Legs · Barbell · Compound · Intermediate
Sumo Deadlift
The sumo deadlift uses a wide stance with the toes turned out and the hands gripping the bar inside the legs. Compared with a conventional pull it keeps the torso more upright and shortens the bar's path, which moves more of the work onto the quads, glutes and adductors.
- Main muscles
- Glutes, Quads, Hamstrings
- Also working
- Lower Back, Traps, Forearms
How to do it
- Take a wide stance with your shins close to the bar and toes turned out so they point roughly where your knees will go.
- Bend down and grip the bar inside your legs, hands about shoulder-width, arms hanging straight.
- Push your knees out over your toes and bring your chest up so your hips sit close to the bar.
- Set your lats, take a big breath, brace, and pull the slack out of the bar until you feel it against the plates.
- Push the floor apart with your whole foot, keeping the bar against your shins as it leaves the ground.
- Once the bar passes your knees, drive the hips forward to lock out standing tall.
- Lower the bar along your legs under control and reset before the next rep.
Cues
Short phrases to think during a set.
- “Spread the floor”
- “Knees stay over the toes”
- “Pull the slack out first”
- “Bar drags up the shins”
Common mistakes
- Knees caving in as the bar leaves the floor. Keep shoving them out over the toes; if they still cave, the stance may be wider than your hips can control.
- Hips shooting up first so the lift becomes a stiff-legged pull. Get the chest up and hips in before you drive.
- Stance wider than your hips allow. If you cannot get your hips close to the bar with a flat back, bring the feet in.
- Jerking the bar off the floor without taking the slack out. Pull until the bar is tight against the plates, then push.
- Letting the bar drift away from your legs. Set the lats and keep it in contact the whole way up.
The short version
Sumo is legal in every powerlifting federation, and the argument over whether it is easier than conventional has no settled answer. The bar travels a shorter distance, but breaking it off the floor is usually the hardest part, whereas conventional pullers more often stall at the knees or lockout. Which style a lifter pulls more with depends a lot on their hip mobility and limb proportions.
Coaches who teach it focus on stance width and setup. Wider is not automatically better: the stance should be as wide as you can go while still getting the hips close to the bar and the shins near vertical. A moderate stance is more common than the extreme ones seen in competition.
It is often described as easier on the lower back because the torso is more upright. That is a reasonable expectation, but lifters with back trouble still need a neutral spine and sensible loading.
Why people do it
- A more upright torso than conventional, which many lifters find easier on the lower back
- Shorter bar path, and some lifters pull more weight with it
- Works the quads, glutes and adductors more than a conventional pull
- Gives lifters who cannot get into a good conventional position another way to train the deadlift
Drawbacks
- Needs enough hip and groin mobility to get into a wide stance with the hips close to the bar
- Tight adductors can make the setup uncomfortable or impossible at first
- Slow starts off the floor are common, and a stuck rep usually stalls there
- The setup has more to get right than conventional, so it often takes longer to learn
- Wide stance can be awkward on narrow platforms or with smaller-diameter plates
Sources
- Sumo deadlift bar path · Barbell Medicine
- Questions about sumo deadlift · Barbell Medicine
- Juggernaut: Pillars of Sumo Deadlift — The Set-Up · Juggernaut Training Systems
Questions
Is sumo deadlift cheating?+
No. It is a legal competition style. The shorter bar path is offset by a harder start off the floor.
How wide should my sumo stance be?+
As wide as you can go while keeping your hips close to the bar, your shins roughly vertical and your back flat. For many people that is a moderate stance, not a toes-against-the-plates one.
Why is sumo so hard off the floor?+
Most of the work happens in the first few inches, and the hips and quads have to break the bar loose from a dead stop. Tightening the setup and pulling the slack out before you push usually helps.
Why do my knees cave in on sumo pulls?+
Often the weight is heavier than your hips can hold position with, or you stop pushing the knees out once the bar moves. Cue knees out for the whole rep and drop the load until you can.
Should I switch from conventional to sumo?+
Try both for a training block and see which you pull more with and which feels better on your back and hips. The other style still earns a place as an accessory.
Swaps on other equipment
Each has the glutes as its main muscle and is also a pull, on a different piece of equipment.
Variations
Conventional Deadlift · Semi-Sumo Deadlift · Sumo Deficit Deadlift · Romanian Deadlift
Other glute exercises
- Physioball Hip Bridge · Exercise Ball
- Piriformis-SMR · Foam Roller
- Pull Through · Cable
- Seated Glute · Bodyweight
- Single Leg Glute Bridge · Bodyweight
- Step-up with Knee Raise · Bodyweight
Written for this site from the sources listed above. Last reviewed October 20, 2026. How this site is put together · Report a mistake