The debate between whether squats or deadlift are better for you is something that, I feel, will always be a topic of discussion.

Both of these exercises are extremely beneficial for almost anyone, because they are functional while enhancing motor unit recruitment. Those who can perfect squat and deadlift mechanics likely have less of a chance of sustaining an injury, because these are foundational movements we perform every day, even if we don’t realize it. 

The more often we practice these exercises, the better we will feel during normal, day-to-day activities because we are training these muscles to get stronger through that specific range of motion.

Squats and deadlifts are both incredible exercises–but which one is better?

This really all depends on goals and what you want to accomplish.

Overall, both should be included in your lower body routines. As mentioned, these are foundational movements that never go out of style. They help you grow big, powerful legs, and there are variations you can perform to help break up the monotony if needed. And if big legs aren’t your thing–ladies, I’m looking at you–they are still recommended movements if you want toned, lean legs that give you the right kind of curves.

In all honesty, you can’t really go wrong with either exercise if you want a stronger lower body, but if we want to get a little more granular, we can look at what muscle groups are emphasized with each movement.

If you want more quad activation, you’ll need to do more squats than deadlifts. Squats are superior when it comes to quad enhancement because the deadlift works primarily the posterior chain, such as the hamstrings, back, and glutes. The squat recruits the quads significantly more than the deadlift.

On the flip side, if you really want to enhance your hamstrings and glutes, I’d say to focus more on the deadlift. The squat shouldn’t be ignored if hamstring and glute strength are your goals, but the deadlift emphasizes those muscles a bit more than the squat.

In terms of core stability, I can’t differentiate between the two. Both require a significant amount of core strength, and are much more difficult to execute if the core is not activated. The load placed on the body differs between the two, but the overall activation and core strength gained between the deadlift and squat are similar. This is where variations of each exercise come in. The load will feel different between a barbell and single-leg deadlift, just as a front-loaded and goblet squat would.

With this in mind, I encourage most people to practice squats and deadlifts in different ways. If you always do barbell squats and deadlifts, you’re missing out on opportunities for better muscle balance. Even though the movements are essentially the same, modifying them slightly presents a new challenge to the body.

At this point, you may or may not feel that I clearly answered your question, and I’m sorry to say that it is not always black and white when it comes to fitness advice. To make things a bit simpler, I’d suggest that the best exercise between the two is the one you’re not doing as much of. If you undoubtedly do more squat work, then deadlifts are probably better for you, and vice versa. Muscle symmetry is something that should be strived for with almost everyone; being overactive or developed in one muscle group and weak in another can lead to compensations that can then result in injury.

We want to avoid that.

To summarize, both squats and deadlifts are great, and the argument whether which one is King will long be debated. So my advice is to placed equal emphasis on both for the most functional and developed lower body.