Heavy deads+heavy squats= thick midsection?

[Freak Show]

what's your opinion? Ever since I started training legs with my buddy who's a powerlifter(several months now), I've noticed being thicker around the middle. This, despite having leaned out a couple pounds. I'm lookin leaner everywhere but there. Its not like I look fatter, just thicker or "girthier." Hey, its a word.

 

[edgecrusher]

It is a definate posibility, when you squat and dead, your obliques have to work to support that load. Your obliques being a muscle, like anything else, can and will hypertrophy.

 

[OMEGA]

squats yes.

deads no.

deads make my waist smaller

 

[sysopt]

squats yes.

deads no.

deads make my waist smaller

could you elaborate???.....learn something new everyday

 

[the People's Champ]

bump

 

[endpoint]

do bicep curls make your arms smaller?

 

[Freak Show]

do bicep curls make your arms smaller?

who are you directing this to?

 

[McLurch]

Yeah power lifters seem to be "heavier". If you do sqauts and deads like power lifters it might make you bigger. But has your diet, or ab routine changed in the past seven months, or has it stayed the same?

 

[endpoint]

who are you directing this to?

i was directing it too omega.

as for your question.

the whole midsection is used in both exercises. to stabalize pull hold etc etc

very effective trunk exercises

 

[Imnotdutch]

could you elaborate???.....learn something new everyday

Yeah I'm thinking WTF too!! Your midsection does a similar job in both lifts so they should have the same effect. How the hell do you get smaller by doing deadlifts???!!!

 

[needsize]

I've always squatted and deadlifted very heavy, with no belt either so my midsection does even more work, and my waist has never thickened up, it's still under 30" when I'm shredded.
So I think it's pretty individual.

 

[Imnotdutch]

How much are you squatting/deadlifting? Since I started powerlifting 20 months or so ago I've put about 4 inches on my waistline and it isnt fat!

I've always squatted and deadlifted very heavy, with no belt either so my midsection does even more work, and my waist has never thickened up, it's still under 30" when I'm shredded.
So I think it's pretty individual.

 

[needsize]

A few weeks ago I squatted 385lbs rock bottom for 5x5, and deadlifted 455lbs from the floor for 3 sets of 5. If you've seen the pic I posted on here you can tell my waist has stayed small, I guess I'm just lucky!

 

[maxellyz]

Dont know about the waist but my ass gets big from squats

 

[OMEGA]

You know, I don't have proof or a witty reply in store, all i know is that is what happens to me.

concerning the abs.

when i squat it just makes my abs blocky, I think its becuase I tend to expand my abdominalls on this lift,

on deads I have a predisposition in contracteing my abs, almost as if I am doing a vacume pose, so my abs may not physically get smaller, been it seems enough like it for me to notice

also I a m fairly tall so the motion of deadlifting lends itself to this effect.....at least for me.

 

[OMEGA]

also I am a back dead lifter.......

I mean that most of the stress of deadlifting goes to my lats, traps, and spinal erectors.

so the case may be that my back gets bigger, and therefor the illusion of a smaller waist ensues.

 

[Freak Show]

Yeah power lifters seem to be "heavier". If you do sqauts and deads like power lifters it might make you bigger. But has your diet, or ab routine changed in the past seven months, or has it stayed the same?

honestly, my diet is the best its been ever. Like i said, i've seemed to have leaned out everywhere except my midsection. No loss of any abs just seems thicker. Ab routine...well....let's just say i'm inconsistent at best. Always have been.

 

[OMEGA]

freakshow.......do lega presses instead.

and hyperextnsions

 

[Enock]

bumping this thread its my biggest fear to develop a thick muscled midsection, however mislead my fears are. There doesn't seem to be anything hard you should avoid or do. This is obviously not just about steroid/gh use. Its obviously largely genetics but traing method does seem to influence it.

Strongmen even when they compete pretty cut are still hugely thicked waisted now there obviously not natural but I definitly feel there training has influenced their thick torso.


And as far as the deadlift/squat topic.

If anything would seem to make my waist thicker it woud be SLD lifts for me near the top of the movement I can feel my lower stomach straining hard. Squats depsite the need for balance I prolly have a little to much forward lean because when I lose balance its always forward(which is good because I'd be fucked it I went back easy to drop the bar but harder to catch youself) and its my back that gets tired.

Anyway wanna keep this topic alive because hell its a damn interesting thread regardless of the fact there seems to be no real evidence to support anything said.

 

[sysopt]

I'm still wondering how squats make your waist bigger and deadlifts dont. That makes zero sense to me. Maybe you could say they both do or both dont, but how could you say that one does and the other doesnt?

 

[Welsh power house]

freakshow.......do lega presses instead.

and hyperextnsions

no chance
dont squat and deadlift=fucking pussy imo

 

[OMEGA]

sysopt, I did the best I could at explaining it.

but if you feel that i am completly full of shit or wrong, I can Understand.

it just goes down to personal experience, and results.

and welsh....I agree

 

[Nico Cujo]

I find that heavy, low repsquats thicken my waist quite a bit. But I'm with omega, the deads work my lats, lower back and traps more than the legs.

 

[Bigsatan13]

what's your opinion? Ever since I started training legs with my buddy who's a powerlifter(several months now), I've noticed being thicker around the middle. This, despite having leaned out a couple pounds. I'm lookin leaner everywhere but there. Its not like I look fatter, just thicker or "girthier." Hey, its a word.

You say that like it's a bad thing.

 

[goahead]

Use a high reprange

I think its largely genetic: ie: somebody with a favourable posture and or neurocontrol has less trouble keeping balance with free squats, hence his/her waist does not have to struggle as hard to compensate being thrown offbalance, also what kind of fibers makeup your ab muscles etc. Also the length of the joints determines how much stress certain musclegroups receive during the lift.


If you feel your ass or waist becomes too thick from 4-6 reps heavy suats or deadlifts, just do your squats in the ultra high reprange : sets of 60 reps. Now legs are a special musle that will often respond well to megareps (just watch the turbowheels of some competetive 5-10 kilometre iceskaters). The funny part about is that your waist will become tight and well conditioned with these amount of reps, but not a thick crude blocky Yates waist. Changes are good that your ass will not balloon and look more like two tight coconuts.

as for the deads, for this reason, do them in the 20 reprange, also they are still superintens, mike mentzer recommended 20 reps squats/deads for its sheer brutallity.

 

[Imnotdutch]

Re: Use a high reprange

With regards you your first paragraph- I dont see where balance comes into it. The abs work with the lower back to support ur torso in the lifts (ever heard of maintaining high internal pressure?). As most people have to lean at least a little when they squat and deadlift ur abs and back are going to get worked. It isnt like u are off balance.....more that u have to lean, and therefore keep ur abs an back tight (if you dont want to screw ur back up!) in order to maintain ur balance.

Its inevitable that ur waist wont grow much when u do 60 rep sets (ouch!!)....u cant use that much weight so your torso doesnt require that much support. But I'm not sure that this is the best strategy if you are after pure strength or size.

U know I really dont understand why so many people have a problem with their ass or waistline growing. As far as I can tell more women like a round ass than not- so that cant be an issue (can it). And so long as your chest is 16-20 inches bigger than ur chest ur waist wont look huge.

Just my 2c.

I think its largely genetic: ie: somebody with a favourable posture and or neurocontrol has less trouble keeping balance with free squats, hence his/her waist does not have to struggle as hard to compensate being thrown offbalance, also what kind of fibers makeup your ab muscles etc. Also the length of the joints determines how much stress certain musclegroups receive during the lift.


If you feel your ass or waist becomes too thick from 4-6 reps heavy suats or deadlifts, just do your squats in the ultra high reprange : sets of 60 reps. Now legs are a special musle that will often respond well to megareps (just watch the turbowheels of some competetive 5-10 kilometre iceskaters). The funny part about is that your waist will become tight and well conditioned with these amount of reps, but not a thick crude blocky Yates waist. Changes are good that your ass will not balloon and look more like two tight coconuts.

as for the deads, for this reason, do them in the 20 reprange, also they are still superintens, mike mentzer recommended 20 reps squats/deads for its sheer brutallity.

 

[javaguru]

Yep, my waist is probably a good 2-3 inches larger than if I had never done the squat or deadlifty heavy(34 vs 32) but it's a small price to pay for big legs and strength.

 

[Welsh power house]

squats have made my ass, hips and midsection area a little bigger....it could also be deadlifts, to be honest, i dont give a fuck as long as i am getting bigger and stronger...i want all the mass i can get!

 

[BodybuildingUniverse]

original question: the answer is NO. Heavy squatting and deadlifting do not thicken your waist. especially not in any kind of time frame that has been discussed. As bodyweight increases the waist will to some extent bottom line...