How Will Your Body Look if You Only Squat and Dead Lift?

A leg day of only squats and dead lifts might sound appealing, but you might not be doing your body any favors. Don’t be mistaken — squats and dead lifts are two cornerstone exercises, and for good reason. Not only do they each work multiple lower-body muscles, but you can also modify them with variations to create more intensity or target specific muscle groups, like glutes or quads.

But does that mean you can ditch everything else and just alternate between these two exercises? And are these workouts enough for leg day? Here’s what squat and dead lifts actually do to your body, plus what to add to your workouts for a more well-rounded exercise routine.

What Muscle Groups Do Squats and Dead Lifts Work?

Most people incorporate squats into their workouts to target their glutes. But, this exercise also activates your quadriceps and hamstrings — the large muscles on the fronts and backs of your legs above the knees. And according to trainer Reda Elmardi, CSCS, a certified strength and conditioning specialist based in New York, squats can also fire up your core muscles.

“Squats are a great way to help build muscle mass and improve your posture as well as overall strength,” Elmardi says. “It can even be beneficial for the knees because it strengthens the muscles around them for better support.”

The dead lift, however, is a compound movement that works your entire body, like your legs, arms, core, back, and shoulders. Still, Elmardi says that dead lifts tend to strengthen your lower body the most.

So, what exactly happens when you only stick to squats and dead lifts? The most likely result is a stronger and more toned backside and legs. Elmardi explains that as you continue to focus on just these two exercises, you’ll notice gains in major muscle areas like your quads and glutes.

Elmardi says that the physical effects will probably become evident throughout your lower body, especially as you progress in the movements and add more weight. That means stronger calves and hamstrings as well, and possibly more defined core muscles.

But, how much definition your legs get will depend on a variety of factors, like how often you do these exercises, how many reps you do for each set, and the amount of weight you lift. If you’re incorporating squats and dead lifts in your workout routine often, you may notice gains in your quads within the first few weeks. Other noticeable changes in your glutes, hamstrings, and calves will likely take six to eight weeks.

However, it’s worth noting that healthcare providers don’t recommend focusing on the same muscle groups on consecutive days because your muscles need time to repair and grow. So, it’s a good idea to space out your leg days, so that your muscles can recover.

Keep in mind: Everyone’s body is different. Elmardi says that the amount of time it takes to notice changes in your muscle tone could be longer or shorter, and it will depend on things like your body composition and how quickly you tend to build muscle mass. For example, if you’re losing body fat at the same time as gaining muscle, you may spot more definition in your lower body faster.

Pros and Cons of Focusing Only on Squats and Dead Lifts

Although squats and dead lifts are classic and effective moves for leg day, it’s important to keep the benefits and drawbacks of only doing these two exercises in mind.

The Good

Beyond giving you muscle gains in the lower body, squats and dead lifts offer plenty of advantages, Elmardi explains.

“Squatting strengthens your core as well as your lower back and hips, which can help you with alignment overall,” he says. “That improves posture, which can have a ripple effect on how you move in general, making your movement more efficient and lowering your injury risk.”

Dead lifts are also a great way to increase strength throughout the whole body, because, like squats, this exercise works against gravity, Elmardi adds. Lifting heavy weights in a dead lift also puts stress on the joints and bones in a way that boosts their functioning, he says.

The Bad

But, it’s not all good. The most notable disadvantage of focusing only on these lower-body moves, even if you do variations of them, is that your upper body won’t get much work. Over time, that could set you up for muscle imbalances, which could worsen if you continually only focus on lower-body workouts, according to trainer Aaron Leventhal, CSCS, owner of Fit Studio in Minneapolis. And those muscle imbalances may even create difficulties outside of the gym.

“These kinds of imbalances cause some muscles to become more dominant in everyday movement, and that leads to other muscles becoming weaker,” he says. “That can cause compensation in your body, which raises injury risk and can negatively affect your mobility.”

Leventhal also notes that doing only two exercises as your main form of working out can get pretty boring, fairly quickly. While it’s beneficial to have a smaller range of workout moves that you do often — which gives you a sense of progress as you increase variables like load and volume — being engaged in your workout is also a crucial component for meaningful results. He adds that exercise variety is also another way to prevent injury.

“If you’re bored, you tend to zone out when you’re lifting or going through movements,” Leventhal says. “Unfortunately, not paying attention can affect your form in problematic ways.”

How to Develop a Well-Balanced Workout

So, what’s the best way to move forward? By no means are we telling you to stop doing squats and dead lifts. Consider keeping them as go-to moves in your workout rotation, and make them the workhorses of your lower-body routine. But, it’s just as important to work on other muscle groups too. Both Elmardi and Leventhal suggest including upper-body work and full-body exercises as well, such as:

• Shoulder presses
• Dead hangs
• Bent-over dumbbell rows
• Arnold presses
• Push-ups

Are squats and dead lifts enough for an effective leg day? Yes, Elmardi says — as long as they’re not the only two exercises you do on every‌ single leg day. To prevent overuse injury risk and recruit a greater breadth of muscles (and keep you motivated along the way), bring in at least a few more choices beyond just squats and dead lifts, such as lunges, calf raises, and leg extensions.

The Takeaway

• Squats and dead lifts are two staple exercises that work your glutes, hamstrings, and quads.
• Doing squats and dead lifts can also help strengthen your core, improve posture, and boost joint function.
• However, only doing these two exercises can cause muscle imbalances in your upper body.
• For a well-balanced workout plan, add exercises like shoulder presses and push-ups to your routine, in addition to the squats and dead lifts.