Cues for the Sumo Deadlift (@derrick__kim)

By Derrick Kim

Do not Sumo deadlift until you are ready for it. Yes you heard me. Unless you have been squatting and conventional deadlifting long enough to have built up some basic strength, you really should not be Sumo Deadlifting. But both deadlifts are the same right? Not quite. Conventional deadlift requires a more forward lean in the trunk which places more emphasis on the back during the pull, whereas your trunk is more upright and the emphasis is in the leg drive in the sumo.

Here is my setup and cues in my Sumo. 

• I take my time with my feet positioning. Set up is very crucial and is 70% of the effort in the SD. A bad setup is a bad sumo. (3 o' clock and 9 o' clock)
• My inner calves are touching the barbell. (You need to externally rotate your hips out)
• I am balanced with a low centre of gravity
• I do a reverse shrug and forcefully push my shoulder blades down to engage the lats. I call it a reverse shrug as it is easier to relate. A shrug is when you contract the traps/ rhomboids forcefully, well a reverse shrug is quite the opposite. Stand up straight, chest up. Without your elbows at your side, now force your shoulders down. Do you feel your lats contract? Maintain this tightness.
• I push my knees out as I reach for the bar. (The knees must always remain over the direction of your feet at all times).
• I take a double breathe in, grip the bar and begin 'accelerating' the bar before it leaves the floor
• I lock my knees out aggressively when the bar reaches knee height, and my hips will follow through.
• I'm constantly thinking about tearing the floor apart by pushing my feet out during the pull, and locking my knees out aggressively to complete the pull.
I only allocate a few minutes to stretching and mobility work just to get the blood following. Some Abductor / Adductor and groin stretches to open up my hips further.
• Sumo Deadlift is all about keeping the horizontal distance between the bar and hips as close as possible. The short the distance the better. If your torso is leaning too far forward, the bar is too far away from you. That is not optimal. Keep your body upright and let your legs do all the work. The hip hinge is still there but your back is not doing the pulling. Your legs are doing the pushing. I've recently changed my focus to look up 6 feet away. I feel this helps me with a cleaner finish in the pull.

This is a guest post by Derrick Kim, IPF U74kg powerlifter from Singapore. Derrick's best comp numbers are 225kg squat, 132.5kg bench, 290kg deadlift for a 647.5kg total in Aug 2014. He is currently prepping for Oceania in December. Read more about him on:  http://nextlevelpowerlifting.blogspot.sg/2014/11/the-spirit-of-competition-derrick-kim.html