conventional deadlifters

[ahiggs]

have you ever tried sumo deads?
it seems like the heavy hitters in the super heavyweight class all do conventional, where a lot of the lighter guys tend to lean more toward the sumo. is there a reason for this? i have tried sumo a couple of times, but it felt awkward. if i trained with it for a while and got use to it i may like it? any thoughts?

 

[Marat]

Some interesting/pertinent articles:

Choosing Conventional or Sumo Based on Your Bone Structure


Here's a roundtable discussion where they touch on some tips:
Sumo Deadlift

Some good stuff from Schwab:
http://www.elitefts.com/documents/sumo.htm

 

[ahiggs]

^^^thanks, some very interesting reads
it looks like i am good to go either way...long arms, long torso. so i may give it a shot

 

[davegmb]

I play about with both just to mix it up a bit. Feel stronger with conventional though, sumo just doesnt feel as natural!

 

[TampaSRT]

Sumo seemed to bother my hips. I will stick with conv.

 

[VolcomX311]

I worry about smashing my feet in sumo and as a result, I waste too much energy on an over-careful eccentric portion of the lift.

 

[ahiggs]

i gave them a shot this week...i didn't go quite so wide that would have had to worry about smashing my feet. just wide enough to get my arms between my knees. i did notice that i did not have to lift the weight near as far and was able to pull 405 for a hard 3 where i failed with the conventional after 2

 

[Gazhole]

Don't like sumo deads at all. I have a lot more power in a narrow stance. It all depends on whats more comfortable for you. A friend of mine switches back and forth every few months and continually makes deadlift PRs just from changing stance when one plateaus.

 

[cshea2]

I used to do a semi-sumo stance, where my hands were in and my feet were just out a little wider than shoulder width. I was about 20 pounds stronger, but prefer conventional with my long arms.