Glutes exercise
Sumo DeadliftHow to do it, with form in numbers
- Also works
- Hamstrings, Lower back, Traps
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Level
- Intermediate
How to do it
How do you do the Sumo Deadlift?
- Stand with a wide stance, toes turned out, the bar over the middle of your feet.
- Push your hips back and grip the bar with your hands inside your knees.
- Push your knees out, flatten your back and lift your chest.
- Drive through your feet and stand up tall, keeping the bar against your legs.
- Push your hips back and lower the bar to the floor the same way.
Cues
- Knees out over your toes.
- Chest up, back flat.
- Bar stays close to your legs.
Common mistakes
- Knees caving in: push them out over your toes the whole way.
- Hips rising first: drive with your legs so your chest comes up at the same rate.
- Leaning back at the top: stand tall and squeeze your glutes instead.
Form in detail
What does good form look like?
Starting position
Loaded bar on the floor (bar 22.5 cm up). Wide stance: heels about 70 cm apart (about 1.7–2 × shoulder width), toes turned out about 40°. Bar over the middle of the feet, shins touching or almost touching it. Hands inside the knees, about shoulder-width apart (about 47 cm), arms hanging straight down. Overhand grip (mixed grip also allowed), thumbs wrapped.
The movement
The bar travels straight up over the middle of the feet, within 2 cm of the shins and thighs. Knees stay pushed out in line with the toes as they straighten; hips and shoulders rise together until the bar passes the knees, then the hips drive forward to lockout. The bar travels about 25–40% less distance than in the conventional deadlift. Lowering reverses the path, hips back first, and the bar settles on the floor without a bounce.
End position
Standing tall with hips and knees fully straight (0°), knees still in line with the toes, shoulders back, bar against the top of the thighs. No lean back. Hold 0.4 s.
Tempo
Bar on the floor 0.5 s / lift 1.7 s / lockout 0.4 s / lower 1.9 s / bar on the floor 0.5 s.
Form in numbers
What are the angles and distances?
| Measure | Target | Good range | Sources |
|---|---|---|---|
| Heel spacing | 70 cm | 59–81 cm (1.7–2 × shoulder width) | |
| Toe-out angle | 40° | 34–50° | |
| Grip width (hands inside the knees) | 47 cm | 1.0–1.3 × shoulder width | |
| Knee flexion at lift-off | 70° | 55–85° | |
| Hip flexion at lift-off | 90° | 80–100° | |
| Knee over the toes (front view) | yes | knee within 3 cm of the line over the 2nd toe | |
| Bar to legs gap | 0–1 cm | 0–2 cm | |
| Hip and knee extension at lockout | 0° | −5 to 0° (no lean back) |
The targets our 3D demo was built to, from the references below. Bodies differ, so treat the ranges as a guide for your own build.
For coaches
Use this demo in your clients’ programs
The Sumo Deadlift is in Trainaq’s exercise library. Add it to a workout, and your client sees this demo in the free Trainaq app above the sets they log.
