Sumo vs Conventional Deadlift: Strength Battle Unveiled

From my personal and coaching experience, sumo deadlifts are a full-body motion that's excellent for building muscle mass. The key difference lies in the foot placement, which I've found significantly affects the exercise's impact on muscle engagement.

To sumo pull, begin with your feet pointed outward and wider than shoulder-width apart.

To descend to grasp the barbell while maintaining your trunk upright, back neutral, and core tight, you'll need good hip mobility, which allows your knees to press outward and the hips to rotate externally during the exercise.

"The sumo deadlift incorporates both hip and knee hinge movements. This implies that while you're at the bottom stance, you should feel pressure in your hip and leg muscles."

- Alex Perry, Certified Strength & Conditioning Specialist

If you're unsure how flexible your hip joints are, we recommend checking your mobility before performing the motion.

How to perform sumo deadlift:

1. Spread your legs as wide as possible in a comfortable position, with your toes pointing outward at an angle of 45°.
2. Bend over and grasp the barbell with both hands inside your knees, shoulder-width apart.
3. Hinge at the hips, keep your shoulders back, straighten your chest and head before pulling the barbell up. Keep the bar near your body as possible throughout the exercise.
4. Extend your arms till your body is erect.
5. Return to the beginning position by sliding the bar down your torsos while maintaining weight control.
6. Repeat for the desired number of reps.

While they engage most of the same muscle fibers, your technique dictates which ones work harder throughout each action.

Because your feet are wide and pointing outward, you need far more hip and inner thigh strength than in a traditional deadlift, which means your hip adductors and flexors must work much harder in the sumo deadlift technique.

Based on my training sessions, I've found the sumo deadlift to be an excellent choice for those who haven't yet focused on adductor workouts. It's a great way to introduce significant work on these muscles in a functional manner.

Furthermore, research from the National Center for Biotechnology Information website reveals that sumo deadlift exercises specifically target the vastus medialis and lateralis as well as your quadriceps more than traditional deadlifts [1].

Also, according to another study from the National Center for Biotechnology Information website, sumo deadlift exercise works the tibialis anterior, a muscle on the lower leg before the shin bone [2], and the glutes more.

Again, this is where the form variety comes into play.

In my experience, conventional style deadlifts place significant stress on the hamstrings and lower back, particularly the erector spinae. This is due to the closer leg position and forward-pointed feet, which I've noticed makes a noticeable difference in muscle activation [3].

And, because erector spinae workouts are important for lower back health, integrating complex movements such as the conventional deadlift style is an effective way to engage the back muscles while simultaneously working the leg muscles.

Also, use a lifting belt if you have experienced low back problems.

The gastrocnemius, or calf muscles, are also more employed in the traditional deadlift [4].

So, perform the conventional deadlift when you want to work on your hamstrings, lower back, and calves.

Each pull targets the same muscles across their whole range of motion.

One study discovered little changes between each deadlift and the pace at which different muscles activated.

The researchers recorded muscle firing rates using electromyography (EMG) measurements and followed 16 distinct muscle locations.

Four muscles exhibit statistically significant differences in the data above.

The sumo style deadlift combines more legs and a somewhat greater forward lean, so the vastus medialis and lateralis – outer/inner quad muscles — are stronger [5].

Perform sumo pulls if you desire larger quadriceps. Therefore, to get larger quadriceps, do sumo pulls.

As previously said, one deadlift isn't superior to the other, and both have advantages and disadvantages.

Because they are complex exercises that train numerous muscle groups, sumo and conventional deadlift benefit body fat burning.

The sumo may be more effective than traditional deadlifts since it stimulates the quadriceps, glutes, and inner thighs more.

Both workouts may also be beneficial to posture if executed with good form.

The sumo deadlift is more complex than the standard and takes much more flexibility to complete effectively.

A better method is to learn how to perform a deadlift traditionally and stay with it for at least the first 6 to twelve months of weightlifting.

Give it a shot if you believe you'd be more suited to the sumo deadlift after that period.

The sole exception to this guideline is if you try the traditional deadlift and find it too painful (for instance, hip and lower back pain).

Feel free to begin with sumo in this scenario — just be ready for a tougher learning curve.

Preference

Your preference is crucial when determining which deadlift technique to adopt.

Deadlifting is often regarded as the most mentally and physically taxing workout, so picking a technique you prefer is a good idea.

Your expertise level, hip structure, and physique proportions will influence your preference, as you will likely want to practice most comfortably.

Both types, though, will feel identical to many individuals. If this is the case, the only requirements are that you can complete the exercise correctly and that you prefer it.

And what if you can do both?

Do both. A beneficial way of accomplishing this is to include the traditional deadlift in the training routine for 8-10 weeks, then deload before replacing the conventional deadlifts with the sumo lifts for the next 8–10 weeks of training.

Then, alternate between the workouts every couple of months or continue with one for an extended period.

While there isn't much data to support this kind of periodization, there is a strong theoretical case that it may lower your risk of overuse injuries (produced by repeating the same exercises without enough rest).

The length of your hands in relation to your torso is another aspect that might determine whether you're better suited to perform conventional or sumo deadlift variation [6].

Take a measuring tape and note the following:

• Length of your arms to determine if you have short or long arms.
• Torso from the broadest section of your hip bone to the top of your shoulder joint.
• Arm from your shoulder to the top of your middle finger.
• The entire body, from head to toe.

Perform conventional deadlifts if you have:

• Long torso and long arms
• Short torso and long arms
• Average torso and long arms
• Short torso and average arms
• Long torso and average arms

Perform sumo deadlifts if you have:

• Long torso and short arms
• Short torso and short arms
• Average torso and short arms
• Short torso and average arms
• Long torso and average arms

You should wear a belt when you are deadlifting heavy weights.

A good lifting belt can protect your lower back by keeping your spine from rounding. It works by providing you with a surface to support your stomach.

By bracing into a belt, you produce a lot of stiffness in your torso, which aids in preserving your natural spine. The disadvantage of a lifting belt is that the core muscles aren't as engaged throughout the lift. Therefore, they won't develop as strong on their own.

"The usual rule of thumb is to belt up if you're lifting more than 80% of your one-rep max."

- Chris Colucci, Certified Personal Trainer