We’re talking about the conventional vs sumo deadlift in this article because they’re the two BEST exercises in the world.
Yes, thats my opinion and I stand by it.
I mean, who doesn’t LOVE to deadlift and pick heavy shit up?
(Crickets…..)
That’s what I thought.
Why is deadlifting the best?
Well, besides stroking your ego in the gym…
Think of picking up the couch so that your spouse can grab the remote that fell behind it.
Or picking up a car to save a trapped elderly person.
Or, picking up 300 lbs at the gym in front of everyone and feeling like a complete bad ass.
Yeah, deadlifts are pretty damn awesome.
Now, make sure you read the WHOLE article because if you’re sitting here saying that this isn’t for me, or I’ve never lifted a weight before, etc etc…
There is a sumo and conventional deadlift for you.
Keep reading to find out!
Or, if you’d rather watch a video on it, check out my sumo vs conventional deadlift video below:
Sumo vs. Conventional Deadlift
The deadlift is a staple exercise in any strength training program.
It’s essentially a full body movement that leads to full body strength, muscle, and injury prevention (not what you’re use to hearing 😉)
Since it’s a compound movement where your whole body is working, you’re going to get a ton of core strengthening as well.
Not to mention the grip strength you’ll get from holding onto the bar which has been shown to be a good indicator of life expectancy (Study HERE)
In my experience, people have teams.
They’re either team sumo or team conventional deadlift.
Some people say “Conventional is the only way! Sumo is cheating!”
Other people say “Sumo is the best because it’s easier on your low back and you can lift a ton of weight. Screw conventional!”
However, when I ask clients and members which deadlift variation they like better, I often get the response:
“Ehhh I don’t really have one. I like them both.”
And I would tend to agree with them!
BOTH are fantastic options and you can modify both to fit your needs.
Ideally you do both since they both have their own benefits.
Trust me, I’ve seen a TON of clients with different abilities deadlift in one way or another.
You can do conventional or sumo at different ranges of motion and with different types of weight.
Maybe you have a 12 week block of sumo and then a 12 week block of conventional.
However, if one absolutely feels like dog shit, does that mean you still need to do both?
Absolutely not.
If your form is good and one still doesn’t feel right than by all means stick to the one that feels best for you.
Now, I’m going to make arguments for both so you can decide which one to start with and which one may be best for you.
Why Choose Sumo Deadlift:
In my experience, both personally and coaching over 100 clients online and in person, people tend to be stronger and save their back more during a sumo deadlift.
When I first started lifting, I was team conventional.
I thought that was how you had to deadlift and that sumo was cheating (It’s not. You know what’s cheating? Copying the answers from another persons test).
I got decently strong but no matter what I did, I’d always end up finding a way to fuck my low back up.
However, once I tried a sumo stance, my back felt a lot of relief.
So what is sumo deadlift?
Imagine the stance a sumo wrestler takes when he’s about to wrestle…
That’s essentially the stance you’re going to take.
- Hips are externally rotated with feet turned out.
- Feet are wider than shoulder width. You can do a wide stance or more of a moderate stance sumo.
- Grip is on the inside of your legs.
With sumo, you work more adductors and outer glutes due to the wide stance. You’ll also get some quad activation depending on your stance.
It’s a fantastic option if you have low back issues and or have longer legs.
Plus, sometimes the way your hips are aligned, sumo just feels more natural.
Why Choose Conventional Deadlift:
Conventional deadlift is where you have your feet shoulder width apart and your hands on the outside of your legs.
This works a little more glutes and hamstrings due to the angle of your knees and hips as well as your quads.
And since your back is at an angle, you’ll be working more of your erector spinae and lats (back muscles) than you do in a sumo as well.
Personally, I think it tends to be more advanced and harder to get into due to the mobility required and stress placed on the low back.
Because of this, it may not be great for someone who has very long legs or short arms.
This can make it hard to maintain a good deadlift position without bending your knees and rounding your back too much.
Now, with that being said, I’ve seen clients who I would’ve thought had no chance to perform conventional actually dominate it.
But again, whichever feels best for you is the one you should start with.
Performing the Conventional and Sumo Deadlifts:
Now it’s time to talk about the form for each and begin practicing.
The more you practice, the better you’re going to be – just like playing golf – something I need more practice with.
Both are very similar movements with slightly different set ups.
Sumo Deadlift Set Up:
Like I said before, a sumo deadlift is more of a wider stance. How wide you go depends on what feels best for you.
Some people like it real wide (that’s what she said), while others like more of a moderate stance. I’m in camp moderate stance because it feels better on my hips and inner thighs.
However, some of my clients love to go wider and that’s ok too.
The only way to find out is to test it out yourself. As long as your feet are farther than shoulder width apart, you’ll be good to go.
Once you find the right width, you’re going to turn your toes out to open up your hips and make sure your knees are in line with your toes.
Note: The longer your legs, the more you may have to turn your toes out.
Have the bar slightly away from your shins (maybe about 1-2 inches). To grab the bar, think of shooting your hips back to the wall behind you until you can’t anymore then slightly bend your knees until you’re able to grab the bar on the INSIDES of your legs.
Once you grab the bar, think of having a proud chest so you can see the letters on your shirt and pulling your hips into the bar.
If you’ve done this right, your back should be straight, your hips should be somewhere in between your armpits and knees, and your shins should almost be vertical and touching the bar.
If your hips are in line with your armpits or knees, that means your hips are too high or low which will throw the movement off.
Next, you’re going to think of spreading the floor apart with your feet. Imagine there is a crack in the ground and you’re trying to break that crack open.
When you do this, you’re going to feel your glutes and the muscles on the outsides of your legs activate.
Finally, think of pushing your feet through the ground to initiate the movement.
Once the bar reaches your knee, you’re going to finish by humping the bar.
Then you’ll reverse everything back down to set it on the ground.
Conventional Deadlift Set Up
For conventional, it’s the exact same movement except for a few things.
You are going to be taking a shoulder width stance and grab the bar on the OUTSIDES of your legs.
Think of having long arms and keeping your shoulders down and away from your ears. This will activate your lats which are a crucial component to the deadlift – especially conventional.
You’re going to shoot your hips back to the wall behind you and bend your knees until you’re able to grab the bar.
Something to keep in mind though…
Think of “chest up” and “long arms”. What I see a lot is people tend to round their back and bend there arms in the bottom position of the conventional deadlift.
Also, if your knees are too far forward on the conventional deadlift, the bar will hit your knees on the way up, which will:
- Hurt like a bitch
- Make it harder since the bar isn’t going up in a straight line.
So, just like te sumo deadlift, you want to make sure your hips aren’t too high or too low.
If they’re too high, make sure to bring your knees forward to lower them.
If they’re too low, make sure to straight your knees more to raise them.
A good way to know if you’re in the right position is if your shin angle is almost vertical – straight up and down.
Once you’re set up, it’s time to initiate the movement – drive your feet through the floor.
Finish at the top by standing up straight.
Then reverse it on the way down.
Conventional vs. Sumo Deadlift Tips:
Here’s a few extra tips that I want you to practice when deadlifting.
Yes, it’s a lot to remember BUT the deadlift is a hard skill that takes months to learn.
So, don’t expect to perfect it right away.
1. The big mistake I see people make is they don’t brace their core properly.
Bracing your core is going to make you stronger AND protect your low back.
So, when you’re in that bottom position, think of taking a big belly breathe in, and act like you’re taking a nice big poop to brace yourself.
You are going to hold this breathe the whole movement – that means on the way up AND down.
You’ll breathe out and re-brace between each rep (that means no touch an go. More on this in a sec)
Yes, it’s going to feel weird at first but the more you practice, the better it’s going to be.
2. Don’t try to pull the weight up with your arms. Use your legs.
What’s funny is you think of the deadlift as picking something up, right?
Well, the it’s actually more of a squat which means you’re going to drive through your feet – just like you do in a squat – to get the weight up. Your arms are simply there to just hold onto the barbell and go for a ride.
Think of your arms as ropes and your hands as hooks. They’re simply there to hold onto the weight while your lower body does all of the work.
So you’re not “pulling” the weight up. You’re using your legs and glutes to essentially squat the weight up.
This was a GAME CHANGER for my deadlift.
If you’re feeling this in your lower back, this could be a reason why. So, drop the weight and practice using your legs.
3. Do NOT over arch your back at the top. I just want you to think of standing up nice and tall.
If you overarch your back, that places extra stress on your low back.
Now imagine when you’re lifting hundreds of pounds and doing that over and over again.
It probably won’t feel good.
So when you finish your rep, think of standing tall so you should have a straight line from your head, shoulders, and hips.
A good way to remember this is to think of humping the bar at the top.
4. Don’t try and control the weight down – especially when you’re lifting heavy.
This is where a lot of injuries happen.
Remain tight and push your hips back and bend your knees but let gravity take it down until the bar touches the ground.
Trust me, it’s much easier this way.
5. I don’t want you doing touch and go deadlifts to start.
Not saying they’re bad, it’s just that when you bounce the weight, two things happen:
- It’s easy for it to be uneven and throw your balance off
- It makes the movement easier since you’re using the momentum from the bounce.
Plus, if you’re going to practice bracing like I mentioned before, it’s important to have that pause.
Instead, think of resetting between each rep so that you’re actually using your muscles which is where all of the progress is going to be.
And yes, this may mean you have to lift less weight… for now.
6. Make sure the bar is touching your shins before each rep.
I would say this this is probably one of the most common things I see – the bar ends up being a few inches away from the shins.
Here’s why that’s an issue:
The farther the bar is away from your shin, the harder it’s going to be AND it’s going to place more stress on your lower back.
The reason being is because you are pulling the bar up at an angle AND the moment arm between your low back and the bar is bigger which means your low back has to work harder.
So, keep the bar connected to your shins even if you have to pause between each rep to reset.
Think of scraping your shins and thighs on the way up.
That way, the bar is going up in a straight line vs having to pull it up and towards your body.
7. You can use a mixed grip or a double overhand grip.
A mixed grip allows for a stronger pull since the bar rests easier in the palm of your hand.
A double overhand grip will require more grip strength but also strengthen your grip and not create any imbalances.
What I recommend is saving the mixed grip for your near max lifts and stick to double overhead for all of the other ones.
Conventional and Sumo Deadlift Regressions:
Remember when I said to keep reading? Well this is why.
If you can’t deadlift from the floor yet, totally fine!
The goal is to find the right variation for you, start from the ground up, and eventually pull the barbell from the floor.
If You’re Brand New to Lifting:
Start with an RDL to learn the hip hinge pattern. This is one of the hardest to learn but also one of the most important.
Once you get it down, you’re unlocking so much gains!
You can do these with either a conventional or sumo stance.
Once these feel good, use a kettlebell to start deadlifting from the ground with.
If you don’t have a kettlebell, you can turn a dumbbell right side up as well. This way, you can practice the deadlift movement from the floor.
If You Have Trouble Getting Down to the Floor:
Sometimes your joints, bone structure, injury history, or your lack of mobility may restrict you from pulling from the floor.
In this case, the simplest correction is to elevate the barbell.
It doesn’t make the movement any less effective. Remember, we’re finding the right deadlift variation for you.
If you can pull from a small elevation and keep your back flat and feeling good, then that’s what matters MOST.
This elevation can be a rack pull where you place the barbell on the pins inside the rack or it can be on plates/mats.
What If My Back Hurts and I Can’t Do Deadlifts:
Well, this would be a great option for RDL’s which again are the top portion on the deadlift and tend to be a little easier on the low back.
You can do a sumo which tends to feel slightly better or a conventional stance.
Also, if your gym has a trap bar, this would be perfect for you.
A trap bar requires less mobility AND it’s easier on your low back since the handles are next to you vs in front of you.
Oh, and this likely means you have poor core strength. So, working on strengthening your core will be vital for you but I’ll save that for another aritcle.
Deadlift Program for Getting Strong AF:
Here is a 1 month deadlift program to follow.
This is the exact template I used for my deadlift workshop where members improved their form and 1RM.
You’ll start with the deadlift of your choice – conventional or sumo – and stick with that for the month.
This will be a basic 5×5 progression to practice the deadlift movement pattern and gain as much strength as possible.
If you’re wondering if you should do conventional vs sumo deadlift, something you could even do is one month of conventional deadlift and one month of sumo deadlift.
Without further ado, here ya go!
Week 1: Focus on Form
1. Sumo or Conventional: 5×5
Rest: 3 minutes
2. BB RDL (Same Stance as Deadlift): 3×8
Rest: 2 min
3a. Front Rack Reverse Lunge: 3×8/leg
3b. Single Leg Glute Bridge: 3×12/leg
Rest: 2 min
4. Plank Hold: 3×30-60 sec
Rest: 1 min
Week 2: Focus on Bracing Core
1. Sumo or Conventional: 5×5
Rest: 3 minutes
2. BB RDL (Same Stance as Deadlift): 3×10 (Same weight as last week but for 2 more reps)
Rest: 2 min
3a. Front Rack Reverse Lunge: 3×9
3b. Single Leg Glute Bridge: 3×13
Rest: 2 min
Plank Hold w/Leg Lift: 3×5/side
Rest: 1 min
Week 3: Engaging Lats and Taking Slack Out of the Bar
1. Sumo or Conventional: 5×3 (working up to heaviest set on final set)
Rest: 3 min
2. BB RDL (Same Stance as Deadlift): 3×8 (5-10 more lbs then last week)
Rest: 2 min
3a. Front Rack Reverse Lunge: 3×10
3b. Single Leg Glute Bridge: 3×14/leg
Rest: 2 min
4. Plank Hold w/Reach: 3×5/side
Rest: 1 min
Week 4: Finishing Touches
1. Sumo or Conventional: 5×5,4,3,2,1 (working up to heaviest set on final set)
Rest: 3 min
2. BB RDL (Same Stance as Deadlift): 3×10 (Same weight as last weight but for 2 more reps)
Rest: 2 min
3a. Front Rack Reverse Lunge: 3×8 (5-10 more lbs than previous week)
3b. Single Leg Glute Bridge: 3×12 (5-10 more lbs then the previous weeks)
Rest: 2 min
4. Long Lever Plank Hold: 3×30 sec
Rest: 1 min
Hopefully by now you know the importance of the deadlift and why it’s important.
And I also hope that you know both the sumo and conventional deadlift are AMAZING options.
If you can do both – do that.
If not, do which one you enjoy the most and feels great!
Thanks for reading!
-Coach Bob