Deadlift or squat for mass

It is only worth asking that question when you already have a detailed diet plan. Otherwise, you are putting your time into the wrong research project. Set that all things are in order the squat is the better lift to build mass as you can do more volume injury free.

How to put on mass

Why do you put on mass? What do you want to achieve with it? Do you want to go up a weight class? Have you been ill and need to get a bit more on you? Whatever brought you here it is important to determine the why before the what and how. This will keep you motivated long term and ensure results. If you don’t know the whys and how’s then you will have a hard time sticking to your goals.

The first thing is to set a goal of how much mass you want to put on over which time frame. If you have not done this yet the research into squatting or deadlifting for mass is misplaced.

Once you know how much mass you want to gain over which time you calculate the calories you need to consume daily to get to that goal.

With that calorie goal, you break it down into a meal plan which delivers the needed calories. Try to stick to natural foods. Become a master in the kitchen. Improve your skills wherever you can. If you can not enough during the day you might want to supplement with protein.

Once that plan is outlined get a meal tracker like myfitnesspal to monitor your intake. Measure your weight and body at least on a weekly basis. A fat percentage measurement prong also helps.

The good thing on a bulk is that you don’t have to say no to food. You can keep it clean. I personally love dirty bulks.

Figure out these points before you even go near a training plan. The main driver of mass is food, not exercise. Many people get this wrong.

Your programming

After you have put together your diet plan it is time to put together your exercise plan. What is even more important than the exercises you choose is the programming of these exercises. You should ask yourself

How much time do I have to train
Which muscle groups do I want to target
How fit am I
How strong am I
How proficient am I at the exercises I pick
How many sets will I do
How many repetitions will I do?
At what intensity will I train?

These questions are more important than the actual exercises you will pick.

The best program for muscle growth for me is German Volume Training. I was able to pack on 2.5kg of muscle in a month on this program while not adjusting my diet. For German Volume training, you do

10 repetitions for
10 sets at
60% of one repetition maximum with
30 seconds of rest between sets

If you have never lifted before you might want to start with

8 repetitions for
8 sets at
50% of one repetition maximum with
1 minute of rest between sets

You can see her that there are many ways to modulate your workouts. I see beginners, again and again, getting too hung up on the weight that they put on the bar forgetting about the other dimensions of training.

GVT is solid, easy and proven to work. Just go through the motions for whatever muscle group you pick and should have resulted in a month or two. Visible results take longer depending on how extreme your goal is.

The squat

When you look into the squat in the context of building mass you will most likely find the barbell back squat. Other options are

Safety bar squat
Front Squat
Leg press
Smith machine squat

To keep it simple I will stick to barbell squat for the purpose of building mass.

The barbell squat is a solid exercise to build mass but is not easy to master. The main muscles involved are the quads. Your back also plays a big part and even your abdominal muscles.

Barbell exercises are functional and good but also present a higher risk of injury than machine work. If your main goal is to make your legs grow the leg press might be a better choice. If you don’t care about your one repetition maximum or powerlifting there is no point in getting calluses from a barbell. Never mind wrecking your lower back from heavy loads.

The deadlift

The deadlift is one of the manliest lifts you can do. There is just something primal about picking a heavy load of the ground and setting it back down.

The deadlift will mainly train your glutes, quads and lower back. High repetition work is not really recommended with the deadlift due to high risk of injury. Especially not for beginners who have not mastered the technique yet. A good alternative to the barbell deadlift can be the kettlebell deadlift. Especially for women. Men might find it hard to find an appropriate kettlebell as most gyms only own up to 28kg.