When it comes to total body exercises that build muscle and power, no two staples get higher praise than the back squat and conventional deadlift. In tandem with other exercises, they're sure to strengthen your core and lower body.
So, when one of Team USA's top Olympic weightlifters, Wes Kitts, suggested the movements should be a key part of everyone's workout routine, we weren't exactly surprised.
"There's never a point in time in your life where you don't need to be able to squat," Kitts tells Men's Journal. "We need to be able to use our legs. We need that range of motion. It's just probably the most important movement—that and deadlift. We never stop needing to pick stuff up."
Kitts is no stranger to the power of back squats and deadlifts. He's an Olympic weightlifter after all, set to compete on Saturday, August 10 at the Paris Olympics.
But before he made his Olympic debut in Tokyo in 2021, placed 10th at the 2018 World Weightlifting Championships, and set a Pan American record in 2019, he was just your typical athlete playing t-ball as a child, hitting the gym with his bodybuilder dad, and playing football throughout high school and college. It wasn't until he participated in his first weightlifting competition after college and started CrossFit that he turned his favorite hobby into a job.
Since he started lifting professionally, Kitts traded in back squats and deadlifts for competition lifts like clean and jerks and snatches. But on his days off from being one of the top weightlifters in the world, he coaches clients at Be Somebody Gym in Knoxville, TN, and always adds squats and deadlifts to their programs.
So, take it from a pro lifter. Try these two compound movements alongside complimentary exercises and you'll have Olympic-sized legs and a rock-solid core in no time.
Regardless of your fitness level, back squats are one of the best ways to grow bigger, stronger legs. Unlike quad extensions and hamstring curls, which target singular muscle groups, high bar back squats require the majority of your lower-body muscles—glutes, quads, hamstrings, and calves—to work together. Not to mention, they're killer for gaining core strength and can even improve your posture and mobility.
Related: The Best Compound Exercises to Gain Maximum Size and Strength
No other exercise works the entirety of your body quite like the conventional deadlift. While research agrees that deadlifts are imperative for building power and muscle in your lower body, the benefits go far beyond just getting bigger legs. Deadlifts can also help you gain strength in your upper body, build a rock-solid lower back, and improve posture and grip strength.