bench.
Will Deadlifting help my squat?
Yes deadlifting is a major compound workout meaning you are getting a lot of your muscles involved including quads, back, hamstrings, etc. These are some of the same muscles you will be using during your squats.
Is it better to squat or deadlift first?
If you are looking to compete it is better to squat then deadlift first because this is the way the powerlifting competition will go with squats, bench then deadlift. This is how you should do these workouts in general as well since squats take so much out of you and a lot can happen when you are fatigued during squat. With deadlift if you fail to make the lift you can just drop the weight.
What muscles should be sore after deadlift?
Your glutes and hamstrings will be amongst the most sore more then likely. Back muscles all the way up to your shoulder blades and shoulder region can even be sore from deadlifts depending on the amount of weight, reps, and sets you do. Of course using proper form will help alleviate some muscles that shouldn't be sore.
How many days rest between squats and deadlifts?
You should allow at least 2 days rest between performing squats and deadlifts if you are training on separate days. That is not to say you can't do them on back to back days, but you would be better off doing them on the same day. Most splits have major lifts on one day then two days later another major lift. For example Bench on Monday then Squat on Wednesday then Deadlift on Friday.