Hi BBM crew, I switched to sumo deadlifts a few weeks ago and they’ve been decent. Technique is improving each week though I’m not using the same load as I would if I were doing conventional, but it’s fine since it’s still close. But I am having slight issues.
1st, when setting up, how close should your shins be when feet are under the bar? I know in conventional it should cut it in half and when you set your hip height/slack pull, your shins will naturally come in contact with the bar. For sumo, do you want your shins touching, half an inch away, maybe more? I found half an inch to be pretty comfortable but would like to know how you execute it.
2nd, during working sets, my knees tend to buckle at the initial pull and mid range. It doesn’t happen every rep but I’m guessing it has something to do with my stance width. Width is basically at the start of the knurling on the inside which is closer than most, but any wider feels uncomfortable. I don’t think the load is the issue since all working sets have been RPE 7. I think I just need more practice but curious to know if you know the cause for this.
Any pointers would help, thanks!
Howdy, Andrew.
Nice to hear you’re enjoying the change of pace with the sumo deadlift. As you know, the main difference in the sumo deadlift is that it uses a wider stance, which places the grip inside the legs instead of outside of the legs like the conventional deadlift.
The wider stance produces a more vertical torso, which may load the back more comfortably for some. On the other hand, the wider stance may be more demanding of the hips’ mobility compared to a conventional deadlift. Both are good choices to train the hinge movement pattern and we recommend most folks train each variation at different times to become proficient at both. However, there is some nuance when it comes to selecting sumo or conventional deadlifts for a barbell sport athlete.
For powerlifters, we recommend sticking to the variation the individual is strongest at. If a powerlifter has never trained the “other” variation, e.g. a conventional deadlifter who has never really pulled sumo, we recommend incorporating both variations into a single training block to see if there’s a particular style that is head and shoulders above the other. For Olympic weightlifters, CrossFit, and Strongman athletes, the conventional deadlift is preferred for competition prep, as it’s most specific to the sport.
To do sumo deadlifts:
- Stand with your feet with a moderate stance, just wider than shoulder-width, with your toes turned out, and the bar on the ground right in front of you, ~about 1" in front of your shins. It’s a little less distance than the conventional DL, but not by much.
- Keeping your knees mostly straight, bend over and grab the barbell with an overhand grip inside of your legs, right at the start of the barbell’s knurling. Make sure your wrists and arms are straight.
- Without moving the barbell, push your knees forward and out to the side until your shins make contact with the barbell.
- Without moving the barbell or dropping your hips, squeeze your chest up to flatten your back. This is your starting position.
- Take a big breath in and hold it, then drag the barbell up your legs, keeping the bar in contact with your shins.
- Stand up tall at the top, but avoid leaning back. This is the top of the deadlift.
- Lower the weight down to the floor quickly, but under control.
- For subsequent reps, make sure that the bar is always about 1" in front of your shins when your knees are extended. You may have to move the bar forward or backwards between reps to achieve this.
We recommend starting with a moderate stance width, e.g. one that is similar to or just slightly wider than your squat stance. Sumo deadlift stances can get very wide, out to wear the lifter’s toes nearly touch the plates. However, we recommend starting with a slightly narrower stance and working out to a wider stance gradually over time. I suspect your stance width is too wide right now and weights may be too heavy for your current level of efficiency with sumo deadlifts.
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Thank you for the detailed response Jordan! Just what I needed to hear. Going to incorporate all of this so technique should start being refined. And yes, doing a conventional style pull on Day 2 for Powerbuilding III but sticking with sumo for now since I suspect I will be stronger at it in the long term.