The deadlift is often referred to as the ‘king’ of exercises. Not only does it build strength, power, and muscle mass, but it’s also an efficient lift. It trains huge amounts of muscle in one go, it’s a functional movement (replicating movements you perform in day-to-day life), and has lots of variations.
One of those variations is the sumo deadlift.
In this article, we’re going to compare the sumo deadlift with the conventional deadlift, using scientific evidence to outline the benefits and drawbacks of both.
Sumo Deadlift vs Conventional Deadlift
The sumo deadlift and the conventional deadlift are both compound exercises that work the muscles in your posterior chain, including your hamstrings, glutes, and lower back. However, there are some key differences between the two exercises.
What’s The Difference Between Sumo and Conventional Deadlift?
There are several key differences between the two deadlift styles. Here’s the big four…
Foot placement: In a sumo deadlift, your feet are placed wider than shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing out slightly. In a conventional deadlift, your feet are placed shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing forward.
Range of motion: The sumo deadlift has a shorter range of motion than the conventional deadlift. This is because the wider stance in the sumo deadlift allows you to get closer to the bar, which means you don't have to lift it as high. It’s one of the reasons many people can lift more with a sumo deadlift.
Muscles worked: The sumo deadlift primarily works the quads, glutes, and upper back. The conventional deadlift primarily works the hamstrings, glutes, and lower back.
A 2002 analysis titled ‘An electromyographic analysis of sumo and conventional style deadlifts’ found that quad activation was significantly greater in the sumo deadlift, whereas gastrocnemius activation was significantly greater in the conventional deadlift.
Hand placement: The conventional deadlift grip is slightly wider than your knees. With a sumo deadlift, the grip is much closer. The hands are between your knees, less than 12 inches apart.
Which is harder?
There is no definitive answer to this question. The sumo deadlift may be easier for some people, while the conventional deadlift may be easier for others. It depends on your individual strength and flexibility.
In a 2019 study titled ‘Anthropometrical Determinants of Deadlift Variant Performance’, the researchers reported…
Our findings suggest that the sumo deadlift may be slightly mechanically advantageous for individuals with longer torsos, while the conventional deadlift may be better suited for those with shorter torsos.
So, the evidence suggests that lifters with a longer upper body may be better suited to sumo deadlifts rather than conventional deadlifts. The opposite is also likely to be true, so if you have longer legs and a shorter body, the conventional deadlift may work better for you.
Did you know that it's not just the deadlift that adopts the sumo stance but squats too? If you're interested in learning more about sumo squats, then read our Sumo Squats Guide.
The Sumo Deadlift
Sumo Deadlift Benefits
Favored by Gymshak athlete and record-breaking powerlifter, Jamal Browner, the sumo deadlift offers several benefits over conventional deadlifts for some people, including:
Increased leg reliance: The sumo deadlift is more heavily reliant on the legs, so if you want to reduce the strain on your lower back, switch out conventional deadlifts for sumo deadlifts.
Reduced risk of injury: The sumo deadlift can help reduce the risk of injury to your lower back. As a general observation, lower backs are more vulnerable than legs, so using the legs to do more of the work reduces the strain on the lower back.
Improved athletic performance: The sumo deadlift can help you improve your performance in a variety of athletic activities, including powerlifting, weightlifting, and sprinting. Again, this is thanks to the additional leg requirement from the exercise.
Grip strength gains: The closer grip means there’s less stability in the bar, so it forces the forearms to work harder. This can improve grip strength, benefitting sports such as judo, climbing, rugby, etc.
Sumo Deadlift Muscles Worked
Like any form of deadlift, the sumo deadlift works a lot of muscles, including:
Quadriceps
Gluteus maximus
Hamstrings
Lower back
Upper back
This range of muscle activation is one of the key reasons why deadlifting in various forms is seen as a king of exercises. A lot of muscle is trained in a single movement.
How To Sumo Deadlift
Whilst much of the technique in deadlifts is shared across all the different types (leg drive, back straight, hip hinge), there are nuances that make them unique. Here’s the sumo deadlift technique breakdown…
Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing out.
Bend your knees and squat down until your hips are below your knees.
Grip the bar with an overhand grip, with your hands slightly narrower than shoulder-width apart.
Keep your back flat and your core engaged.
Drive your heels into the ground and stand up, using your hips and legs to generate power.
Lock out your hips and shoulders at the top of the movement.
Lower the bar back to the ground in a controlled manner.
The Conventional Deadlift
Conventional Deadlift Benefits
The conventional deadlift benefits are numerous too…
Increased strength: The conventional deadlift is a very effective way to build strength in your posterior chain. Most lifters biggest numbers will come from the deadlift.
Increased power: The conventional deadlift can also help you improve your power output, especially when performed at speed.
Improved athletic performance: The conventional deadlift can help you improve your performance in a variety of athletic activities, including powerlifting, weightlifting, and sprinting.
Increased grip strength: The conventional deadlift requires a strong grip, which can help improve your grip strength in other activities, as we covered in the sumo benefits section.
How To Conventional Deadlift
All hip hinges share many common technique elements. To perform a conventional deadlift safely and effectively, follow these steps:
Stand with your feet shoulder-width apart, with your toes pointing forward.
Bend your knees and squat down until your shins are touching the bar.
Grip the bar with an overhand grip, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart.
Keep your back flat and your core engaged.
Drive your heels into the ground and stand up, using your hips and legs to generate power.
Lock out your hips and shoulders at the top of the movement.
Lower the bar back to the ground in a controlled manner.
For a more detailed explanation, visit our how to deadlift article.
Conventional Deadlift Muscles Worked
The conventional deadlift works a variety of muscles, including:
Quadriceps
Gluteus maximus
Hamstrings
Lower back
Upper back
Trapezius
The conventional deadlift is also a compound exercise, which means that it works multiple muscle groups at the same time. This makes it an effective way to build strength and muscle mass across lots of the body.
This means you gain a lot of benefits from the exercise without having to perform lots of different exercises.
Which Deadlift Is Right for You?
Your first point to consider is your training goal – which can help you decide on the best deadlift for you. From there, think about your body type (as we discussed earlier) and your strengths. Do you have any potential lower back vulnerabilities or impingements that may result in you wanting to place less pressure on your back during deadlifts?
If you don’t have a particular goal and instead just want to add a hip hinge to your program, try both and see which one feels more comfortable and allows you to lift more weight.
If you are new to deadlifting, I recommend starting with the sumo deadlift. It is a bit easier to learn and less stressful on your lower back. As you get stronger, you can try the conventional deadlift.
Conclusion
Both the sumo deadlift and conventional deadlifts are excellent movements, so it’s less a question of which one is ‘better’, and more a question of ‘which one is best suited to the situation?’
Both deadlifts are great exercises for building strength and muscle mass, especially when it comes to growing bigger legs. The difference is that the sumo deadlift is more leg and glute dominant, and the conventional deadlift is more hamstring, glute, and lower back dominant.
They both work well; you just need to use them appropriately. With proper form and technique, both the sumo and conventional deadlift are safe and effective exercises that can help you reach your strength, physique, and performance goals.
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WRITTEN BY: STEVE HOYLES
Steve Hoyles received his degree in Sports Science from Swansea University. Since then he has spent his entire career working in the fitness industry - personal training and coaching thousands of clients. He now owns MyGym, a strength and conditioning gym in Stockport and works as a fitness copywriter.
