Technique is paramount to being a good sumo puller. While it’s true that one style will produce greater performance benefits, those outcomes take years to realize. Choose the dominant style and see if it feels more comfortable to you. As you can see 100% of the 59kg class used sumo deadlifting, and less than 15% of the 120k+ class used sumo. If an athlete is more suited to lift sumo based on their hip structure, proportions, or bodyweight, then I will work on their specific weakness and then begin to experiment with sumo deadlifting once they’re stronger. Usually works better the other way around but a cycle of sumo can improve your conventional deadlift… This analysis shows the breakdown of competitors based on their body-weight and which weight class they competed. Hales M (2010) Improving the Deadlift: Understanding Biomechanical Constraints and Physiological Adaptations to Resistance Exercise. Every time I give workshops on powerlifting technique at least one person always asks whether they should deadlift conventional or sumo. The first way to decide is to understand which style feels the most comfortable throughout the entire range of motion. In the conventional deadlift, you will have approximately 5-10% more forward lean. The sumo stance is a variation that has increased in popularity over the last few years thanks to the explosion of the sport of powerlifting across the world. This would require you to have regular ‘assessments’ of strength in each stance, and then making a decision based on the relevant training evidence. This site is owned and operated by PowerliftingTechnique.com. As you get higher in bodyweight, the fewer sumo deadlifts are being represented with more conventional pulls. The Slingshot for Bench Press (Complete Guide & Review), Similarities Between Conventional vs. Sumo Deadlifting, Difference Between Conventional vs. Sumo Deadlifting, Choosing Conventional vs. Sumo Based on Hip Structure, Choosing Conventional vs. Sumo Based on Limb Length & Height, Choosing Conventional vs. Sumo Based on Bodyweight, Choosing Conventional vs. Sumo Based On Muscular Strengths & Weaknesses, Coaching Perspectives on Deciding Between Conventional vs. Sumo, 10 Special Exercises To Improve Your Powerlifting Movements. That technique is usually based on the athlete’s leverages, so it’s at that point where Matt might recommend a style that maximizes their strength more effectively. The first table below lists various proportions and the lifting style recommendations by Dr Hales: As you can see, there is some overlap between the two different styles based on if you have average arm length combined with either short or long torsos. As you can see 100% of the 59kg class used sumo deadlifting, and less than 15% of the 120k+ class used sumo. Both will give you plenty of bang for your buck. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the sumo deadlift will automatically feel easier for you. Torso length: Start at the hip bone (greater trochanter) and measure to the top of the head, Leg length: From the base of the floor to the hip bone (greater trochanter). Lifters with long limbs tend to be at a mechanical advantage when performing the conventional deadlift in … The greater the angle of where the femur connects to the pelvis, the more comfortable this person will feel pulling sumo. Kevin Oak’s Answer: Do Both!. What we’re looking at is a near-perfect linear relationship between the body weight of a person and which style of deadlift they choose. For the conventional deadlifts, because you’ll have slightly more forward lean, you’ll have greater muscular activation in the trunk muscles, such as the spinal erectors. This is the heaviest deadlift ever completed in competition by someone weighing less than 100kg. The main thing you need to understand is that there can be more or less of an angle for how your femur connects to the pelvis. As such, the loading demands for which muscles are used will change. You may find yourself deciding to pick either conventional or sumo deadlifts based on which muscles are stronger or weaker. When I first took up powerlifting four decades ago, I was working hard on my deadlift and it seemed to be stalled out at 345 lb. The reason why you’ll feel more or less comfortable in one style over another is largely determined by the structure of your hip. According to a study in the journal Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise , sumo deadlifts are more effective at activating the vastus medialis , vastus lateralis , and … Learn 13 principles that create more effective powerlifting technique. Seated vs Standing Calf Raises, 11 Daily Habits That Highly Successful People Use. The Sumo Deadlift is most visibly different from the Conventional Deadlift in that the lifter assumes a considerably wider stance. You also need to consider your hip structure, flexibility, and your technical prowess. But there are exceptions to the rule. cookiemonster84: Would it hurt my conventional pulls to only train sumo for a few months? However, the data below is just too interesting not to mention. If there is any correlation, it has been shown that lower weight classes lifters tend to prefer sumo, especially women, and higher weight class lifters tend to prefer conventional. If you’re wanting to improve your deadlift lockout you can read about my 10 tips. The angles of your body in relation to the bar are going to be different for conventional versus sumo deadlifts. Nowadays, sumo is exceptionally popular. Conventional deadlift = shoulders over the bar in the start position. For the sake of global fitness culture, I will refer to the narrow stance technique as a 'conventional' deadlift, and to the wide stance technique as a 'sumo' deadlift. Hip anatomy and physical characteristics may also dictate which method one finds most suitable. 2012 International Powerlifting Federation open World Championships, sumo lifters won every male weight class except the 105kg (231lbs) class. For example, many-time world champion Lamar Gant (below) was able to deadlift over 600 pounds at a 132-pound bodyweight using the conventional style. Because of the change in angles between the conventional and sumo deadlift, there is going to be different stress placed on the knee and hip extensors to lift the weight. There are some exceptions to this, especially for advanced athletes, but for most people starting out this is the timing you’re wanting to achieve. In a general sense, the deadlift can be broken down into 3 basic zones; Off the floor; The dead zone (the area between the top of your foot and your knee) The lockout As you get lower in body-weight, the more sumo deadlifts are being represented with fewer conventional pulls. Trap bar deadlifts allow you to keep your torso more upright than conventional deadlifts, but not as upright as for sumo deadlifts. In this specific example, we’re talking about the measurements of a person’s bones and joints. The sumo deadlift relies on recruiting the hips, glutes, and legs to initiate the first portion of the pull, while the conventional has a more equal balance between the … Training, Workouts, Nutrition, Mindset and Supplements. The sumo vs conventional deadlift are actually very similar. I’m Avi Silverberg and this is the place where my friends and I nerd out about powerlifting technique. What we’re looking at is a near-perfect linear relationship between the body weight of a person and which style of deadlift they choose. Sumo vs. Both Jason and Matt give a lot of credit to how athletes feel after trying both styles. If you’re built with a certain proportion it may allow you to feel more or less comfortable doing one style over another. Torso length: Start at the hip bone (greater trochanter) and measure to the top of the head, Leg length: From the base of the floor to the hip bone (greater trochanter). In comparison to a Conventional Deadlift, the Sumo Deadlift requires a much wider stance with the weight pulled from the floor with the arms positioned inside the legs. This is why I use the second point below to determine a lifter’s quad weakness. Let’s take a look at another consideration for choosing one style over another, which is based on muscular strengths and weaknesses. On this blog we share all the things we wish we knew when getting started. The main thing you need to understand is that there can be more or less of an angle for how your femur connects to the pelvis. I also share some pragmatic tips from my own experience working with powerlifters and interview other coaches on the topic. Like this article? Practically speaking, you’d also likely have greater glute activation in the conventional deadlift; however, it depends on where your hips are in the start position in relation to the barbell. Jason is the Owner of The Strength Guys, and Matt Gary is the owner of Supreme Sports Performance & Traning and the former National Team Head Coach for USA Powerlifting. One of the main differences between conventional and sumo deadlifts are the muscles used. I’ve found that conventional programs, as well thought out as they may be, are typically designed for lifters with average frames. Related ARticle: Top 10 Deadlift Alternatives. And even still, I believe if you want to take your deadlift as far as you possibly can, always train both. There are other subtleties to each of the lifts, especially when it comes to the angles of the hips and shins in relation to the bar. This is why you should have proper deadlift shoes. When I refer to the “length of your limbs” or “proportions” I’m talking about the length of your torso, arms, and legs in relation to each other. Practically speaking, you’d also likely have greater glute activation in the sumo aswell as the conventional deadlift; however, it depends on where your hips are in the start position in relation to the barbell. As I said earlier, the primary way that you want to decide whether to choose conventional or sumo deadlifting is based on which style you feel the ‘most comfortable’. For the conventional deadlifts, because you’ll have slightly more forward lean, you’ll have greater muscular activation in the trunk muscles, such as the spinal erectors. PowerliftingTechnique.com is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. This is because the angle of your femur and hip is greater. Conventional Deadlift: What’s the Difference? If you tried to replicate this forward lean for sumo deadlifts it would be highly inefficient. I am a pretty strong conventional puller (2x+ my bodyweight) with long arms and shorter torso but my legs are pretty long too, height 6'3''. In all female weight classes until 84kg+, a sumo deadlifter won. Conventional vs Sumo Deadlift: What’s Right For You? If an athlete has a quad weakness, I would get them to deadlift conventional until they develop stronger quads. By “average,” I mean lifters at least six or seven inches shorter than I am. Notice how I’m not simply saying “they should deadlift conventional because they have weak quads”. This trend is a bit more prominent in men. This is a guide to choosing whether a conventional or sumo deadlift is right for you, but at the end of the day, you must do what feels best and most comfortable for you. However, without this article turning into a ‘how to deadlift’ guide, the key differences for the conventional vs sumo deadlift are the shoulder positions. aaah the age old question. However, for the most part, this table offers some suggestions around which style you might want to try to optimize first. This is because the angle of your femur and hip is lower. Do I Need to Train BOTH Sumo AND Conventional Deadlifts? (2002), shows that the vastus medialis (inside of the quad), vastus lateralis (outside of the quad), and tibialis anterior (outside of calf) had greater muscular activation in the sumo deadlift. If you fall on either end of the extreme, the lowest or heaviest bodyweight class, then the decision becomes rather clear. … Experiment with both conventional and sumo, and select the style that feels the most comfortable and allows you to lift the heaviest weight over time. However, if you fall somewhere in the middle bodyweight classes, you might need to do a bit more experimentation between the two styles to see which one will work best. This helped me to get the 617-pound deadlift … Arm length: Start at the shoulder joint (humeral head) to the tip of the middle finger. One of the easier ways I diagnose whether someone is more dominant in one muscle group over another is how they squat. To understand how this works, let’s take a look at data from the 2016 IPF World Powerlifting Championships. Because there’s no eccentric range of motion, you are not able to build up tension in the same way as other lifts before starting the movement. The pelvis, hip socket, and femur (upper leg bone) are going to differ on an individual basis. However, these recommendations should be taken in context with the other factors suggested in this article, since in actuality I can actually pull more weight using a conventional deadlift stance. Check out my article on whether you should squat and deadlift on the same workout. Less work against gravity requires less overall energy output to complete the lift. In addition, third parties, including Facebook, may use cookies, web beacons, and other storage technologies to collect or receive information from PowerliftingTechnique.com and elsewhere on the Internet and use that information to provide measurement services and target ads. We’ll cover that in more detail later. The study by Hales (2010) has rarely factored into us making a successful recommendation of stance. However, for the most part, this table offers some suggestions around which style you might want to try to optimize first. Here's the variation you need to master! If the athlete’s hips rise faster than the bar, then this might mean they are weaker in the quads and stronger in the hip and back extensors. Therefore, there is greater mechanical work for conventional deadlifts; and vice versa, less mechanical work for sumo deadlifts. We’ll cover that in more detail later. The reason why you’ll feel more or less comfortable in one style over another is largely determined by the structure of your hip. In the image above, the angle on the left will be more naturally built for conventional, the angle in the middle may be suited for either conventional or sumo, and the angle on the right will be more naturally built for sumo. As such, you’ll want to play to your strengths as much as possible. The sumo deadlift is essentially a standard deadlift done with a wide-stance and a narrow grip. Alternatively, the lower the angle, the more comfortable this person will feel pulling conventional. One special point of confusion for new lifters centers on which style of deadlift to perform: conventional or sumo. In order to understand what ‘short’, ‘average’, and ‘long’ mean, Dr. Hales provides the following guidelines (measured as a percentage of your overall height): When you’re measuring your proportions, here is how you should measure: Based on the proportions outlined above, I would be classified as someone who has average arms, long legs, and a long torso, which would result in limb lengths suited for either conventional of sumo deadlifting. This is referred to as anthropometrics, which means the measurements of an individual. In general lighter lifters (less than 63kg / 138lbs for women and 93kg / 204lbs for men) will deadlift in a sumo stance, and heavier lifters will deadlift in a conventional stance. 7 weight class winners were sumo lifters, one was conventional. This data should be an easy reference point for you to decide which deadlifting style you should choose. This alters the biomechanics of the lift by placing more of the tension on the hips and quadriceps as opposed to the posterior chain. If you tried to replicate this forward lean for sumo deadlifts it would be highly inefficient. Overall height: From the base of the floor to the top of the head. When it comes to the sump vs. conventional deadlift, both exercises activate your muscles to the same degree, but in different ways. In my experience, this is simply how long it takes for an athlete to find a natural position with sumo deadlifts. However, without this article turning into a ‘how to deadlift’ guide, the key differences for the conventional vs sumo deadlift are the shoulder positions. If you have short arms, you should read my article on Deadlifting With Short Arms because I provide 4 tricks that will help you get better leverage. I’m going to cover each of these factors in more detail, which will give you a step-by-step process to choosing whether conventional or sumo will maximize your strength potential. Try both and just see which you are stronger. It's easy to look at the conventional barbell deadlift and think it's the weight room's great equalizer. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the sumo deadlift will automatically feel easier for you. It requires less mobility at the level of the hips, and at least initially, it will feel more natural for the athlete. It pretty well depends on your basic body type, along with some other factors. With the wider stance, the sumo deadlift is 20-25% less range of motion when compared with the conventional deadlift. For Matt, the best approach is to let the athlete experiment freely and then get them to decide which is the most comfortable. If after performing this test you find that you can get a decent amount of flexion by keeping your knee more in line with your shoulder, then you’re more likely suited for conventional deadlifting. Choose the dominant style and see if it feels more comfortable to you. The exact numbers change over time, but in general, about 2/3 of female lifters and males under 100kg pull sumo, and about 2/3 of male lifters over 100kg deadlift conventional. Test your strength in each deadlift style over a long period of time (6-months) before committing to one over another. Sumo deadlift = shoulders in line with the bar in the start position. Dr. Michael Hales, a strength and conditioning researcher, published an article that provided recommendations on the style of deadlift that may lead to greater potential for performance-based on individual proportions. Typically, smaller, thinner lifters tend to perform better with the sumo style and larger, thicker lifters tend to perform better with the conventional style due to the individual leverages involved. While the form and technique of each variation is markedly dissimilar from one another, the general simplicity of lifting a weight off the ground until complete lockout still holds true. Interested to learn more about how the sumo deadlift compares with the back squat? When considering sumo deadlifts I use the factors outlined in this article in a priority fashion. Can go through comfortably range of motion your hips can go through comfortably in front of.! Learn about whether glutes are more active in one muscle group over another to first! Places more loading demand on sumo or conventional deadlift for tall lifters other hand, in the start position determine the range motion! 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