Hack Squats vs Deadlifts

[Dave.cyco]

First off I realize that no two exercises are the same, but some do have carry-over and similar benefits. I have deadlifted a few times, and once I tweaked my back and it was sore for close to a week. Not good.

I understand that the ideal body type for deadlifting involves shorter legs and longer arms, but while I am good in the arm department, I also have long legs. My concern is that I may be loading my lower back too much when doing heavy deadlifts.

I've heard that hack squats are safer and they appear to be very similar in their mechanics to deadlifts, so here is my question to anyone in the know:

Are hack squats a worthy subsititute for deadlifts and do they carry many of the same benefits (as they would appear to)?

[struggler]

Hi Dave.

Haven't done either exercise for some time, but I used to perform hacks to hit the area around the knee (or lower quad). Yes, you would also work other areas like quads (overall), hamstring, glutes but for overall strength I would say deadlifts are FAR better an exercise.

You say you tweaked your back doing deadlifts in the past. Perhaps warm up with a few more lighter sets and work hard on form. If possible, get someone (experienced) to watch you and correct any form weakness.

[cheesedog]

I used to do them quite a few years ago before I got squat racks. They're not a bad exercise but I found them a bit awkward, and I could deadlift probably 50# more than hack squat. They were a bit easier on the back and harder on the quads in my experience.

[omfg]

They're dangerous for your knees.
I'd rather buy a trapbar.
But just work really hard on form.

[Dave.cyco]

Hmmm... I wonder if they have a trapbar at the gym I just started at. I hope they do! I have heard nothing but good about them, including the fact that you can deadlift more weight and it's safer due to the shift in the center of gravity.

[cheesedog]

A trapbar shifts the center of gravity from in front of your body to more in the center, much more like a squat. For a tall guy like you Dave that's probably not a bad thing. Although regular deadlifts occasionally are still good.

Have you tried Sumo Deadlifts? If regular deads are bothering your back Sumos put less stress on the low back and more on the hips. Might be worth a try.

[Dave.cyco]

So feet double shoulder width apart with and toes pointing out on more of an angle then? That doesn't sound too bad. Also, I was talking to Fatman, and he suggested that doing deads for more than low reps is probably a bad idea for most people, and thinking back, sure enough the three times that I have hurt my back with deadlifts or similar movements it was always during a high rep set, but never the first set.

I did a bunch of singles of deadlifts with my sandbag in my last workout, and they felt pretty good. Couldn't lift a whole big whopping amount of weight, since the bag is very challenging for the grip, but felt good all the same. At the moment I can fit up to 276# in the bag. I'll be happy when I can pull that sucker off the ground.:mrgreen: I don't even know what my 1RM is for barbell deadlifts, come to think of it.

So from now on it's low rep deads only for this guy!8)

[cheesedog]

Absolutely right--unless you have perfect form even when fatigued, stick with low reps on the deads. I did a program a couple of years ago where I worked up to 225# for sets of 12 reps alternated with 400 meter sprints without any back problems, but I was REAL careful. I always reset EVERY rep, whick slows you down a tad but is a lot safer. I think some of those people you see in the Crossfit videos slamming through their high rep deadlift and whatever workouts with crap form are going to be incapacitated in their later years, or even sooner if they aren't lucky.

[Raja]

Have you tried zercher squats? I've been doing those every once in a while after I realized that it's the same movement to move furniture and other heavy items. Make sure to use a towel in your arms.