Sumo Deadlift Form Check

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
41

[quote]hungry4more wrote:

[quote]mrodock wrote:
Imitate the technique of lifters who have great economy of motion and you will go far. Some examples:

Viktor Furazhkin

Ismo Lappi

Hassan El Belghitti

[/quote]

Awesome vids man, thanks for posting those. [/quote]

H4M, you could throw a video of yourself next to those and I don’t think anyone would argue.

OP, part of the reason those guys form looks so rock solid is they stay ridiculously tight. Staying tight helps you keep everything in the groove. I personally feel it is easier to keep extremely strict form out of a suit rather than in a suit.

Also, the tighter you stay, the more motor units you are firing, the more weight you can ultimately lift. There is a really good article on the deadlift at elitefts entitled “Improving the Deadlift” by David Adamson. This will help you get into the proper starting position which is so incredibly important to pulling maximum poundages.

You truly have some ridiculous pulling potential, the better you can get your form now, the better your chances of pulling some jaw-dropping numbers later on. Do NOT hesitate to dial the weights back a bit if this is what it takes to make your form more efficient.

One thing about Virtanen’s technique, it is probably a more advanced way to pull than anyone else. When you have your hips that low and close to the bar they have to back up in order to make lockout smooth. If he kept his hips close throughout the motion he would have had trouble locking out. In my mind Lappi has the ultimate technique, and not surprisingly he probably has the most ridiculously good leverages as well. That being said, I think Virtanen got every single damn pound out of himself that he could, truly amazing.

42

[quote]hungry4more wrote:
Also an excellent post, especially considering how much I love pulling sumo. [/quote]

Hahaha, I suck so much at sumo! I’ve never maxed sumo but I wouldn’t be surprised if there’s a 200lbs difference. It would probably be good for me to train more sumo deadlifts though, if I suck at something it’s probably a sign that I need to do more of it.

Once I hit 270kg conventional I think I will dedicate more time to sumo.

[quote]mrodock wrote:
H4M, you could throw a video of yourself next to those and I don’t think anyone would argue.

OP, part of the reason those guys form looks so rock solid is they stay ridiculously tight. Staying tight helps you keep everything in the groove. I personally feel it is easier to keep extremely strict form out of a suit rather than in a suit.

Also, the tighter you stay, the more motor units you are firing, the more weight you can ultimately lift. There is a really good article on the deadlift at elitefts entitled “Improving the Deadlift” by David Adamson. This will help you get into the proper starting position which is so incredibly important to pulling maximum poundages.

You truly have some ridiculous pulling potential, the better you can get your form now, the better your chances of pulling some jaw-dropping numbers later on. Do NOT hesitate to dial the weights back a bit if this is what it takes to make your form more efficient.

One thing about Virtanen’s technique, it is probably a more advanced way to pull than anyone else. When you have your hips that low and close to the bar they have to back up in order to make lockout smooth. If he kept his hips close throughout the motion he would have had trouble locking out. In my mind Lappi has the ultimate technique, and not surprisingly he probably has the most ridiculously good leverages as well. That being said, I think Virtanen got every single damn pound out of himself that he could, truly amazing.[/quote]

Agreed on all counts. Lappi is awesome.

You might have noticed in my last post that I have somewhat of a fascination when it comes to Virtanen. His drive and dedication just inspires me. His attention to detail when it comes to his technique - not only in the deadlift, but on all lifts - was just sick. You make very good points about his technique by the way.

I agree that he probably got as much out of himself as was possible, or very close. Sakari makes a good point in his article though, that in the 80s Jarmo’s grip was a limitation, in the 90s his grip was better but instead he injured his leg. Regarding the leg injury I’ve heard that it was a result of his very wide squatting stance. Either way, feels a bit silly to speculate if he could’ve been better or not when he became world champion nine frickin times.

To the OP: If there’s one person on this forum you should listen to when it comes to sumo deadlifting it’s hungry4more. He’s strong as hell in that lift and his progress has been very quick, the guy is clearly on to something.

43

[quote]mrodock wrote:
H4M, you could throw a video of yourself next to those and I don’t think anyone would argue.
[/quote]

Lol thanks, but I’ll wait until I hit 7 plates I think. Soon, soon…

44

I gotta say, I think getting tighter would really benefit me. Even though this week is a deload week, I got a belly full of air, kept a strict squat stance and just felt the weight fly up. I pretty much flew out of the hole instead of pausing there, but then again, it’s a deload week. I still felt the difference. I can’t wait to try deadlifting this Friday with the Pro Short average bands and just going balls to the wall.

I really feel like the weight feels a lot lighter than it usually does and hopefully this will yield in much greater results. Now I just want to skip my deload week and just bang out as many dead stop reps on 405 as possible but patience, patience… lol. Again, I cannot express how much I appreciate you guys helping me and those videos are just ridiculously awesome and a joy to watch.

45

[quote]Efeguwewe wrote:
I gotta say, I think getting tighter would really benefit me. Even though this week is a deload week, I got a belly full of air, kept a strict squat stance and just felt the weight fly up. I pretty much flew out of the hole instead of pausing there, but then again, it’s a deload week. I still felt the difference. I can’t wait to try deadlifting this Friday with the Pro Short average bands and just going balls to the wall.

I really feel like the weight feels a lot lighter than it usually does and hopefully this will yield in much greater results. Now I just want to skip my deload week and just bang out as many dead stop reps on 405 as possible but patience, patience… lol. Again, I cannot express how much I appreciate you guys helping me and those videos are just ridiculously awesome and a joy to watch. [/quote]

OP, I would say, since your having trouble at the bottom, to do deadlifts off a platform. it really increases hip strength.

Also, a technique change i would make, would be to try to take all the slack out of the bar. wsatch in the beginning of the vids, and notice how when all the lifters get set, they try to bend the bar? theyre taking the slack out of the bar, so they get tighter, thats what u need to do.

46

[quote]Efeguwewe wrote:
I gotta say, I think getting tighter would really benefit me. Even though this week is a deload week, I got a belly full of air, kept a strict squat stance and just felt the weight fly up. I pretty much flew out of the hole instead of pausing there, but then again, it’s a deload week. I still felt the difference. I can’t wait to try deadlifting this Friday with the Pro Short average bands and just going balls to the wall.

I really feel like the weight feels a lot lighter than it usually does and hopefully this will yield in much greater results. Now I just want to skip my deload week and just bang out as many dead stop reps on 405 as possible but patience, patience… lol. Again, I cannot express how much I appreciate you guys helping me and those videos are just ridiculously awesome and a joy to watch. [/quote]

Just because the weight is light doesn’t mean you haven’t learned something. Even 135 can be heavy enough to feel substantial differences with technique changes.

It would be cool if you continued to update this thread with your progress (video), I think you have some massive pulls in you before long.

47

[quote]brauny96 wrote:

[quote]Efeguwewe wrote:
I gotta say, I think getting tighter would really benefit me. Even though this week is a deload week, I got a belly full of air, kept a strict squat stance and just felt the weight fly up. I pretty much flew out of the hole instead of pausing there, but then again, it’s a deload week. I still felt the difference. I can’t wait to try deadlifting this Friday with the Pro Short average bands and just going balls to the wall.

I really feel like the weight feels a lot lighter than it usually does and hopefully this will yield in much greater results. Now I just want to skip my deload week and just bang out as many dead stop reps on 405 as possible but patience, patience… lol. Again, I cannot express how much I appreciate you guys helping me and those videos are just ridiculously awesome and a joy to watch. [/quote]

OP, I would say, since your having trouble at the bottom, to do deadlifts off a platform. it really increases hip strength.

Also, a technique change i would make, would be to try to take all the slack out of the bar. wsatch in the beginning of the vids, and notice how when all the lifters get set, they try to bend the bar? theyre taking the slack out of the bar, so they get tighter, thats what u need to do.
[/quote]

How would I accomplish this? Would I tug on the bar before I lift so the bar is being tugged up while the plates are still on the ground then proceed to lift? I don’t exactly know what you mean by slack here

[quote]mrodock wrote:
Just because the weight is light doesn’t mean you haven’t learned something. Even 135 can be heavy enough to feel substantial differences with technique changes.

It would be cool if you continued to update this thread with your progress (video), I think you have some massive pulls in you before long.
[/quote]

I plan on keeping this as a deadlift form log I guess aside from my usual training log.

48

430 x 3 Dead stop deadlifts

I personally think that from the get go of these my form was pretty shitty, my back seems rounded and it seems like I never got off to a good start. I still don’t understand what getting the slack out of the bar means. I tried all 3 of these reps by holding my breath and shit but felt like my head was going to explode. I think I could’ve gotten more if I stuck to my usual breathing technique

49

post after video usually makes it show up

50

[quote]Efeguwewe wrote:
430 x 3 Dead stop deadlifts

I personally think that from the get go of these my form was pretty shitty, my back seems rounded and it seems like I never got off to a good start. I still don’t understand what getting the slack out of the bar means. I tried all 3 of these reps by holding my breath and shit but felt like my head was going to explode. I think I could’ve gotten more if I stuck to my usual breathing technique[/quote]

Looks to me like those shoes have a raised heel…if that’s correct, fix that by wearing wrestling shoes, chucks, or socks when you deadlift. Also, try pointing toes outwards more, it can help to push the knees out and maintain a more upright torso. Also, stop hyperextending your back every rep, you’re still doing that…it’s not as bad as the first vid, but you only really need to do that in comps, to make it clear to the judges you have it locked out.

As you can see, even with heavy weights you don’t HAVE to hyperextend to hold a solid lockout. Also, pay CLOSE attention to setup…details count. Notice those tiny little things that change when you point toes at different angles, move feet in or out an inch or two, sit back against your heels more, pull the “slack” (aka bend) out of the bar before pulling…all that. Speaking of which, notice how I don’t “jerk” against the bar as I pull the slack out of it in the vid?^^^ You can see pulling the slack out then pulling the bar up is simply one continuous motion, try to make your’s like that. You waste less energy and tightness getting the bar up that way.

51

holding your breath for a full set sounds pretty fuckin stupid if you ask me. thats a good way of risking giving yourself a massive headache or fainting. even when i max, i exhale as i drive with my legs and it actually helps give me that extra push. but hey if it works for you go for it, i just know from personal experience if i dont breathe enough i get extremely light headed and sometimes it would even make my head hurt pretty bad

52

[quote]hungry4more wrote:

[quote]Efeguwewe wrote:
430 x 3 Dead stop deadlifts

I personally think that from the get go of these my form was pretty shitty, my back seems rounded and it seems like I never got off to a good start. I still don’t understand what getting the slack out of the bar means. I tried all 3 of these reps by holding my breath and shit but felt like my head was going to explode. I think I could’ve gotten more if I stuck to my usual breathing technique[/quote]

Looks to me like those shoes have a raised heel…if that’s correct, fix that by wearing wrestling shoes, chucks, or socks when you deadlift. Also, try pointing toes outwards more, it can help to push the knees out and maintain a more upright torso. Also, stop hyperextending your back every rep, you’re still doing that…it’s not as bad as the first vid, but you only really need to do that in comps, to make it clear to the judges you have it locked out.

As you can see, even with heavy weights you don’t HAVE to hyperextend to hold a solid lockout. Also, pay CLOSE attention to setup…details count. Notice those tiny little things that change when you point toes at different angles, move feet in or out an inch or two, sit back against your heels more, pull the “slack” (aka bend) out of the bar before pulling…all that. Speaking of which, notice how I don’t “jerk” against the bar as I pull the slack out of it in the vid?^^^ You can see pulling the slack out then pulling the bar up is simply one continuous motion, try to make your’s like that. You waste less energy and tightness getting the bar up that way. [/quote]

I always wear my wrestling shoes from high school whenever I squat or deadlift, I actually think when doing this set I leaned forward a little because I definitely felt it alot more than usual in my calves. Overall, I think this is one of the worst sets I’ve done in deadlift in a while. After doing it I was actually thinking maybe it would be a little easier if I went another inch or 2 wider; so it comforts me even more that you recommended I do it. As for the angle of my feet, it doesn’t seem like I’ll have a “sturdy” base when lifting but I’ll give that a go next Friday when I deadlift again. Since I had no idea where to even start with getting rid of “slack” on this set, I’m definitely going to work on it. After re-watching your video (which is very awesome btw) and the others posted in this thread, I think I have an understanding of what the concept means and will try to do it next time. I definitely feel like I lose momentum/strength when my body jerks against the bar on my initial ascension.

[quote] hurg53 wrote:

holding your breath for a full set sounds pretty fuckin stupid if you ask me. thats a good way of risking giving yourself a massive headache or fainting. even when i max, i exhale as i drive with my legs and it actually helps give me that extra push. but hey if it works for you go for it, i just know from personal experience if i dont breathe enough i get extremely light headed and sometimes it would even make my head hurt pretty bad
[/quote]

Well I’ll agree with you there man but after reading so much about it not only here but on EliteFTS and from the fellow powerlifters I run into, it seems to be a technique widely accepted and employed when not only deadlifting, but on squat and bench as well. After learning about ti alot more, I have a better understanding of it and am going to try to perfect it because I really do believe if I can get my breathing/tightness adjusted, the overall pull and fluidity of my deadlift will progress and get better.

53

OK, 2 sets of 1 on 455

Edit: This is the 2nd set, not first

54

Ok this video was the first set and the one posted above was the second one, not sure why teh forum decided to post the 2nd but not first

I think it shows on this video of the first set that I really tried to stay tight and it paid off. Some insight into my pre-lift thinking/actions: I put my legs wider than the outer rings of the bar; before I used to have my shins directly on the outer rings but now my feet were planted a good 2 inches away from the plates. When I drop down to grab the bar, I grabbed a belly full of air and pulled the bar up slightly so the bar was toching the upper portion of the inside of the plates. Hopefully this is removing out the “slack.” Then when I started to ascend, I grabbed the bar as tight as I could using all my forearm strength and tried to push me feet towards the plates, keeping a strong base. Overall, the 1st set seemed really easy and I felt I could do more weight. However, I did this by holding my breath and was seeing stars as I performed the lift. pretty sure that’s not a good thing lol

55

Your knees are over the bar, that’s a no go. Sit back more.

On the super strict raw form, look at Belyaev, strong guy.

56

[quote]jonatan-shg wrote:
Your knees are over the bar, that’s a no go. Sit back more.

On the super strict raw form, look at Belyaev, strong guy.

I think that may be the reasoning as to why I tear up the top of my knees everytime I deadlift. Any tips on how to increase my flexibility to allow myself to sit back more?

57

[quote]Efeguwewe wrote:
Ok this video was the first set and the one posted above was the second one, not sure why teh forum decided to post the 2nd but not first

I think it shows on this video of the first set that I really tried to stay tight and it paid off. Some insight into my pre-lift thinking/actions: I put my legs wider than the outer rings of the bar; before I used to have my shins directly on the outer rings but now my feet were planted a good 2 inches away from the plates. When I drop down to grab the bar, I grabbed a belly full of air and pulled the bar up slightly so the bar was toching the upper portion of the inside of the plates. Hopefully this is removing out the “slack.” Then when I started to ascend, I grabbed the bar as tight as I could using all my forearm strength and tried to push me feet towards the plates, keeping a strong base. Overall, the 1st set seemed really easy and I felt I could do more weight. However, I did this by holding my breath and was seeing stars as I performed the lift. pretty sure that’s not a good thing lol[/quote]

Your form has definitely improved from the earlier vids. And you got what they were referring to, about pulling the slack out. looks really smooth.

58

[quote]critietaeta wrote:

[quote]Efeguwewe wrote:
Ok this video was the first set and the one posted above was the second one, not sure why teh forum decided to post the 2nd but not first

I think it shows on this video of the first set that I really tried to stay tight and it paid off. Some insight into my pre-lift thinking/actions: I put my legs wider than the outer rings of the bar; before I used to have my shins directly on the outer rings but now my feet were planted a good 2 inches away from the plates. When I drop down to grab the bar, I grabbed a belly full of air and pulled the bar up slightly so the bar was toching the upper portion of the inside of the plates. Hopefully this is removing out the “slack.” Then when I started to ascend, I grabbed the bar as tight as I could using all my forearm strength and tried to push me feet towards the plates, keeping a strong base. Overall, the 1st set seemed really easy and I felt I could do more weight. However, I did this by holding my breath and was seeing stars as I performed the lift. pretty sure that’s not a good thing lol[/quote]

Your form has definitely improved from the earlier vids. And you got what they were referring to, about pulling the slack out. looks really smooth.[/quote]

Thanks man, I’m still hyperextending my back which I just can’t seem to break the habit

59

Quick update:

Haven’t deadlifted or squatted in a bout 2 weeks now. I injured my lower back on squat day. Actually I don’t know what I exactly injured but all I know is that my lower back has been stiff/sore for the past 2 weeks. I can walk perfectly fine and touch my toes and twist but when i lean back even slightly it tightens up and I feel a pain. I injured it by collapsing all the way down when I was calf raising (stupid yes I know and I laugh at myself for injuring it that way but am also ashamed). Any thoughts as to what I may have done?

60

[quote]Efeguwewe wrote:
Quick update:

Haven’t deadlifted or squatted in a bout 2 weeks now. I injured my lower back on squat day. Actually I don’t know what I exactly injured but all I know is that my lower back has been stiff/sore for the past 2 weeks. I can walk perfectly fine and touch my toes and twist but when i lean back even slightly it tightens up and I feel a pain. I injured it by collapsing all the way down when I was calf raising (stupid yes I know and I laugh at myself for injuring it that way but am also ashamed). Any thoughts as to what I may have done? [/quote]
Go see a chiropractor.

And strech your adductors. This will allow you to “open up” your hip more, bringing the bar closer to your hip, and keeping your knees behind the bar.