WHEN TO CHOOSE SUMO DEADLIFT OVER CONVENTIONAL
I’m generally a middle-of-the-road kind of person, trying not to swing too far in either direction. Except for Attack of the Clones—that film is a dumpster fire. For most topics, especially strength and conditioning, I default to “it depends.” Back squat vs. front squat? It depends. Concurrent vs. undulating periodization? It depends. Even debates about deadlifts follow that pattern. I don’t claim one variation is universally better. If I had to pick a variation that fits most trainees most of the time, I’d lean toward the trap bar deadlift. In my eight years with Cressey Sports Performance, about 90–95% of clients started with the trap bar deadlift and progressed from there. Roughly 75–80% have kept trap bar as their home-base deadlift throughout their training.
When choosing between the sumo deadlift (wide stance, hands inside the knees) and the conventional deadlift (narrow stance, hands outside the knees), the key factors are goals and which variation puts the lifter in the best position to be successful and avoid unnecessary strain. With that in mind, here are several reasons I’d lean toward sumo.
1) ANATOMICAL CONSIDERATIONS
Tall lifters or those with long femurs and torsos often struggle with conventional deadlifts. Basketball players know this well—long spines require careful setup. The trap bar is a strong option for these athletes, but sumo deadlifts or block pulls (where the bar is elevated to help maintain a good position) work too. Also consider arm length: people with shorter arms may find conventional deadlifts more challenging. Beyond that, overall movement quality matters. Many people today aren’t very mobile, and limited ankle dorsiflexion, hip flexion, or thoracic spine extension can make it hard to reach the floor without the lower back rounding. If someone can’t approach the floor without losing spinal position, why push for conventional deadlifts?
2) PREVIOUS EXPERIENCE AND INJURY HISTORY
Conventional deadlifts require more forward lean than sumo, which increases shear on the spinal erectors. That isn’t inherently bad; conventional deadlifts can strengthen the back when it’s not an issue. But for some people with back history, they’re too aggressive. In those cases, sumo can be more suitable because it tends to keep the torso more upright.
3) WEAK LINKS
Surprisingly, sumo deadlifts can be quite quad-dominant. As Kevin Cann of Total Sports Performance explains, the sumo deadlift is basically a high squat—the biggest quad work in the squat happens as you rise from the hole. Since sumo starts above the squat’s sticking point, it taxes the quads less than the squat but more than the conventional deadlift. For trainees who need quad work, sumo can be a great accessory move.
4) BECAUSE PURISTS AREN’T ALWAYS RIGHT
Absolutism in coaching is tiresome. I’ve run into coaches who cling to one method and let ego drive their approach. The “my way is the only way” mindset wears thin. I’ve had coaches defensive because I prefer sumo and use the trap bar with many clients. I remember a case where a coach publicly condemned my use of sumo with a new client, even though conventional had repeatedly hurt her back. In testing and in practice, she could not maintain a neutral spine in the conventional stance, especially from the floor. Switching to sumo allowed her to stay in a solid position without pain. Yet the coach claimed I sucked because I didn’t conform to his method. It’s a reminder that some coaches insist sumo is cheating, which isn’t supported by science. The hip-extension demand is similar across both variations. Unless you could lengthen someone’s femur, the moment arm doesn’t fundamentally change. As Kevin Cann notes, you may trade sagittal-plane work for frontal-plane work when switching stances. Generally, sumo is harder off the ground and easier at lockout, while conventional is easier off the ground and tougher at lockout. They’re simply different, not a measure of cheating.
I also discussed this with Dr. Ryan DeBell of The Movement Fix. He uses wingspan as a guide to which deadlift variation might suit someone best. If a person’s wingspan sums to less than their height, he often argues they should lean toward sumo pulls. It’s a parallel to how a wide-grip bench differs from a standard-grip bench. No one complains there.
