Comparison of the effects of deadlift versus back squat on jumping, acceleration, and change of direction

BACKGROUND: An advantage that deadlift (DL) has over back squat (BSQ) is that the latter requires additional equipment (i.e., squat rack). Accordingly, if DL can lead to positive effects on jumping, acceleration, and change of direction, DL could present as a more practical training exercise than that of BSQ. OBJECTIVE: This study aimed to compare the effects of DL and BSQ on jumping, acceleration, and change of direction. METHODS: Twenty-three men (12 in the DL group [age: 20.3 ± 1.4 years old, height: 169.6 ± 6.7 cm, body weight: 65.7 ± 11.2 kg] and 11 in the BSQ group [age: 20.2 ± 1.9 years old, height: 171.5 ± 4.8 cm, body weight: 70.1 ± 6.8 kg]) participated in this study. The participants performed five repetitions maximum (RM) of DL and BSQ, and the isokinetic strength of hip joint extension, muscle thickness of the gluteus maximus and hamstrings, countermovement jump (CMJ) height, 10 m sprint time, and T-test results were measured. The 1RM was estimated using the 5RM and normalized to body weight (BW). Both groups performed supervised DL and BSQ training for eight sessions. RESULTS: There were significant improvements on 1RM DL/BW (p< 0.01), 1RM BSQ/BW (p< 0.01), and 10 m sprint (p< 0.01) in the two groups. The effect sizes (d) of the DL and BSQ groups were 2.01 and 1.04 for 1RM DL/BW, 1.08 and 2.08 for 1RM BSQ/BW, 0.35 and 0.11 for CMJ height, and -0.94 and -0.54 for 10 m sprint, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: DL training might improve jumping and acceleration compared to those of BSQ training.