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Exercise

Sumo deadlift: muscles worked and how to do it

The sumo deadlift mainly trains your glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings. Your upper back, core, lower back and forearms (your grip) work as secondary muscles, holding the bar close and your spine still. Your inner thighs (adductors) also work hard to spread your knees.

It is a deadlift with a much wider stance and your hands inside your legs: toes turned out, knees pushed out over your toes, a more upright torso than the conventional deadlift, and a push of the floor apart to stand up with the bar.

At a glance

Main muscles
Also works
Movement
Hip hinge
Equipment
Barbell
Type
Compound (several joints)

How to do a sumo deadlift

  1. Stand with your feet well wider than shoulder width and your toes turned out, often 30 to 45 degrees. Your shins should be close to the bar, with the bar over the middle of your feet.
  2. Bend down and grip the bar with your hands about shoulder width apart, inside your legs, arms straight.
  3. Push your knees out so they stay in line with your toes, and drop your hips until your shins touch the bar.
  4. Lift your chest, set your back flat and pull the slack out of the bar until it clicks against the plates.
  5. Breathe into your stomach and brace.
  6. Push the floor apart with your feet and drive your hips forward as the bar rises, keeping it close to your body.
  7. Stand tall, squeeze your glutes, then lower the bar under control the same way. Reset before each rep.

Cues that help

  • "Spread the floor": pushing your feet apart drives your knees out and switches on your glutes and inner thighs.
  • "Knees over toes": if your knees drift inside your feet, your hips cannot get close to the bar.
  • "Hips close to the bar": the advantage of sumo is a shorter, more upright pull. Hips far back turn it into a wide-stance conventional pull.
  • "Squeeze the slack out first": the bar should not jerk off the floor.

Common mistakes

  • A stance so wide your knees cave. Wider is not automatically better; find the width where your knees can stay over your toes.
  • Hips too high at the start. The bar drifts forward and the pull becomes a stiff-legged lift. Sit into it with your chest up.
  • Yanking the bar. Sumo is often slow off the floor; patience beats a jerk that loosens your back.
  • Letting the bar drift away from your body. Keep it brushing your legs all the way up.
  • Leaning back at the top. Finish standing tall with your glutes squeezed.

Sumo or conventional?

Sumo is a full deadlift, not a shortcut. It shortens the distance the bar travels and keeps your torso more upright, while the conventional deadlift leans you further forward.

A study of 13 college football players compared both at a weight they could lift 12 times. The sumo deadlift made the front thigh muscles (vastus medialis and lateralis) and the shin muscle at the front of the lower leg work harder, while the conventional deadlift made the calf work harder (Escamilla et al., 2002).

Hip shape, leg and torso length all affect which style feels stronger. Try both with a light weight, pick the one where you can keep a flat back most comfortably, and stick with it so your log stays comparable.

Sets, reps and weight

  • For strength: 2 to 4 sets of 2 to 5 reps, resting 3 to 5 minutes.
  • For muscle: 2 to 3 sets of 5 to 8 reps, resting 2 to 4 minutes.
  • Leave 1 to 3 reps in reserve; form slips first on the last rep.
  • Add weight when you hit the top of your rep range on every set, usually in steps of 2.5 to 5kg.

Variations and alternatives

  • Conventional deadlift: feet about hip width, hands outside your legs. More forward lean and more hamstrings.
  • Trap bar deadlift: an upright pull inside a hexagonal bar. Easy to learn.
  • Sumo Romanian deadlift: the wide stance with the knees nearly straight, lowering only as far as your hamstrings allow.
  • Sumo squat with a dumbbell or kettlebell: the same stance with far less load. Good for learning the position.
  • Hip thrust: trains the glutes with much less load on your back.

Tracking your sumo deadlift

PushBeyond logs each set's weight and reps, estimates your one-rep max from your best set with the Epley formula, and charts the history of the lift. Its muscle map counts the sumo deadlift for your glutes, quads and hamstrings, with upper back, core, forearms and lower back as secondary muscles.

Updated

Sources

  1. Escamilla RF, Francisco AC, Kayes AV, Speer KP, Moorman CT 3rd (2002). An electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise.

FAQ

Frequently asked questions

What muscles does the sumo deadlift work?

Mainly the glutes, quadriceps and hamstrings. The upper back, core, lower back and forearms work as secondary muscles, and the inner thighs (adductors) work hard to keep your knees out.

Is the sumo deadlift cheating?

No. It is a recognised deadlift style in powerlifting competition. It moves the bar a shorter distance, but it asks more of your hips and quads.

Is sumo easier on the lower back?

Your torso is more upright in the sumo deadlift, so it can feel more comfortable if your lower back is sensitive. It still needs a flat, braced back.

How wide should my stance be?

Wide enough that your arms hang straight down inside your knees, and narrow enough that your knees stay over your toes. For most people that is somewhere between just outside shoulder width and close to the plates.

Why is sumo so slow off the floor?

The start position puts your hips in a deep, wide position where it takes a moment to build force. Pulling the slack out and pushing your feet apart before the bar moves helps.

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