Wide stance, bar still on the floor

Sumo Deadlift

Feet wide. Toes out. Hands inside the knees. Push the floor away. Stand tall. The bar still starts on the floor. This is not a squat with a bar in your hands.

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Hunter: I use sumo when conventional feels like a long commute for my hips. Same rule as conventional: lockout you own, not a yank. If I cannot keep the bar close, I drop a plate.

Cues

Stance wide enough that the shins are close to vertical over the bar. Toes out.
Hands inside the knees. Arms long. Bar over mid-foot.
Brace. Chest up enough to keep a flat-enough back. Hips not in a squat.
Push the floor. Bar stays close. Do not yank with the arms.
Stand tall. Squeeze. Do not lean back as a celebration. Lower with control.

Setup

Same shoes as a conventional deadlift. Mixed grip or hook. Four to five work sets if this is the main hinge. Rest about 3 minutes. If the stance cannot get the hips down without rounding, conventional or a trap bar is the honest swap. Log that name.

Vs conventional

Wider stance. Hands inside. Often a shorter travel. Still a deadlift. Pick one as the main for a block. Engine should see the stance you used. Comparing them like they are the same max is how the log lies.

Vs a trap bar

Trap bar is friendlier for a lot of first-gym hips. Sumo is still a straight bar. If the gym has both, you do not need both in one day. Log the tool.

When to add plates

If the lockout is quiet and the last inch is yours. If you hitch, stay. Ugly lockouts are not a personality.

Common misses

Squatting the first pull. Rounding. Letting the bar drift. Hitching at the knees. Also: mixing sumo and conventional in one working weight because the floor was crowded.

FAQ

How wide?

Wide enough that the arms hang inside the knees without scraping. Too wide is a split you cannot stand up from.

Straps?

Allowed if grip dies first. Log the same. Grip can get extra work on carries.

Log sumo deadlifts in the free Vitality Engine. Plates, every working set. Name it sumo.

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