What type of deadlift gives best results?

Best type of Deadlift?

  • Sumo deadlift

    Votes: 27 20.5%

  • Regular deadlift

    Votes: 105 79.5%
  • Total voters
    132
BOHICA

BOHICA

Registered User
Just wondering what type of deadlift gives people the best results... Sumo or Regular, and why?
 
Personally, I think this is a complicated question.

Some people prefer sumo others regular because it works for them. So, to a person who is all about high weight low reps = growth it would be whichever form allows them to lift the heaviest. To the person who is about low weight high reps gimme a burn = growth then they'll like whichever form allows them to get the biggest pump.

I personally like the heavy weight and I take a sumo stance. It's way easier on my joints and I feel it all over my back when I can go heavy. If I go too light, I only feel it in my lower back.
 
Man, I've found that I can't go as heavy with sumo. A lot of people find the same thing. But I'm kinda interested in throwing them in the mix to work some different muscles. Plus I've kinda stagnated on conventional deads.
 
I find the sumo dead works the inner thighs to a greater degree. I actually like to do high-rep sumo deads with a dumbell, as a leg exercise. For heavy deads on back day, its always traditional form for me.

BV
 
Conventional hit my traps and upper mid back a lot. Sumo I use my legs and hip flexors
more. Neither is really better they both have there place depending on what u want to work out more.
 
Shawn W. said:
kwyckemynd00, how much heavier can you go on sumo deadlifts than on regular deadlifts?
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It really wasn't that big of a difference. I'm just able to get into a position that my body can lift the weight more comfortably in.

It's hard to guage, too. I was bouncing when I was doing regulars because the pull strained my back too much. Now, I reset and pull for reps.

Just give them both a shot and see which works better for you.
 
I have a problem doing standard deads with regards to balance and whatnot, so I stick to sumo. In theory with some acclimation, anyone should lift more on sumo due to the shorter ROM and greater glute/hamstring involvement.

ManBeast
 
I'm just going for overall back thickness. My backwork consits of this, Deadlifts, Bent over Rows, Pull Ups, and seated rows. I am really tryign to pack on the thickness, since the width is easy for me to get. Any suggestions would be grateful.
 
Sumo deadlifts allow for an easier starting position for people who are either inflexible or have a big thick torso or both, but conventional deadlifts DO provide more leverage off the bottom if perfected and your body is capable of performing the lift properly
 
exnihilo said:
Sumo deadlifts allow for an easier starting position for people who are either inflexible or have a big thick torso or both, but conventional deadlifts DO provide more leverage off the bottom if perfected and your body is capable of performing the lift properly
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Well said. People assume that sumo is the way to go for heavy weight, but if it were that easy, guys like Garry Frank (2nd best DL ever and best PLer on the planet!) wouldn't be using conventional, right exhihilo ;)
 
the other week i went to a midwest powerlifting meet. all the heavier pulls were done with sumo style.
 
knox said:
the other week i went to a midwest powerlifting meet. all the heavier pulls were done with sumo style.
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I think it has to do w/ body structure, personally. Natural pullers prob do better w/ sumo. I don't think its "the stance" itself that works well. Although, it does decrease stroke, that's for sure...
 
Seems to me since the sumo allows you to keep your back in more or less the same position through the lift, it works the legs more. I'd think a traditional dead would work the back much more since you must extend the back in the top half of the lift.
 
The sumo works the hips and glutes more, and is a better way of deadlifting for thick guys with large bellies that have a hard time getting really low on the bar. I also think there is more of a carryover from squats to sumo style deadlifts... However, supposedly the mechanical leverage of the conventional pull is slightly better.
 
You guys should try trap bar deads, much more of a natural position in the lift, plus it is much easier on the lower back. just my .02 cents......
 
All I know, is sumo deads and squats just feel so much better. My hams and glutes get "ruined"! There is nothing that trashes my hams and glutes better than nice, slow, sumo squats.
 
fwiw, questions like this are meaningless "best kind of deadlift"

that's like saying "what the best workout routine?"

the obvious corollary is "best for WHAT?"
 
i agree about trap bar deads. the closer the bar is to your base of support, the better (generally speaking). because of the shape of our bodies, it is a natural that when deadlifting the bar is well forward of where it would OPTIMALLY be for max loading, for biomechanical efficiency, and for safety.

for those who deadlift SPECIFICALLY for competition, trap bar deads might have their place as an occasional assistance exercise, but if one is deadlifting to get strong (vs for competition) i think trap bar deads are very underrated
 
when i used to powerlift i used to enjoy sumo style....being as tall as I am ( 5;11) I found i could get lower than regular, and lift some pretty intense weight for a girl :)

Sumo all the way
 
Anybody ever try deads with the bar behind the feet? Certainly feels different and can be helpful to those with lower back injuries that never get better. Nothing wrong with a little experimentation...most of the time anyway.
 
kwyckemynd00 said:
ditto. and they beat your hamstrings and glutes like no other exercise we've conceived of :D
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You sure you have tried all of the exercises out to know this for sure???

I think I might have one that will make you WISHING you could go back to the sumo dead lift to give your hams a rest :)

You kneel down with your ankles/feet pinned down to the floor with either a piece of gym equipment or someone holding them. Now slowly lower your torso to the floor til your chest touches and come back up.

BTW you may want to have your hands ready to break your fall so you don't break your nose. :twisted:

Give em a try and come back and let us know how many you can do :lol:
 
Hmm....sounds interesting :thumbsup: I'll give these a shot one day...however, I have to admit...I'm afraid...yep....if they're "that bad" it's scary to me :D
 
I will be honest I can barely perform a couple reps and I kinda cheat on them lol
 
I just feel a lot more comfortable pulling from the sumo position. I do both ways just for practice and to hit the different muscles, but when it comes down to my serious heavy lift I always go with the sumo.
 
If you're trying to increase your deadlift, then as Louie Simmons says, "do everything but deadlift". Sounds strange but I've found good mornings, box squats, and hypers to really build a strong deadlift.

For back thickness you should also throw in some GMs. Just my humble opinion.:D
 
I find that conventional deads work the upper and lower back more, while sumo hits the glutes and hams more. I do both, though I only go really heavy with sumo style deadlifts as I have had some back pain issues after super heavy convetional deads.

I think some sort of deadlifting should be done every week, whether speed pulls, pulls off a platform, or something. I wouldn't go heavy on deadlifts every week though, that taxes the nervous system in an extreme way.
 
exnihilo said:
I wouldn't go heavy on deadlifts every week though, that taxes the nervous system in an extreme way.
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I'm guessing you mean don't do a 1 rep max every week. Are you talking even a 3RM?

PL definition of "heavy" can be different from the BB definition.
 
Deadlifts themselves are very taxing on the CNS whether your going for reps or maxing out. I wouldn't recommend doing them every week as it may lead to overtraining.
 
Going heavy for me is 3rm or heavier. I Agree with IRserge that you should be careful not to overdo deadlifts, however some variant (whether speed pulls, sumo pulls, conventional pulls on a platform, etc) should be done every week, probably alternating between a 1rm, doing 3-5 sets of 3 reps with a 5rm weight, and doing 8-10 singles with a 5-6rm weight but done as explosively as possible.
 
exnihilo said:
Going heavy for me is 3rm or heavier. I Agree with IRserge that you should be careful not to overdo deadlifts, however some variant (whether speed pulls, sumo pulls, conventional pulls on a platform, etc) should be done every week, probably alternating between a 1rm, doing 3-5 sets of 3 reps with a 5rm weight, and doing 8-10 singles with a 5-6rm weight but done as explosively as possible.
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Thanks for clarifying that. Those are some good ways to mix things up so the CNS isn't overtaxed.
 
I have recently turned to rack deadlifts for my back thickness. They work great, and doesn't give my lower back/legs the burn I didn't want since I'm hitting it on back day.
 
BOHICA said:
I have recently turned to rack deadlifts for my back thickness. They work great, and doesn't give my lower back/legs the burn I didn't want since I'm hitting it on back day.
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Try spacing your grip WAY WAY out when you do your rack pulls too. That seems to involve the back a lot more.
 
I was reading the thread and I was going to suggest rack pulls but it looks like you figured it out on your own. Those are fun. I got up to 680 from just above my knee last week. Also, cleans or clean pulls seem to be good for upper back thickness. As for deadlifts, I think exnihilo hit the nail on the head when he said conventional involves more low and upper back while sumo is glutes and hammies. I havent tried moving my grip out but im gonna give that a shot. Seems like it would give the traps hell.
 
I give props to trap bar deads as well. They seem to hit me all over and I can pause more effectively at the top of the lift and get my posture/form just right. I can go a lot heavier and slower on them with more confidence than standard or sumo deads.

I'm a bit on the slower recovery end of things so at most I'll alternate squats on week one, leg presses on week two, and deads on week three...then repeat. On cycle I'll add leg presses to squat day and alternate squats and deads each week. .since I'm in superman mode. lol
 
Back in my glory days of strongman comps, we'd have different events from one comp to another. Some had full deads, some partials (18" or silver dollar deads). Found I could pull more from the ground with conventional and more from 18" with sumo.

Conventional deads work best for me. I'm 6'3" with long legs and arms so I agree with what others have said about individual body structure being the best indicator of which type of dead is best for them.
 
Each week I alternate regular stance deadlifts and rack deadlifts. Ever since I started implementing rack dead I have noticed quicker strength gains.
 
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"SUMMARY: Mechanical work is greater in the conventional deadlift, which suggest a higher energy expenditure. Moderate to high hip extensor, knee extensor, and ankle dorsiflexor moments are generated during the sumo deadlift, which implies moderate to high muscle activity is needed from the hip extensors, knee extensors, and ankle dorsi flexors. In contrast, moderate to high hip extensor moments and low knee flexor, knee extensor, and ankle plantar flexor moments are generated during the conventional deadlift. This implies moderate to high muscle activity from the hip extensors, and lower activity from the knee flexors & extensors and ankle plantar flexors. These kinetic differences result from technique differences. Hence, a electromyographic analysis should now be conducted to confirm muscle activity patterns. This would help trainers and therapists in prescribing the appropriate deadlift technique."

[and now for an EMG study...]

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"RESULTS: Overall EMG activity from the vastus medialis, vastus lateralis, and tibialis anterior were significantly greater in the sumo deadlift, whereas overall EMG activity from the medial gastrocnemius was significantly greater in the conventional deadlift. Compared with the no-belt condition, the belt condition produced significantly greater rectus abdominis activity and significantly less external oblique activity. For most muscles, EMG activity was significantly greater in the knee extending intervals compared with the corresponding knee flexing intervals."
 
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