The sumo deadlift is a variation of the deadlift. It is especially popular with female trainers. Because of the unique stance (wide stance), it can better exercise the muscles of the buttocks and inner legs.
What is a sumo deadlift?
As the name suggests: like a Japanese sumo wrestler preparing for a fight. His feet would be wide apart -- that's how the sumo deadlift gets its name.
Target exercises: Glutes, adductors, hamstrings, quadriceps, back, core, calves.
Equipment Needed: 7ft Olympic Barbell, weight plates, weightlifting belt (to help stabilize your lower body).
How to do sumo deadlift
Starting position: Use a wide stance. Spread your legs about 90 degrees apart. Stand, squat, and hold the bar. The arms should hang straight down between the legs, and the grip position is determined by where the arms naturally drop. Be careful not to bend your elbows.
Don't move your shoulders forward or upward. In the traditional deadlift, the shoulder blades are facing the bar; squat down until the thighs are nearly parallel to the floor.
Action essentials: Take a deep breath, keep all the muscles tense, lift the heavy object, move the hips forward, start to lift the heavy object, push the ground hard with both feet, and then move the hips forward.
Continue pushing your feet on the floor until your legs are fully extended until you reach a locked position.
You should be as serious about lowering as you are lifting, as many people have been injured by substandard lowering. Repeat the lifting process in reverse to safely lower the weight. Keep your back straight and the bar close to your body.
Key Tips:
1. The arms should remain straight throughout the lift.
2. The strength of the lift mainly comes from the forward movement of the legs and hips.
3. Feel what you're doing is pushing the ground, not pulling a heavy object with your hands.
4. Move the bar as close to your body as possible so that it moves straight up.
5. Make sure your back is straight or maintain a natural arc. Try to avoid bending your back as you lift.
6. You also push your knees out as you lift so that your knees and toes are pointing in the same direction
How to do the conventional deadlift
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart and the middle of your feet directly under the bar.
Bend over and grab the barbell, hands shoulder-width apart.
Articulate your hips, keep your shoulders together, straighten your head and chest, and pull the bar up. Keep the bar as close to your body as possible throughout the movement.
Stretch at the top until your body is upright.
Slowly lower the bar -- while maintaining control of the weight -- back to the starting position.
repeat.
The difference and similarity between sumo deadlift and conventional deadlift
Both movements involve all the major muscle groups in your lower and even upper body, including your back, arms, glutes, quads, and hamstrings. Both sumo and conventional deadlifts also allow you to load weights onto the bar and then pull the bar off the ground, stretching your hips and back.
Whereas the sumo deadlift relies on recruiting the glutes, glutes, and legs to initiate the first portion of the pull, the conventional deadlift has a more equal balance between the lower back and hamstrings.
Both the sumo deadlift and the conventional deadlift have their pros and cons.
The conventional deadlift works more of your back muscles - erector spinae, levator scapulae, rhomboids - and is easy to learn for beginners. But it does not target leg muscle training, and it requires frequent bending, which is easy to cause injury.
The sumo deadlift relieves the pressure on the back by keeping you upright during the process. And because the split-leg stance increases the pressure on the legs, it is conducive to the development of the leg muscles. But the sumo deadlift can overstress your glutes adductors. And the action is highly technical, not suitable for beginners.
You need to choose whether to do the sumo deadlift or the conventional deadlift according to your needs and physical condition.
