These include: set back, engaged hips/lats, tight core, neutral head posture, and the feet fully gripping the floor. However, that doesn’t necessarily mean that the sumo deadlift will automatically feel easier for you. This makes the conventional deadlift tougher on our back muscles, especially our spinal erectors. Sumo Deadlifts are more hip dominant than Conventional variations and consequently train the glutes and hamstrings to a much greater degree. It also depends if the lifter is competing equipped or raw but that can be another conversation too. Without getting an x-ray, you can determine your hip angles by completing a “Hip Socket Self-Assessment”. My general theory is that when they try sumo, if their strength is within 90% of their conventional deadlift, there is a good chance it is going to be stronger or at least as strong if consistently trained. A video posted by S Brooklyn Weightlifting Club (@southbrooklynwc) on Dec 28, 2016 at 9:10am PST. In the conventional deadlift our shins are pretty vertical. There not much sense in trying to copy that. So maybe your from is up to snuff but your stabilizer muscles or supporting muscle groups aren’t strong enough for you to truly express your strength quite yet. Why: To achieve a neutral spine, Oak points out that he naturally has a posterior tilt, so by tilting his pelvis posteriorly, then shifting into an anterior tilt before setting allows him get set in the best position possible. Your Stance Is Too Wide. What a newer lifter may struggle with is pointing out the differences between targeted muscles and force transfer. An electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts. To keep things simple. Perhaps you are stronger conventional at this time but your sumo looks a lot cleaner mechanically. The Sumo Deadlift. I don’t ever want a lifter to pull sumo because they are taking a shortcut to lifting more weight. Yet, the answer changes when someone says, “Should I pull sumo or conventional?” Then the answer takes a weird form, which is comprised of multiple opinions and logics. Join the BarBend Newsletter for everything you need to get stronger. As the name implies, a sumo deadlift employs a wide, sumo-wrestler-like stance over the barbell, in contrast to the narrower stance seen in the conventional deadlift. Oak explains that flexing the quads helps him activate these muscles before physically setting and pulling. The type of deadlift that works best for you has more to do with your body proportions than anything. That being said let’s pose this situation. World records, results, training, nutrition, breaking news, and more. Paulie Steinman: As a rule, unless there is a glaring anthropometric issue, I will start the lifter off with conventional. Therefore, a trap bar deadlift or an elevated version of sumo or conventional deadlifts might be a better option due to fewer mobility demands and less of a risk for injury. The first and most obvious difference is that the lifter’s legs are outside their arms and their feet will tend to point out as opposed to straight forward. To help use answer this question, we enrolled the help of world record holding powerlifter Kevin Oak! A Chart Of Who Would Perform Better With A Sumo Deadlift Vs A Conventional Deadlift Based On Body Dimensions Deadlift Full Body Workout Fitness Body . This percentage can be used for comparison. John Gaglione: When switching stances or trying a new it is best to start with lighter weight and higher reps off blocks or mats and work your way down to the floor in order to build strength while ingraining proper position. 1 rep was just a sumo PR, 2 reps was an all time PR sumo OR conventional, and 3 reps just topped it off. It rarely happens overnight. Paulie Steinman: It’s not very difficult to test an athlete that I think may be suspect of that specific scenario. Save the sumo versus conventional deadlift debate for the comments section. Sumo vs Conventional Deadlift Kevin Oak’s Favorite Sumo Deadlift Tips. 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 … At worst, it’s just crappy technique and there is not much to learn from it. Sumo vs. Sumo deadlifting requires more hip and glute strength and conventional deadlifting requires more hamstring and lower back strength. Therefore, there is greater mechanical work for conventional deadlifts; and vice versa, less mechanical work for sumo deadlifts. To efficiently perform strong sumo pulls, you need to externally rotate the hips. The purpose of this study was to document the differences in kinematics between the Sumo and conventional style deadlift techniques as performed by competitive powerlifters. The mindset stereotypically of conventional deadlifters’ of “grip it and rip it” definitely doesn’t apply to the technically demanding lift of sumo deadlifts, and may have led to the misconceptions about raw sumo deadlifts. I don’t ever let a lifter use a particular form or technique because it looks cool or they see their favorite powerlifter pulling that way on Instagram. Your knees are in a much more stable position in the conventional deadlift than in the sumo. Jake Boly: Do you have any methods or coaching techniques that you employ to test an athlete that you think may be suspect of that specific scenario? Conventional Deadlift: What’s the Difference? Biomechanical differences between sumo and conventional deadlifts result from technique variations between these exercises. It’s important to recognize that while the two deadlift styles look different there are two main similarities. This list can go on and expand as form gets broken down even more, but these are the major cues to keep in mind when starting. In the video above, Oak shares insights into why he thinks training both deadlift styles is important for both strength athletes and recreational lifters. Which should you do? The deadlift is one of the best exercises for building muscle, strength, and all around athleticism. It was found that the Sumo lifters maintained a … If you are a competitive powerlifter use the stance that is going to give you the highest total at the meet. For recreational strength athletes, the utilization of both a little more equally can be beneficial. Furthermore, utilizing both Sumo and Conventional Deadlift variations within our training will provide countless benefits which are often overlooked. It IS true that sumo deadlifts allow for a shorter range of motion. Paulie Steinman: I don’t have any specific tests beyond my eyes, the bar speed, and feedback from the lifter. In fact, a study conducted in 2002 found only a few differences between each deadlift and the rate at which different muscles fired. Another cool EMG observation this study made was the difference in muscles firing when wearing a belt and not. If you are a competitive powerlifter you goal is to lift the most amount of weight possible. Sumo Deadlift Setup. In reality, there’s not a perfect equation for diversifying your sumo and conventional deadlift training because everyone has different goals. A photo posted by S Brooklyn Weightlifting Club (@southbrooklynwc) on Sep 8, 2016 at 6:20pm PDT. A video posted by John Gaglione (@gaglionestrength) on Feb 2, 2017 at 4:31am PST. Are currently doing conventional and sumo deadlift Setup s like trying on someone else ’ s worth a shot you! Best benefit can be used to support athleticism, strength, and feedback the... 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