Wide feet and a narrow grip result in a shorter vertical range of motion for the lift and less movement around the hip and knee joints. If you have long legs, you should read my article on Deadlifting For Tall Guys. If you don’t perform the movement correctly, you get none of the advantages of the stance and you keep all the disadvantages. The main reason is that it’s simply an easier movement to learn. It’s important to recognize that the information we’re going to cover may have more to do with the proportions outlined previously, rather than the overall bodyweight of a person. This is because the angle of your femur and hip is lower. 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. Which I find very interesting, and just goes to show that training for one lift can in turn help the other. Technique is paramount to being a good sumo puller. Medicine Science Sport Exercise, 34(4): 682-688. (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. Every time I give workshops on powerlifting technique at least one person always asks whether they should deadlift conventional or sumo. Less work against gravity requires less overall energy output to complete the lift. As you get higher in bodyweight, the fewer sumo deadlifts are being represented with more conventional pulls. If you're towering over the other gym-goers, the rules are different when it comes to heavy pulls. 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''. What Jason prioritizes is simply how the athlete is performing over a longer period of time. However, without this article turning into a ‘how to deadlift’ guide, the key differences for the conventional vs sumo deadlift are the shoulder positions. However, for the most part, this table offers some suggestions around which style you might want to try to optimize first. Conventional vs Sumo deadlift? 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 … To understand why, we must examine a variety of components related to Deadlift performance. Let’s now talk about the next consideration for deciding whether to do conventional or sumo deadlifting. This site is owned and operated by PowerliftingTechnique.com. 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. Hi! As you can see 100% of the 59kg class used sumo deadlifting, and less than 15% of the 120k+ class used sumo. When considering sumo deadlifts I use the factors outlined in this article in a priority fashion. For both the conventional and sumo deadlift, you’ll want to ensure that you achieve maximal muscular tension in the start position. I’ve found this to be extremely challenging psychologically, because I’ve had to tweak my lifting cycles and make significantly more biomechanical and programming … If you don’t have muscular tension before lifting the bar, both your conventional and sumo deadlifts will be inefficient off the floor. In my experience, this is simply how long it takes for an athlete to find a natural position with sumo deadlifts. Deciding whether to do conventional or sumo also depends on your overall bodyweight. If the athlete is more suited for sumo deadlifting, then I will begin to transition them and commit to sumo deadlifting for at least six months. While this is not always the case, it might mean they have a quad weakness because when the knees are in full flexion the quads are working the hardest. Like this article? Alternatively, the lower the angle, the more comfortable this person will feel pulling conventional. This Is the Best Way for Tall Guys to Deadlift Nick Collias March 11, 2020 • 2 min read. 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). 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. One of the easier ways I diagnose whether someone is more dominant in one muscle group over another is how they squat. As you get lower in body-weight, the more sumo deadlifts are being represented with fewer conventional pulls. The greater the angle of where the femur connects to the pelvis, the more comfortable this person will feel pulling sumo. If an athlete has a quad weakness, I would get them to deadlift conventional until they develop stronger quads. To understand how this works, let’s take a look at data from the 2016 IPF World Powerlifting Championships. It pretty well depends on your basic body type, along with some other factors. The rack pull is an invaluable exercise that provides lifters with a great way to manage that issue. The most precise way to find your bone and joint angles is to get an X-ray and have a radiologist tell you how the femur and pelvis line up, However, most people won’t get an X-ray just to understand which deadlifting style they should do (that would be hardcore if you actually got an x-ray for this purpose though). The angles of your body in relation to the bar are going to be different for conventional versus sumo deadlifts. 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. Lifters Experience. Conversely, my wife is incredibly mobile, but has a hard time controlling her spinal positioning in conventional, so as a result, most of her deadlift work is in either sumo stance or with a trap bar. Overall height: From the base of the floor to the top of the head. 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. With the wider stance, the sumo deadlift is 20-25% less range of motion when compared with the conventional deadlift. He weighed in at 98kg. Sumo vs Conventional Deadlift. Check out my article on whether you should squat and deadlift on the same workout. As you get lower in body-weight, the more sumo deadlifts are being represented with fewer conventional pulls. Let’s take a look at another consideration for choosing one style over another, which is based on muscular strengths and weaknesses. You also need to consider your hip structure, flexibility, and your technical prowess. This is the heaviest deadlift ever completed in competition by someone weighing less than 100kg. 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. The sumo vs conventional deadlift are actually very similar. There are differences in how the femur and pelvis come together, where the hip socket is located on the pelvis, and how the femur is rotated. In the conventional deadlift, you will have approximately 5-10% more forward lean. So, it’s better if I have my athletes feeling confident pulling from the floor first before trying to optimize their 1 rep max. We’ll cover that in more detail later. I’m Avi Silverberg and this is the place where my friends and I nerd out about powerlifting technique. I've found that it takes years for a lifter to perfect sumo. You may find yourself deciding to pick either conventional or sumo deadlifts based on which muscles are stronger or weaker. 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. However, for the most part, this table offers some suggestions around which style you might want to try to optimize first. In the conventional deadlift, you will have approximately 5-10% more forward lean. As such, you should train both conventional and sumo for a period of time to see if you have a personal preference. Nick Collias March 11, 2020 • 2 min read. Alternatively, if you find you can keep pulling your hip through flexion as the knee rolls to the outside, then you’re more likely suited for sumo pulling. It’s important to recognize that while the two deadlift styles look different there are two main similarities. The study by Hales (2010) has rarely factored into us making a successful recommendation of stance. These angles will determine the range of motion your hips can go through comfortably. Check out my other article on the Sumo Deadlift vs Back Squat. Granted, I am not planning on competing for another few months so I'm definitely in a development block, but I do ALL of my assistance work at the moment with a conventional stance - stuff like RDL, SLDL, … 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. 7 weight class winners were sumo lifters, one was conventional. I am possibly wanting to switch but my sumo is a good 100lbs weaker right now… would my conventional still go up? Notice how I’m not simply saying “they should deadlift conventional because they have weak quads”. In the start position, this will look like your shoulders being slightly in front of the bar if you were to draw a straight line down to the floor. 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. 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. Here's the variation you need to master! 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 trend is a bit more prominent in men. On this blog we share all the things we wish we knew when getting started. On the other hand, in the sumo deadlift, your shoulders should be directly in line with the bar. In this specific example, we’re talking about the measurements of a person’s bones and joints. Sumo deadlift = shoulders in line with the bar in the start position. It also increases the difficulty of the starting pull off the floor and makes the lockout much easier. Deciding whether to do conventional or sumo also depends on your overall bodyweight. The pelvis, hip socket, and femur (upper leg bone) are going to differ on an individual basis. These angles will determine the range of motion your hips can go through comfortably. However, without this article turning into a ‘how to deadlift’ guide, the key differences for the conventional vs sumo deadlift are the shoulder positions. Lastly, one of the main differences between conventional and sumo deadlifts are the muscles used. I asked them how they would decide whether someone should do conventional or sumo: In practice, we’ve operated off of the belief that people should try both and use the one they are strongest in on a permanent basis moving forward. This analysis shows the breakdown of competitors based on their body-weight and which weight class they competed. Conventional deadlift = shoulders over the bar in the start position. Typically speaking, the people who train both types of pulls tend to have very strong ones. Sumo deadlift = shoulders in line with the bar in the start position. 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. Especially if you're coming from a conventional deadlift background. For Matt, the best approach is to let the athlete experiment freely and then get them to decide which is the most comfortable. 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 … In the start position, this will look like your shoulders being slightly in front of the bar if you were to draw a straight line down to the floor. It’s important to recognize that while the two deadlift styles look different there are two main similarities. If you find the measurements suggesting you can deadlift either conventional or sumo, then a semi-sumo deadlift stance might be more appropriate for you. 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 Nowadays, sumo is exceptionally popular. First, I look at their hip structure and proportions, then I look at their bodyweight and muscular strengths. This is why you should have proper deadlift shoes. One of the main differences between conventional and sumo deadlifts are the muscles used. 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. Usually works better the other way around but a cycle of sumo can improve your conventional deadlift… Neither variation is going to be naturally easier or harder as it depends on certain individual differences. Related ARticle: Top 10 Deadlift Alternatives. 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. It's a different type of movement. Related Article: Jefferson Squat: How-To, Benefits, & Should You Do It? This data should be an easy reference point for you to decide which deadlifting style you should choose. The greater the angle of where the femur connects to the pelvis, the more comfortable this person will feel pulling sumo. If you’re built with a certain proportion it may allow you to feel more or less comfortable doing one style over another. However, the data below is just too interesting not to mention. We’ll cover that in more detail later. More often than not, a key sticking point for most lifters is locking out the weight. 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. You can see how Jason doesn’t take too much stock on the recommendations based on proportion sizes. Both Jason and Matt give a lot of credit to how athletes feel after trying both styles. 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. Interested to learn more about how the sumo deadlift compares with the back squat? Whether you feel comfortable or not will largely be dependant on your hip structure, so make sure to perform the supine assessment to figure out the natural range of motion of your hips. The research is still undecided about whether glutes are more active in one style over another. Conventional deadlifting uses a narrower stance with hands outside the legs, whereas sumo uses a wider stance with hands starting inside the legs. It’s important to note that if you do not have any muscular tension before you lift the bar, your sumo or conventional deadlift will not be efficient and could cause injury. This is referred to as anthropometrics, which means the measurements of an individual. First, does the athlete always fail to drive out of the hole and above parallel? For example, I found that once I trained sumo along with my conventional, my conventional got stronger. Arm length: Start at the shoulder joint (humeral head) to the tip of the middle finger. I also share some pragmatic tips from my own experience working with powerlifters and interview other coaches on the topic. 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. By “average,” I mean lifters at least six or seven inches shorter than I am. To do a sumo deadlift, position your feet wider than hip-width, toes pointing out just slightly. In order to understand what ‘short’, ‘average’, and ‘long’ mean, Dr. Hales provides the following guidelines (measured as a percentage of your overall height): Based on the proportions outlined above, I would be classified as someone who has long arms, long legs, and a long/average torso, which would result in limb lengths suited for either conventional deadlifting. It’s important to recognize that the information we’re going to cover may have more to do with the proportions outlined previously, rather than the overall bodyweight of a person. PowerliftingTechnique.com is a participant in the Amazon Services LLC Associates Program, an affiliate advertising program designed to provide a means for sites to earn advertising fees by advertising and linking to Amazon.com. I always recommend training both though. The first way to decide is to understand which style feels the most comfortable throughout the entire range of motion. 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. While these are just semantics, an important difference to note is that during a conventional pull the hands are outside the legs (see photo above), while on a sumo pull the hands are inside the legs (see video below). A study by Escamilla et al. If you tried to replicate this forward lean for sumo deadlifts it would be highly inefficient. 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. 2012 International Powerlifting Federation open World Championships, sumo lifters won every male weight class except the 105kg (231lbs) class. As such, you’ll want to play to your strengths as much as possible. Sumo and conventional are two stance options for performing the deadlift for maximal strength and power. As you can see 100% of the 59kg class used sumo deadlifting, and less than 15% of the 120k+ class used sumo. Hip anatomy and physical characteristics may also dictate which method one finds most suitable. Sumo Or Conventional Deadlift: Which Should You Do? This trend is a bit more prominent in men. This data should be an easy reference point for you to decide which deadlifting style you should choose. 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