The Beginner Series: The Deadlift pt 2- Sumo

Here we have the final of the main lifts for you - the sumo deadlift. 

Sumo gets a bad reputation as being easier than the conventional deadlift, but this just isn't true. It's a very technical lift that shouldn't be taken lightly. 

As usual, this post is written by our very own, James Kennedy. 

Enjoy - 
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The sumo deadlift is a variation of the deadlift movement where the lifter has a wide stance with their hands inside their legs at the start of the lift - like a sumo wrestler. The sumo deadlift works the same muscles as the conventional deadlift, primarily the posterior chain (back, hips and hamstrings), as well as working the quads to a greater degree than the conventional deadlift. For some lifters, the specific demands on the hips and the biomechanics of the sumo deadlift allow them to lift a greater weight, more safely than the conventional deadlift. 

This style of deadlift is illegal (or at least, strongly frowned upon) in strongman competitions but is legal in powerlifting and is a good deadlift variation for a lot of people. For weightlifters it is often a better variation. This is because the conventional deadlift start position is similar to the clean start position used in weightlifting - which can lead to poor deadlift technique and poor clean technique for the weightlifter. The sumo deadlift leads to the same muscular development but has less chance of interfering with a weightlifter's clean technique. 

For powerlifters and general fitness athletes the sumo deadlift can be a more comfortable and stronger deadlift variation. Generally speaking, if you are a smaller lifter or you have a relatively long torso the sumo deadlift can help you lift heavier weights as it is a more bio-mechanically advantageous lift. 

The sumo deadlift is a more technical variation than the conventional deadlift, especially in the set up. When most people fail a sumo deadlift for a technical reason it is due to poor technique off the floor. Often, you will see or hear conventional deadlifts talking about gripping and ripping; basically just walking over to the bar and picking it up, a technique best exemplified by John Haack (video of his 400kg deadlift). The sumo deadlift is not so simple. The lift can be broken down into three phases: the set-up, the preparation and the lift. This article will outline the fundamentals of these three phases as well as how to troubleshoot the some common issues people have with the sumo deadlift


The Set-Up 

The set up phase of a sumo deadlift is important - errors in this phase makes it difficult to be in the correct positions to perform the lift. The set-up contains three parts - stance, grip and bracing. 

1. Stance
   

When initiating the sumo deadlift, your shins should be perpendicular to the floor, with the bar over the midfoot. Your stance width for the sumo deadlift should therefore be the width that allows your shins to be perpendicular to the floor when you are initiating the pull. Your stance width then dictates your foot position. When performing the sumo deadlift, your knees should be in line with your first or second toe. The wider your stance, the more turned out your toes will need to be. 

2. Grip

With the sumo deadlift, you can have a narrower grip on the bar as your knees aren’t in the way. Your hands should be directly below your shoulders - this makes your arms as long as possible - and shortens the range of motion. If placing your hands below your shoulders means your hand is on the smooth part of the bar you should widen your grip so your hand is on the knurling otherwise you will have trouble holding on to the bar. 

In terms of grip style, overhand, mixed grip or hook grip all work. As discussed in our previous article (insert link), hook grip is the strongest but most painful. In my experience of the sumo deadlift, there seems to be a greater grip strength difference between hook grip and mixed grip, with hook grip being considerably stronger. 


3.Bracing

As in the conventional deadlift,  breathing and bracing your core properly is essential for protecting the spine. As you place your hands on the bar, take a deep diaphragmatic breath, into your stomach and obliques and hold this breath throughout the lift. If you’re doing multiple reps, release this breath at the top of the lift, lower the bar and then take a new breath and rebrace the core prior to the next rep. 


The three parts of the set-up phase - the stance, grip and breathing - all tie together. There are two ways to tie these events together to set up for the sumo deadlift. Firstly, take your stance. Once you have set your stance you have two options to get your hips into position to initiate the lift. 

The first is to take your stance and grip on the bar before loading the hamstrings by straightening your legs. You then use your grip to pull your hips into position. As you pull your hips down, squeeze the chest up and pull your shoulder blades together. The second is to take your stance but remain upright. Breathe, brace your core and retract the shoulder blades to force the chest up. Then bend the knees until you can grip the bar.

Preparation 

Once you have your hands on the bar, it’s time to prepare to lift. With the sumo deadlift it is important to build full body tension. This comes from two places with the sumo deadlift - your grip and lats and your hips. 

When you have taken your grip upon the bar it is essential to take the slack out of the bar. To do this, engage your lats and retract the shoulder blades - pinch them together like you are trying to hold a pencil between the shoulder blades. Doing this will force your chest up and help you pull your hips into the correct position. 

The second part of preparation is to generate tension through the hips. To do this, try and tear the floor apart with your feet by trying to push your feet apart. Your feet won’t move, but this will generate tension in the hips and quads - the best analogy I have to describe this feeling is revving a car engine with the hand brake on. It should feel as if the bar is about to come off the floor before you actually try to do the lift. 

The Pull

Now you’ve set up and generated full body tension, it’s time to lift the weight. The pull can be divided into two parts; breaking the bar off the floor and locking out the lift. As you take the tension out of the bar and try to tear the floor apart with your feet, it should feel as if the bar is about to break the floor. The first portion of the pull is to drive the floor away whilst keeping the knees out. To keep your knees out, keep trying to tear the floor in half as you initiate the lift. 

Once the bar reaches your knees, lock your knees out. As quickly as possible. The process of locking out your knees locks the hips out. This means your sumo deadlift can look and feel a bit odd. You build tension slowly before breaking the bar off the floor. The bar then moves slowly off the floor until it reaches the knees. At the point it reaches the knees the bar then moves rapidly to lockout as you lock the knees out. 

If you're moving from a conventional to sumo deadlift this will be the opposite of what you usually experience - conventional deadlifts tend to be quick off the floor and slower at lockout. If you are doing sumo deadlifts, it’s important to stay patient. Take the slack out of the bar and build full body tension. Drive the floor away whilst keeping the knees out. Once the bar reaches the knees, lock the knees and the hips out.  

Troubleshooting

When people are struggling with the sumo deadlift, it is often related to a poor technique or just not being strong enough. With the sumo deadlift, you will be weakest on the floor. If you’re missing sumo deadlifts at or just off the floor and there is no technical reason for this, you just need to get stronger at deadlifting. If you miss sumo deadlifts at the lockout without a technical flaw, then you just need to get stronger. 

Conversely, if you start to miss sumo deadlifts in the midrange the main reason is usually due to your hips shooting up too quickly. This is sometimes due to having weak quads and glutes relative to hamstrings - an especially common problem if you’re moving from conventional to sumo deadlifts. As you initiate the lift, the hips shooting up allows the lifter to use the hamstrings to get the bar off the floor. This then puts the hips in a disadvantageous position for the midrange, causing people to fail the lift. 

The solution to this is practice. Doing lots of reps with correct form will develop the glutes and quads and reinforce the correct position for the lifter off the floor. Once the lifter is in the correct position off the floor, the midrange sorts itself out.  A really good accessory exercise to reinforce the correct position and strengthen the quad and glute muscles are paused sumo deadlifts, where you pause immediately when the bar breaks the floor. 

Summary

The sumo deadlift is a variation of the deadlift that is a slightly more complicated, technical variation of the deadlift. It works and develops the muscles and strength of the posterior chain and is especially effective for those with relatively long torsos and short legs. For Olympic Weightlifters it is also a great deadlift variation to develop posterior chain strength without interfering with weightlifting technique. Hopefully, this article will help you perfect your sumo deadlift technique and improve your deadlift!

Don't forget, we have a group catering specifically for beginners on a Saturday. Click the image for more info