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Most people who start out in barbell lifting are familiar with conventional deadlifts. It’s typically the style of deadlifting we learn in traditional weightlifting gym setting, P.E., group fitness classes, and even rehabilitation settings to retrain hip hinge patterns. When it comes to sumo deadlifting, it is most commonly seen in the world of powerlifting. The question often gets asked, “should I pull sumo or conventional?” But to simplify this piece, we are actually not going to address that question here. What we want to cover in this piece, are considerations for new lifters to sumo, who have already decided they want to give sumo deadlifting a chance and are experimenting with sumo deadlift technique.
In the following video I discuss leverages and deadlifting. A lot of people assume if there is less apparent bar movement that the lifter has some phenomenal leverages allowing them to lift the bar less. Oftentimes this appearance is a result of refined technique and not leverages. This is not always the case but simple math of looking at height and the ape index would let you know. Being that I am both average height with perfectly average ape index, and with refined technique I am a good example to use. In the video and discussion I review these points and also overlay two videos. It shows one of those people that wants to blame their poor technique and how much others lift on leverages. Focusing on excuses instead of their own technique is leaving performance potential on the table for them. As well as putting them at significant risk for injury.
In December of 2012 I tore my right adductor in a meet. I had actually had some minor tearing early in the year and had been managing it to keep training but with a 782 competition squat it let go on me. https://youtu.be/YoEJMEFJAYI
After rehabbing the area I determined a need to reduce my injury risk. With squatting wide and pulling sumo it simply puts a lot of strain on this area that is sometimes slow to recover. It is also a fairly common injury point with lifters.
