Deficit Sumo Deadlift

Use bumper plates or deadlift blocks to stand on to make a ~1-2 inch deficit depending on your programming. Approach the bar taking a wide stance where the shins are vertical and the knees are a few inches wider than shoulder width. With the feet slightly turned out, grab the bar with both hands shoulder width apart. Feel free to wiggle your hips closer to the bar to take out any excess space and create more tension between you and the weights. There should be a few inches between the knees and the arms. Once you are in position, establish your grip by “Snapping the bar in half.” We are going to imagine we are breaking the bar in half by driving the elbows back, putting more force into the pinky’s. This will protect your back by tightening the lats to avoid rounding in the spine and creating more whole body tension. Pull tight on the bar before lifting to take the “slack” out of the bar. You will hear a click where the bar pulls up on the center hole of the weight plates.

Once you are fully engaged and super tight, pull the bar off the ground by driving your back towards the wall behind you and driving the hips forward by squeezing the glutes until you are standing straight up with your legs locked and your body in one straight line. Keep your abs squeezed and glutes squeezed at the top in order to avoid leaning back too far. Start the descent of the bar by sitting your hips all the way back and bending the knees while bringing your chest towards the floor until the plates rest on the floor and the bar is over the mid-foot. Re-grip if you need to and repeat these steps for repetitions.

Trainer Tips: When in a sumo or extra wide stance (or any exercise with the feet are wide and turned out), imagine “spreading the floor” trying to push the feet out the entire time keeping tension in the hips. This will use more hips and glutes and take some of the load off of the lower back when done properly. Make sure your plates or lifts are stable and will not slide when doing so.