Conventional vs Sumo Deadlift

I have finally figured out the problem plaguing my lower back for the last 3 weeks; it was my form racking my weight after squatting. I was putting one foot in front of the other by about 18 inches when I stepped back into the rack and putting an undue strain on my left leg 9 times a week. The resulting burn that shot through my lower back and quad was enough to slow my deadlift progress and it bothered me. I pay strict attention to my form, but got sloppy on the rack and I paid for it. Now I have a slightly strained lower back.

I decided to give my lower back a bit of a break and switch my deadlifts to sumo-style (wide stance) this week. I was able to do the same weight (300), and I noticed significantly more utilization of my hamstrings and glutes. I am squatting full-throttle 3x a week already so I feel like this might be a nice change to prevent overtraining in my lower back and quads. The conventional deadlift definitely demand more from my quads and - trust me - they really don't need it. I have a hard time with recovery squatting 3x a week since I'm not getting a full 8 hours of sleep every night.

I'm wondering if the sumo lifts felt easier because they were depending more on my under-utilized glutes and hams rather than my fatigued quads and lower back muscles tonight ... and if substituting the sumo in place of the conventional is a good decision long term. I'm hoping to have some sore glutes and hamstrings tomorrow, because they're one of the muscle groups that is never sore for me since I don't target them directly. (Shoulder stance squats are more quad work)

Any thoughts?

well, i had written something really long, but then closed firefox on accident and lost it.

but basically i do shoulder-width and wide-stance deadlifts because i definately feel it targeting different areas of my legs.

be careful with those lower back strains, they can put you out of the gym for a while :O

If you want to target your hamstrings when deadlifting, do romanian deadlifts.

Glad I read this, I definitely rack with one leg way out in front, I usually just take one big step with one leg when I get close enough. I started feeling a weird pain in my left leg last week, had no idea what it was.

Ryan, I have heard it comes down a lot to your phenotype/build.

People w/ long torsos and shorter limbs (usually good at squatting and benching) are more likely to feel comfortable going sumo while people with long limbs and short torsos are much more likely to pull conventional.

The reason for this is b/c if you have long arms you can start w/ your hips higher in a conventional deadlift stance while still keeping a neutral lower back. Higher hips = smaller distance + more power. If you have a long torso and short ass arms a convetional style will mean you are starting w/ low hips which reduces power and increases the distance you have to pull. By going w/ a sumo stance you are essentailly making it so your arms are closer to the floor/bar and you hips can start higher.

Also, I think people fuck themselves up DLing b/c they think it is a lower back exersise primarily. You should not be relying on your spine extendors to straighten out your back when dling. The idea is to use your glutes/hamstrings to drive your hips back under the bar. Your lower back is there for support and as a secondary player in opening up your hip angle as you go up.

It is interesting to note that a lot of mid-range DLers pull sumo in competition but almost all the big boys putting up world records (700+) will pull conventional.

I lift conventionally. i'm 6'3 and my legs are def way longer than my torso. I think the main thing when using your glutes and hams is THINK about using them when you lift.

I was squatting the other day when a guy came up to me and said to me that i'm not using my glutes? I was just like, ok. He had noticed that my knees pinch in just the slightest bit on the push upwards and said that is because i'm not tight throughout the back of my legs.

Interestingly enough, I had been squatting and DLing not so perfect for all this time. Now its a world of difference, and I do feel a lot more stable when I actually think pushing up with my glutes,hams.

Maybe you just don't know what to feel for?

gonna try some sumo's for variantion, good idea nonetheless