Results: Overall EMG activity from the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and tibialis anterior were significantly greater in the sumo deadlift, whereas overall EMG activity from the medial gastrocnemius was significantly greater in the conventional deadlift. While the width of your feet makes your pull shorter in sumo, just getting the bar off the ground is more difficult. As a result, I have always favored the sumo deadlift because this angle puts a lot of stress on my lower back. If you wanted to focus on your back muscles then EMG data suggests that the conventional deadlift would be a more suitable choice, whereas those working on their quads would get more benefit from the sumo deadlift. At Brand X – The Lab, we’ve seen people improve their conventional deadlift after training exclusively sumo—but, yeah, you guessed it—not the opposite. “If you mix and match the planes in which you train, and change constantly it’s a huge advantage, not just to the wear and tear, but to make you stronger in the weakest links. And finally, limb length, and as already mentioned, I have short arms with an average torso, so yet again, the sumo deadlift comes out on top. In that vein, Wenning has long been an advocate of everyone —from high-level powerlifters to newbie CrossFitters — incorporating sumo into their training program. I pull all over the place- conventional in competitions, but 75 percent of my training is sumo,” Wenning said. A good sumo deadlifter doesn’t lack hip mobility. 3️⃣ The CONVENTIONAL DEADLIFT You have to try to find the weakest link [in your lift] and make it better.”. Powerlifting Perfection 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. You may even want to consider deadlifting without shoes! If I was to do an honest assessment of my strength, I would say that my back is one of my more developed muscle groups, therefore a conventional may be best. Or you can look at it another way, which stance do you find most comfortable? Break out the boxing gloves! It’s a small sample size, so is by no means a conclusive study but of the 24 lifters, 15 used a sumo deadlift and only 9 used a conventional deadlift. This is also a good argument for never settling on one particular stance. Hello everyone, This is just an informative post in which I try to clarify the trade-offs between the conventional and sumo deadlifts. To say the sumo stance is functional is to lose its significance in all the buzz around that overused label. Below is a pretty succinct breakdown of the conventional deadlift by Ed Cohen. Vince Anello was short and pulled conventional. And everyone Wenning trains learns to deadlift sumo-style. This means that the way our hips connect to our femur and the shape of this joint can influence our deadlift stance. If you have a particularly strong back, relative to other muscle groups, then you will probably find the conventional deadlift easier than the sumo deadlift. In this article, I want to simplify the decision-making process for you and give you the high-level details on the conventional vs sumo deadlift debate. As far as flexibility goes, I have no problems getting into the wide stance that the sumo deadlift demands, so this factor would point towards a sumo deadlift. Number 2 is Benedikt Magnusson, with a deadlift … If you were to look at my injury reports and strength [charts], sumo deadlift has played a massive part in improvements.”, “A lot of people, the average athlete or CrossFit person, if they can’t sumo that’s a muscle imbalance issue. It isn’t an exact science but some studies have shown that heavier lifters tend to lean more towards a conventional stance, whereas lighter lifters, in general, prefer a sumo stance. That said, some considerations may help make your decision easier: Let’s look at these in a bit more detail. It’s also worth considering the equipment you use when deadlifting, such as your choice of shoe. This site is owned and operated by Powerlifting Perfection. When it comes to the sump vs. conventional deadlift, both exercises activate your muscles to the same degree, but in different ways. (This article goes more in depth on technique for each.). A good goal is have your max sumo be in the 85 percent range of your conventional dead lift max (or vice versa if you’re a stronger sumo puller.). There are several factors to consider and each will influence your stance in different ways. Powerlifting Perfection also participates in affiliate programs with other sites. /s. deadlift class who use the conventional method. He’s the director and co-founder of the U.S. Army’s MAW (Mountain Athlete Warrior) program. For my hip structure, I can achieve more flexion with my leg moved out wide, so again, it’s more evidence favoring a sumo deadlift. Once these values are determined, a table is provided which indicates what deadlift stance is best suited to your proportions. Here are my top 5 recommendations to ensure your deadlift is as strong as it can be regardless of whether you pull conventional or sumo. Taking myself as an example; my training goals are centered around Powerlifting and I would like to one day compete in a Powerlifting competition. Wenning is a world record holder and has a masters degree in biomechanics to go along with a 2,665 lb. In the sumo deadlift, by moving my legs out wide, I can bring my hips closer to the floor, meaning my short, T-Rex like arms are better equipped to reach the bar, and my back remains more upright. Therefore, I would predominantly want to focus on the stance that I am strongest in, which, right now, is the sumo deadlift. To name a few: They Will Strengthen Our Weak Points. First up on the Top 3 is Andy Bolton, who lifted 457.5 kgs (1,06.5 pounds), officially the first man to deadlift over 1,000 pounds. The sumo style of deadlift involves a much wider stance, with the toes pointed outwards, and a much more upright trunk position. There is a reason why the conventional deadlift dominates the list of guys who have the biggest deadlifts. The set-up here is quite different and a bit more precise so you can’t just grip it and rip it like the conventional deadlift. Andy Bolton is only 6'. Your weight may also be a factor in determining your ideal deadlift stance. There are several excellent articles on the subject, however many get too in-depth and can be overwhelming for beginners who are just looking for a simple guide to help them on their way. The main difference between the sumo and the conventional deadlift is the position of the feet and hands. A 2000 paper found that when normalized by height conventional deadlifters had 20-25% greater bar displacement than the sumo deadlifters (3). If you’re interested in learning more about the conventional vs sumo deadlift … I have personally switched over to sumo deadlift because it’s a more favorable back angle for my thin … What muscles you’re looking to train; Your hip structure/ flexibility: this actually plays a greater role than your height / proportional limb length; It’s primarily a question of comfort: conventional pulls place a great … The Deadlift Series: Sumo vs. You could swap between both from week to week. conventional as a raw lifter, credits the sumo-deadlift —along with his Conjugate-style training method—for helping him stay injury-free during 20-plus years of lifting. About 85-90 percent of the population will have or has had lower back problems,” Wenning said. The reality is that the sumo deadlift requires significantly more quadriceps strength than the conventional deadlift. “If I get guys to do sumo first their lifting is much better and they have a little more hip dominance, which protects the lower back,” said Wenning, who owns Ludus Magnus gym in Columbus, Oh. Sumo wrestlers adopt this stance as it is a mechanically very strong position- so too with the sumo deadlift. What is clear to see is that in the 3 lightest weight classes (59kg, 66kg, and 74kg) all 9 lifters chose a sumo deadlift. Pulling sumo uses the quads and adductors to a greater extent than conventional but also requires above average adductor flexibility. 2️⃣ The PAUSED SUMO DEADLIFT This exercise requires you to maintain a lot of tension and tightness throughout the start of the lift This is a great variation because it forces you into a more upright position and encourages better technique . Make sure and regularly switch over from time to time, you might be surprised by how well you perform! In an article by Dr. Michael Hales, a method for measuring your arms, torso, and height and their relative lengths is outlined. I was watching some deadlift videos on youtube and some of the comments I read were just plain stupid. The Conventional Deadlift. But … I won’t go into the nitty-gritty details as Greg Nuckols covers it well, but in general, the angle at which your femoral head connects to your hip socket can play a big factor in how well suited you might be to each deadlift stance. The final factor to consider is the length of your limbs (arms, legs, torso) relative to each other. Feet are hip-width. Can anyone shed some light on both of those deadlifts. making the sumo stance more favorable if you have a weaker back or stronger quads. One of the most important considerations to factor in when deciding on your deadlift stance is why you are training in the first place! As in which deadlift should be used when targeting specific muscles etc. equipped squat. With all the above factors in mind, you should have a clearer idea of whether a conventional or sumo deadlift will be more suitable for you. About 85-90 percent of the population will have or has had lower back problems…The major cause of lower back issues is lack of hip mobility. This stance brings the quads more into the mix and has less reliance on the spinal erectors to complete the lift, (although they’ll still be doing plenty of work!) I get people very proficient at sumo deadlifts and, once they have that control over the glute medius and maximus, the flexibility of the hamstring and groin, then when I put them back in the conventional deadlift,they can correct [things] no matter where their feet are.”. It’s time for the weekly sumo vs conventional debate! “It corrects motor patterns, and protects the lower back while people are learning. The conventional deadlift, as its name suggests, is the conventional way to perform a deadlift. Before this, tournaments were held less frequently; sometimes only once or twice per year. Its joint ROMs say “hinge,” but its joint moments say “squat.” Although both lifts recruit the same muscle groups, for the most part, the conventional deadlift tends to have more hamstring and spinal erector (lower back) activation. It’s a different movement that requires a different setup and cues than conventional. Now let’s take a look at the sumo deadlift. Therein lays the tradeoff with the sumo deadlift. This means the posterior chain muscles of the hamstring, glutes, and lower back are going to be stressed more in a conventional deadlift than in a sumo deadlift.. Conventional vs Sumo Deadlift | A Beginner’s Guide, IPF World Open Powerlifting Championships 2019, This method is simplified by Boris Bojanovic at EliteFTS. With the legs out wide, this brings the hips closer to the bar allowing for a more upright torso position and will also typically reduce the range of motion by about 20-25%. raw squat and a 1197 lb. You see a lot of problems with these [training] systems coming out, they are not looking at trying to fix weakness or train in different planes constantly. In this article, I want to simplify the decision-making process for you and give you the high-level details on the conventional vs sumo deadlift debate. Depending on who you speak to, you will often get a different answer on which is best, making it hard to come to your own conclusion. Deadlifting is fun! I then plotted this on the graph below. If you find that your knee is at its highest point before you start to bring your leg out wide, then you may be best suited to a conventional deadlift. So be sure to ask yourself why you are deadlifting in the first place and whether one stance, in particular, will help you achieve your goal more effectively. Data from Cholewicki shows that spinal extension demands are approximately 10% higher in the conventional deadlift. The sumo deadlift requires a wider stance - after all, you're emulating a Sumo wrestler - so it promotes a more vertical torso. Does this mean you have to lift sumo all the time? Everyone has different strengths, weaknesses, weight, height, leverages, etc that there are just too many factors at play to give a simple answer. 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. deadlift class who use the conventional method. Sumo vs. Since 1958 six honbasho have been held every year, giving wrestlers from the modern era more opportunities to accumulate championships and wins. Again, there is a reason why all of the best deadlifters pull sumo, and it's not because they are tall. How strong certain muscle groups are may influence your deadlift stance. 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 lower back and … CONVENTIONAL DEADLIFT. In doing this test, you can learn a lot about how your hip joint functions, and this can be a good indicator of whether a conventional or sumo deadlift may be best for you. To make things a bit easier, I have created a calculator which will tell you what stance is best for you once you measure and input the values provided. T he sumo and conventional deadlifts are two different lifts, each with its own sets of unique benefits and drawbacks. I have particularly short arms and when I adopt a conventional deadlift, I have to bend over quite far to reach the bar, putting my back at a very exposed angle. Powerlifting Perfection is compensated for referring traffic and business to these companies. We’re all built differently and our hips come in a wide variety of shapes and sizes. If you do this for twenty years you will realize how important that is. In the 3 heaviest categories, the majority of lifters chose a conventional deadlift, with 1 lifter in each class choosing a sumo deadlift. Compared with the no-belt condition, the belt condition produced significantly greater rectus abdominis activity and … I do a deadlift variation three times per week and I always do sumo on Wednesdays. You could do this in any number of ways but in all cases, this will take a few months of training with good technique. The key for him has, and will always be, producing a more balanced athlete. Instead of being about hip-width apart, with sumo the feet are positioned wider than your hands. Again though, I want to reemphasize that you should not completely disregard one variation once you have established your preferred stance. Wenning believes sumo has a longer life span (in terms of keeping athletes healthier) while conventional is more powerful, citing most of the 14 lifters in the 900-lb. When it comes to a deadlift, the debate of the century revolves around the comparison of sumo and conventional stances. The conventional deadlift, as its name suggests, is the conventional way to perform a deadlift. SUMO DEADLIFT. Since the torso is inclined farther forward at the start of the … I have nothing against either lift. While some lifters are better anatomically suited for sumo-style, Wenning said the aim is to train both styles. Flexibility can also play a role in determining your preferred deadlift stance. Don’t know who Matt Wenning is? It shows you where you need to work. Unfortunately, there’s no one size fits all answer that will tell you which stance is the best choice for you. The sumo deadlift differs from the conventional deadlift in a few key ways. EMG readings for the quads (vastus lateralis and medialis) were higher in the sumo deadlift than the conventional deadlift. Conversely, if you have a weaker back and stronger quads, then the sumo deadlift stance may be a better option. Maybe Bodybuilding is more your forte, and you want to deadlift to build up a certain muscle group? It’s important to recognize that while the two deadlift styles look different there are two main similarities. From my own experience, it seems about right. “And you will see it in a lot of people. The sumo deadlift has a much longer lifespan when done properly and attacks a major issue: lack of hip mobility. And you will see it in a lot of people. Just a note on the hinge-squat continuum: As opposed to the ~3.5:1 hip:knee moment ratio in the conventional deadlift and the ~1.8:1 hip:knee moment ration in the trap bar deadlift, the ratio in the sumo deadlift is almost exactly 1:1. I usually alternate between conventional sumo and deficit sumo. This method is simplified by Boris Bojanovic at EliteFTS to allow lifters to measure themselves and determine whether they have a short, average, or long torso and arms. Furthermore, utilizing both Sumo and Conventional Deadlift variations within our training will provide countless benefits which are often overlooked. This is the main difference in set-up between the sumo and conventional deadlift. The only way to determine whether to pull conventional or sumo is to regularly do both over a period of time and continually reassess as you get stronger and better. 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. The key is to make sure you are training with both stances for a length of time, you will eventually find yourself gravitating to one or the other. In the 83kg class, everyone used a conventional deadlift, and then in the 93kg class, it flipped back to sumo. Sumo Deadlift Setup. From my own experience, this is perhaps the factor I put the most stock into. For someone who is training for general health though, the deciding factor may come down to which lift is most comfortable. The conventional deadlift is better for those with strong glutes, hamstrings, and lower back muscles. You have to try to find the weakest link [in your lift] and make it better.”, First thing is first: sumo is NOT a deadlift with wide legs. Conventional. Of course, not everyone is going to have the luxury of knowing exactly how their hip joint looks. Because of this, it uses different muscles, and changes the bar path. In terms of weight, I am on the lighter side and fit into the 66kg class so the evidence would suggest I might favor a sumo deadlift here too. Conventional and sumo use the same muscles (mainly posterior chain) though there is more recruitment of the quad during a sumo lift. Wenning, who analyzes injury reports when working with large groups (such as the military) experimented with a test group of about 7,000 athletes. In short, both sumo and conventional deadlift variations have their place in training cycles and primarily depend upon:. So to summarize everything together, there’s no right or wrong way to perform the deadlift, and it’s not always easy to determine which stance will suit you best. Hips are farther back and chest is slightly lower than in the sumo stance. Meghan Trainor references aside, the differences in foot position make the sumo deadlift much easier to learn. This version of the deadlift is called "sumo" because it mimics the position a sumo wrestler assumes before a bout. As mentioned, this trend has been observed by others so it is certainly a good idea to keep it in mind, but certainly don’t rely on it when choosing your ideal stance. Wenning believes sumo has a longer life span (in terms of keeping athletes healthier) while conventional is more powerful, citing most of the 14 lifters in the 900-lb. Approach the barbell and stand with a wide stance. Thankfully there’s an easy test we can do to get a general idea, as demonstrated by Dean Somerset below. It also reduces the sheer force on the knees and back and can be trained more frequently and at a higher volume. If you want to train heavy and hard, it has to be different or you are going to have a problem.”, Hybrid Performance: Merging Weightlifting and Powerlifting, Fix Your Hips! “I get guys as strong as they can without getting injured and make sure it transfers over into the street. Strengthen the entire posterior chain. It shows you where you need to work. Conventional vs. Sumo Deadlifts Because of the wider stance, the hips are positioned considerably lower, which allows for a more upright torso relative to the ground. The greatest weightlifting debate of all time. This is a list of records held by wrestlers of professional sumo.Only performances in official tournaments or honbasho are included here. Firstly, let’s quickly run through the conventional and sumo deadlifts. Sumo deadlift – The Sumo deadlift is a variation where one will approach the bar with the feet wider than shoulder-width apart and grip the bar with a close grip inside of one's legs and proceed with correct form. In this deadlift our hands are placed outside the shins, with elbows outside the knees. Sumo Deadlifts are more hip dominant than Conventional variations and consequently train the glutes and hamstrings to a much greater degree. Sumo vs Conventional Deadlift. Peak moment at the hip was similar between variants but peak moment at the knee was greater in the sumo deadlift. Conventional Deadlift: What’s the Difference? For example, you could train conventional for a training block and then switch to sumo for the next. We are going to skip the hips for now and come back to them later on. Generally speaking, those who have a lot more hip joint flexibility and are more capable of hip abduction may find the sumo deadlift much easier than those who don’t. Sumo vs. You should. It’s a tough position to leverage, one that takes time to get comfortable with. (Your Back and Knees will Thank You), How to Pick the Accessory Work that’s Right for You, Nutrition Series: National Champion Weightlifter Anthony Pomponio, Your Gains Are Waiting: Diving in to How to Really Get Better, Why You (And Everyone Else You Know) Needs Bodybuilding, 8 Small Differences Between Being Good and Great (That You Can Implement Immediately), Why Winning the Whiteboard is Wrecking Your Life, Taking Flight: Patience, Persistence Fuel Fotsch’s Big Gamble. Doing the same thing all the time is what wears you down. It’s not “cheating” as you may have incorrectly heard or read and it’s not necessarily easier. John Kuc pulled 870 @ 240. He trains NFL players, Olympians, firefighters, the 82nd Airborne unit and stay-at-home moms. Because sumo is done in a wider stance than conventional and the progression of the pulling direction, it recruits much more from the hips and glutes. “The major cause of lower back issues is lack of hip mobility. Their torso will typically be more bent over than a sumo deadlift with their hips raised higher at the start. This makes the conventional deadlift tougher on our back muscles, especially our spinal erectors. Firstly, let’s quickly run through the conventional and sumo deadlifts. The conventional deadlift requires a 5% to 10% greater lean of the torso than the sumo deadlift. However, if you can get more range of motion as you bring your leg out wide then the sumo deadlift could be a better option for you. “A lot of people, the average athlete or CrossFit person, if they can’t sumo that’s a muscle imbalance issue,” Wenning said. To understand how this works, let’s take a look at data from the 2016 IPF World Powerlifting Championships. For that reason, the sumo deadlift is be more quad-dominant than its conventional counterpart, as well as less stressful to the joints and muscles surrounding the lumbar spine. equipped powerlifting total (which was a previous all-time world record.) Conventional deadlifts are harder on your spinal erectors off the floor. No. I agree that pulling reps is a lot easier with sumo, however my conventional max is still higher than my sumo (190kg vs 210kg). Hinge type movements where we emphasize hip motion over knee motion. To look into this theory, I took a look at the top 3 placed Powerlifters in each men’s weight category at the IPF World Open Powerlifting Championships 2019 and what deadlift stance they used. “It has a much longer lifespan when done properly and attacks a major issue: lack of hip mobility. To execute the lift, the lifter’s legs will be about hip-width apart with their arms just outside their legs. For a Powerlifter, the decision is simple, “in which stance am I strongest?”. One of the most polarizing debates in the strength training world is the debate on whether to deadlift in a conventional or sumo stance. Wenning has hit world records with 832 lb. As the bar comes off the ground, more load is given to the muscles along the spine and hamstrings. Wenning, who has pulled 804 lb. This also ties in quite nicely to the next factor, hip structure. Someone training for Powerlifting, for example, has one goal; to lift as much weight as possible. So, all factors bar one suggest that I might benefit from a sumo deadlift, and indeed, from my own experience and experimentation with both, I always find myself coming back to the sumo deadlift, so there may be something in it. He was 6'. If for no other reason, it can sometimes be a nice change of pace to switch up your training stimulus from time to time! As you get more experience and become stronger, you might find that you develop muscles at different rates, so what worked for you a year or two ago might not be the best option now, as weaker muscles have now ‘caught up’. My recommendation for those that have a favored stance would be to train with it around 80-90% of the time, but always be sure to swing back to the other stance now and again to assess where it is at. The best way to determine which stance is right for you is simply to try them both. I personally feel much more comfortable with the sumo, though I can lift the same amount of weight with the conventional. It relies much more on the quads, inner hamstrings, and upper traps to move the weight. While the conventional deadlift has slight knee flexion and quad demands, it is much more a hip extension dominant movement. Cholewicki et al. Are sumo deadlifts cheating? Sumo pulls need to feel extremely heavy off the floor. Might be surprised by how well you perform their arms just outside legs! Switch over from time to time, you might be surprised by how well you!... Stay-At-Home moms that takes time to get a general idea, as its name suggests, is the length your... 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