Which is the “better” one ?
I was taught to do legs slightly apart and toes turned out, but some videos which some woman gave me on here of herself dead lifting her toes near touch either side of the bar which is wwaayy different from what I’m doing.
Is it better to do legs wide ? I was only taught by some trainer in the gym so just want to double check.
legs really wide is called sumo. legs shoulder width is called conventional. both have different benefits and both can be used. some people also have a somewhat hybrid stance, similar to sumo but without legs so extremely wide apart.
you should search the deadlift articles here and on elitefts to give you a better understanding of the benefits/differences of each.
Deadlifting out wide like that is called sumo-deadlifting. Its used mostly by powerlifters because it cuts down the range of motion.So, depending on what you’re deadlifting to achieve would dictate which style is the “better” one, and your own personal leverages would need to be taken into account also.
For instance my conventional dead max is 415, and my sumo-dead max is 385.
I would, if i were you, do both styles. It will make you more well-rounded anyway.
Ah i see.
Thanks for that, didn’t know there was all kinds of deadlifts !
You might enjoy reading this, by Thibaudeau
certain people and certain body types benefit from dead lifting in different styles.
i’m 6’1 and have long arms…so i stand really close and do a conventional deadlift.
but
i got a buddy who is 5’ something and pulls sumo style and he can pull much more this way.
I always did my deads with a fairly close stance. When I found myself in a strongman contest a couple of years back, I didn’t think much of the fact that most guys had a wider stance than I did. When I suffered an injury after making my third lift, my brother (DPT) suggested that by limiting my training, I might have created an imbalance between all the muscles called into play. My point? don’t limit yourself, even I you’re getting great results from one approach, occassionally try another.
S
[quote]The Mighty Stu wrote:
I always did my deads with a fairly close stance. When I found myself in a strongman contest a couple of years back, I didn’t think much of the fact that most guys had a wider stance than I did. When I suffered an injury after making my third lift, my brother (DPT) suggested that by limiting my training, I might have created an imbalance between all the muscles called into play. My point? don’t limit yourself, even I you’re getting great results from one approach, occassionally try another.
S [/quote]
Only after doing the deadlift 5 times ever 
Tried the “Sumo” one today felt great i copied her video to a tee, especially when my program has 10-12 reps for deadlifts lol !
[quote]CPerfringens wrote:
You might enjoy reading this, by Thibaudeau
Strength Training, Bodybuilding & Online Supplement Store - T NATION [/quote]
So which is reccomended for a beginner
I squat twice a week, and normal deadlifts fried my lower back last week, i did 2 Sumo and 2 normal today and my lower back was not anywhere near as fried.
im 6 feet, and doing sumo seems to work better for me.
I feel that the sumo is more a glutes/ham exercise and doesn’t involve the lower back nearly as much as conventional stance.
I prefer conventional for that reason alone. In bodybuilding one of the most common critiques seems to be the lack of lower back mass, so that’s what I’m most interested in, not so much the extra weight I could lift from doing sumo b/c ROM is less.
[quote]GrindOverMatter wrote:
im 6 feet, and doing sumo seems to work better for me.[/quote]
Ya Sumo suited me too, but from that article its only a glute and inner thigh excercise… i’ll have to ask Modok if its ok.
[quote]SmallToBig wrote:
CPerfringens wrote:
You might enjoy reading this, by Thibaudeau
So which is reccomended for a beginner
I squat twice a week, and normal deadlifts fried my lower back last week, i did 2 Sumo and 2 normal today and my lower back was not anywhere near as fried.
[/quote]
The first program I did deadlifts on(well, my first program period, sept '07) started with conventionnal DL 5x5, twice per week, with a 2" deficit on one day.
Sumo deads go up slower usually, but are less taxing on the lower back. They require more leg strength and actually force you to not use as much lower back. Usually, for athletes, Sumo’s are better because there is less risk of injury and for Powerlifters it decreases the range of motion.
[quote]ebomb5522 wrote:
Sumo deads go up slower usually, but are less taxing on the lower back. They require more leg strength and actually force you to not use as much lower back. Usually, for athletes, Sumo’s are better because there is less risk of injury and for Powerlifters it decreases the range of motion. [/quote]
Ah ok, it’s meant to a Leg Exercise so, so think i’ll put it in.
End of thread
And thanks for all the help people.