First time pulling sumo, any tips?

[u/Hawaiin-Organ-Donor]

Hey guys, I've only pulled conventional and today was my first time ever trying sumo. It feels good but awkward at the same time. I feel like I'm built better for sumo and once I get the form down it'll be good.

The main issues I have right now is pulling off the floor, it feels super awkward since I'm not used to the stance. Also the mid portion, my knees start to buckle a bit. But once I get past that portion the lockout feels effortless.

Any tips?

[u/AutoModerator]

Hello! If you haven't checked it out already, many people find Alan Thrall's NEW deadlift video very helpful. Check it out!

Also, a common tip usually given here is to make sure your footwear is appropriate. If you are deadlifting in soft-soled shoes (running shoes, etc), it's hard to have a stable foot. Use a flat/hard-soled shoe or even barefoot/socks if it's safe and your gym allows it.

I am a bot, and this action was performed automatically. Please contact the moderators of this subreddit if you have any questions or concerns.

[u/mcsalts99]

First off, fucking solid deadlift bro! 405 for reps is NOT easy and your lift is looking great! The problems you're describing are actually pretty normal when it comes to sumo stance, the initial lift off and even the middle part of the lift have a tendency to be a bit more challenging as compared to conventional. However, the stance allows you to feel more natural in the movement like you described and does not require a long bar path compared to conventional stance. My only advice is to try paused reps with lighter weight or the same weight if you want a challenge! For example: when you start the lift, pause the rep for a sec or two when the weight is just a couple inches off the ground and then follow through with the full rep. Repeat as many times as desired, the goal is for your body to get used to the stance. Accessory work like dumbbell RDLs and back extensions have great carry over to the deadlift too if you arent already doing them. Otherwise, you're looking fantastic my man! Keep it up, I can see you pulling 500+ in no time!

[u/Hawaiin-Organ-Donor → u/mcsalts99]

Hey man, thanks! Pause reps would be the perfect solution here I think as well. Covers the initial pull and sticking point. I'm following a program right now so I'm not sure if I can do pause reps since it has me doing a normal tempo, but I'll definitely try them out next session.

And yeah, my conventional is about 530lb right now but based on how these felt, I can definitely see me switching and pulling more with time. Just got to get used to the technique and the awkward feeling lol. But it's good to hear that my issues are common

[u/AEROK13]

The main issues I have right now is pulling off the floor...

Don't worry. Sumo is much harder off the floor. Opposite to conventional.

Solid lift. Really lock out those knees before you pull your hips through. In conventional, you lockout your knees and hips simultaneously whereas in sumo, you lockout your knees first and then your hips.

[u/Hawaiin-Organ-Donor → u/AEROK13]

Good to hear it's not just me lol. And nice I'll keep that in mind, thanks. I see lots of sumo pullers noticeably lock out their knees first and then hips and was wondering if that's intentional or not.

[u/BoydRD]

Looks solid overall, you understand the mechanics and just need more reps. Grip looks a touch narrow for your frame, but hard to tell from this angle. If your arms are angled in compared to your shoulders, bring them out a bit or suffer lockout hell when the weight gets heavier.

As far as awkward start and knees buckling, that might be pointing to a stance that's too wide or too toed out/ externally rotated for your current mobility. Play around with stance; your ideal spot is going to feel like it breaks the bar off the ground for you as soon as you wedge in. Too wide and you'll have no push off the bottom, too narrow and you can't tension without your hips coming up.

[u/Hawaiin-Organ-Donor → u/BoydRD]

Thanks for the help. I definitely need to play around with where I grip the bar and stance positioning. Yeah I think I went a little too wide today, that's probably the reason for the weak push off the floor and knee buckle. Gonna apply this next week

[u/thisismysffpcaccount]

beautiful lift for a first time. nothing really of note here, just keep lifting.

[u/Hawaiin-Organ-Donor → u/thisismysffpcaccount]

thank you preciate it

[u/Bear0370]

Looking solid as already stated. Keep at it. Everything else has been said already.

[u/Hawaiin-Organ-Donor → u/Bear0370]

Sick thanks. Will practice everything next time

[u/Both-Environment3524]

Why does the roof look like asbestos in spray form, looks dangerous

[u/Hawaiin-Organ-Donor → u/Both-Environment3524]

Idk lol, they repainted recently it used to be dark red

[u/JoelDBennett1987]

Looks like perfect technique to me 👌 Solid.

[u/Otherwise_Mud3614]

Yup, go back to conventional!

[u/Allstar-85]

These are pretty good

Concept wise, you probably didn’t start conventional deadlift with this much weight, so you built the feel/comfort/technique over many many reps as you built up your strength

Likely (early on) your relative skill surpassed your strength at conventional, then over time built up your strength to match

Right now, your sumo skill is not as developed/comfortable as your strength, because brute force-wise this didn’t look like you maxed out

This is a long way to say you need more reps and time with the technique. I wouldn’t say you overdid it with the weight because it mostly looked fine, but also put time into other rep ranges; mostly for the sake of your stabilizer muscles to get used to the new movement pattern and to gain “the feel”

[u/Nonsenser]

control the eccentric?