Squats and deadlifts are foundational movements in strength training, recognized for building comprehensive strength and muscle mass. Both exercises recruit a significant amount of muscle mass simultaneously, making them highly effective. The dilemma arises when a training plan calls for performing both demanding lifts in the same session. Deciding which lift to prioritize first requires a strategic framework focused on maximizing performance and maintaining safety. The sequence chosen directly influences the quality of subsequent lifting and overall training adaptation.
Understanding Central Nervous System Fatigue
Maximal effort compound movements like the squat and deadlift place a considerable, non-muscular demand on the body’s control systems. The Central Nervous System (CNS) is responsible for sending strong, coordinated signals to muscle fibers. Heavy lifting, particularly near a one-repetition maximum, requires a high degree of motor unit recruitment and firing frequency to generate the necessary force.
This significant neural effort leads to CNS fatigue, which is a decrease in the ability to activate muscle effectively, even if the muscles are not locally exhausted. Performing one heavy lift first substantially reduces the body’s capacity to recruit motor units for the second exercise. The resulting drop in voluntary muscle activation means the second lift will be performed with less power and precision. This neurological drain provides the primary physiological constraint when programming both lifts in one session.
The Standard Recommendation: Prioritizing the Squat
The conventional wisdom is to perform the squat before the deadlift when both are scheduled for the same day. This recommendation is rooted in the specific technical demands and safety profile of the squat. The barbell back squat requires a high level of continuous, dynamic stability to control the weight through a large range of motion while maintaining an upright torso.
The movement requires constant bracing and precise control of the torso and spine. This makes the squat highly susceptible to catastrophic form breakdown if the lifter is already fatigued. A loss of core and spinal stability under a heavy load increases the risk of injury, particularly to the lumbar spine. Placing the squat first ensures the lifter is at their freshest, with the highest level of neural drive and focus, to execute the movement with the strictest form.
The deadlift, by contrast, is often considered a single maximal concentric effort from a dead stop. While the deadlift is taxing, the movement is less dynamically unstable than the squat, especially in the eccentric phase. By prioritizing the squat, the lifter ensures the most technically challenging and spine-loaded movement is completed before fatigue sets in.
When to Deadlift First
While the squat-first approach is the general guideline, the deadlift should be performed first in specific performance-driven scenarios. The primary exception is when the singular goal of the training day is to achieve a maximal effort or personal record in the deadlift. The exercise performed first receives the benefit of the lifter’s freshest physical and mental state.
If a lifter is peaking for a competition or aiming for a new personal best, they must accept that the subsequent squat performance will be significantly compromised. In this case, the squat should be treated as a secondary lift, performed with lighter loads or higher repetitions for volume work. This sequencing choice prioritizes the specific neural and muscular resources needed for a peak pull.
Programming Alternatives to Training Both Lifts Together
The most practical and long-term solution for most individuals is to avoid the sequencing dilemma entirely by programming the lifts on separate days. Splitting the lifts across different training days, such as a dedicated Squat Day and a Deadlift Day, allows for optimal recovery and maximal performance for both lifts. This approach minimizes the cumulative CNS and peripheral fatigue that compromises the quality of the second lift.
A common strategy is to utilize a push/pull/legs split, where the deadlift is often placed on a “pull” day and the squat on a “legs” or “push” day, effectively separating them by at least 48 to 72 hours. Another effective alternative is to use rotating blocks. In this method, one lift is prioritized with high-intensity work for a training cycle while the other is maintained at a lower intensity or volume. This rotational approach maximizes performance on both lifts over time by ensuring sufficient recovery and focus for the prioritized movement.