Do deadlifts and squats really improve overall body muscles?
I hated squats initially. Didn’t even want to learn deadlifts.
And why would I? The bench press and bicep curls showed immediate results!
The instant feedback from the ‘pump’ became a drug that made me neglect everything else.
There were promising results for a while. I rode the newbie gains euphoria, started wearing (way too small) muscle shirts and walked around with the unearned confidence of a hormonal teen.
Reality always comes knocking though.
My wake up call came in the form of an older gentleman working out next to me one day.
He was in long sweatpants and an over-sized shirt - modest and not screaming for attention (unlike yours truly). I took little notice until I realised he was benching twice as much as me! How was this possible?
He got my attention without seeking it. The ultimate flex.
Over time I observed he spent more time on his lower body and rarely did isolation work. By chance we started chatting and I complained about how little progress I was getting.
“You should do more squats” was his advice.
Apparently large compound movements like the squat and deadlift produce testosterone and growth hormones which feed muscle hypertrophy.
This was music to my ears. I was open to anything (natural) that allowed me stack on muscle!
There were growing pains though. Squats and deadlifts took some time to get used to but when it clicked, I noticed denser and thicker muscles all round.
The ability to hold and lift a heavy weight also improved grip and core strength which had the added benefit of improving all my other lifts.
