Deadlifts - My Way

[Tom Treutlein]

Well, I never got comfortable with deadlifts because I have a wide frame and I wanted to do them conventional. I tried to keep feet about shoulder width apart (any closer in and I couldn't keep my balace) and hold the bar outside of my knees. This never worked and I could never get good form. I was always shaky.

Then I tried, for my first time tonight, Sumo Deadlifts. These felt alright, but I felt it in my ass and hips alot, and none in my lower back really. I don't want a huge, wide ass - which I heard these can give you. Something like it can spread one's hips and make the ass get wider and grow outwards. I don't want this.

So I decided to combine the two, and stand about shoulder-width, but hold the bar in between my knees so I have better stability, the bar doesn't slam my knees on the way down, and I feel it heavily in my lower back.

Is this okay? Anything wrong with it?

 

[rjl296]

i always thought youd have less stability, the closer your hands were, at least thats how i feel
if it works for you, by all means do it

 

[Tagio]

if it works, go for it, I guess. I'm inclined to say you should just do conventional style with a narrow foot placement and practice with light weights until you can balance (it's not at all difficult). Being shaky comes from not being strong at the exercise and it would probably be best to just use light weights for slow reps for a few weeks to get comfortable.

if you stick with the form you're doing now, try out the conventional style again in a few weeks and see if it feels better. they felt strange to me too at first but when i got stronger they felt very natural.

 

[Cuthbert]

That seems odd to me. Then again, if it works, go with it.

What do you mean by 'shaky' when you talk about pulling conventional? Also.. how long did you stay with it before switching?

I don't know if pulling sumo will give you an ass or not.. In my experience squatting is what has made my butt grow.. but bigger butt = more power.

 

[StrongChE]

The big ass thing is genetic. I had a big muscular ass since after puberty. My partner, who is a sumo puller, is 230 and fits in size 34 jeans still. Just to give you an idea, he pulls 690 sumo, and his ass has not grown big, even with all the squatting.

Ed Coan pulls with a narrow sumo stance. You have to find what is comfortable for you at first, because that is usually the safest form to start pulling with. The fact that you are not comfortable pulling conventional indicates that you may have long legs, your hamstrings are tight or weak, and/or that your core is weak.

Before beginning to use any serious amount of weight DLing, I would pull with relatively light weights to learn the form, and incorporate high volume work into your hamstrings, lower back, and abs. Stretch your hamstrings and hip flexors after the workout.

With the above example, my friend began pulling conventional and made the switch over to sumo because it was less work pulling for his frame.

If you take anything away from this, remember it is the hamstrings, lower back, abs, and hips that provide the most force production. Deadlifting may strengthen those muscles, but all muscles are not alike. Your hamstrings may fall behind and need extra work outside of deadlifting to bring them up. You will only be as strong as your weakest muscle in the lift.

 

[Cuthbert]

I wouldn't say the big ass thing is completely genetic.

Of all the people I know who do pl/strongman.. very few have a small ass.

 

[Tom Treutlein]

By shaky, I mean I get unbalanced and it feels awkward for me.

I don't think the problem is that any of my muscles are weak. I do have long legs though, and that seems to be a problem with deadlifting.

Sumo deadlifts - do they target the lower back at all? Not as much as regular deadlifts, correct?

 

[leatherface]

I feel sumo and conventional target the muscle groups just about the same for me. I don't even really feel that either are much easier than the other, just 1 may be more comfortable. It's all about preference.

 

[Tagio]

I find they both stress my lower back a whole lot.

 

[Tagio]

I don't want a huge, wide ass - which I heard these can give you. Something like it can spread one's hips and make the ass get wider and grow outwards.

just reread this and no lift is going to change the shape of your glutes or hip bones. Many exercises will make the glutes GROW, but no exercise is going to make them start growing out to the side or any other magical thing like that.

 

[StrongChE]

They have compared muscle recruitment during the conventional and sumo deadlift.

The conventional stresses the lower back more at the beginning of the pull. Glutes are used to lock.

The sumo style stresses the hips/hams more at the beginning, but stresses the lower back at the end.

Obviously all muscles are hit pretty hard, but due to the variations in trunk inclination it changes the stress.

Yeah, us guys over 300 lb always have pretty big asses.
But I don't know one girl that doesn't like a big hard ass.

 

[rjl296]

OT - I have a HYUGE ass

 

[Heahy Minister]

Women sure as heck don't like guys with flat asses. Big asses are the way to go!!

 

[fortunatesun]

There's an old school exercise(don't remember the name) where you you straddle the bar and lift the bar perpendicularly between your legs, sort of like doing a T-Bar Row but lifting both ends up as in a deadlift. Still thought of as a good exercise, just not done much anymore.

 

[BodybuildingUniverse]

whatever form works for your bro but I wouldnt shun any style for fear of a huge spreading ass - it just aint gona happen. Pull big.

 

[Dave949]

There's an old school exercise(don't remember the name) where you you straddle the bar and lift the bar perpendicularly between your legs,

It`s called the Jefferson lift.