Sumo Deadlift
Wide-stance sumo deadlift. Recruits more glutes and inner thighs. It works mainly the glutes, quads and adductors, with help from the hamstrings, lower back, trapezius and forearm flexors.
In Flawless, a man aged 23–39 reaches Gold, the third of eight ranks, at 1.9× bodyweight (152.5 kg at 80 kg). For a woman it is 1.35× (80 kg at 60 kg).
How to do Sumo Deadlift
- Take a wide stance with the toes pointed out and the bar over the middle of your feet; the shins should be vertical when you grip the bar.
- Grip the bar inside your legs, drop the hips, lift the chest and push the knees out over the toes.
- Push the floor apart with your feet and stand up, keeping the bar close and the back flat; finish tall with the glutes squeezed.
- Lower by bending the knees and hips together, and let the plates settle on the floor before the next rep.
These are the same steps you see in the exercise guide in the Flawless app.
Muscles worked
| Role | Muscle | Anatomical name |
|---|---|---|
| Primary | Glutes | Gluteus maximus |
| Primary | Quads | Quadriceps femoris |
| Primary | Adductors | Adductores |
| Secondary | Hamstrings | Biceps femoris |
| Secondary | Lower back | Erector spinae |
| Secondary | Trapezius | Trapezius |
| Secondary | Forearm flexors | Flexores antebrachii |
Muscle data from StrengthLog.
Why do it
- The most weight your body will ever move
- Back, hips and legs in a single lift
- Grip and bracing that hold up everywhere else
Strength standards for Sumo Deadlift
| Rank | Men | Women | Man, 80 kg | Woman, 60 kg |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Bronze | start | start | – | – |
| Silver | 1.3× | 0.9× | 105 kg | 55 kg |
| Gold | 1.9× | 1.35× | 152.5 kg | 80 kg |
| Platinum | 2.55× | 1.8× | 205 kg | 107.5 kg |
| Diamond | 3.2× | 2.25× | 255 kg | 135 kg |
| Obsidian | 4× | 2.8× | 320 kg | 167.5 kg |
| Painite | 4.8× | 3.35× | 385 kg | 200 kg |
| Antimatter | 6.4× | 4.5× | 512.5 kg | 270 kg |
Ratios are one-rep max ÷ bodyweight for ages 23–39; kilograms are rounded to 2.5 kg.
Flawless takes your best set of Sumo Deadlift, estimates your one-rep max with the Brzycki formula (reps are capped at 12) and divides it by the bodyweight in your profile, so you never have to test a true max. Women’s limits are 30 % lower than men’s. For other ages the app lowers every limit: by 8 % under 23 and from 40 to 49, by 18 % in your 50s, 28 % in your 60s and 38 % from 70.
See also: strength rank calculator.
Similar exercises
Questions
What muscles does Sumo Deadlift work?
It works mainly the glutes, quads and adductors, with help from the hamstrings, lower back, trapezius and forearm flexors.
How do you do Sumo Deadlift?
Take a wide stance with the toes pointed out and the bar over the middle of your feet; the shins should be vertical when you grip the bar. Grip the bar inside your legs, drop the hips, lift the chest and push the knees out over the toes. Push the floor apart with your feet and stand up, keeping the bar close and the back flat; finish tall with the glutes squeezed. Lower by bending the knees and hips together, and let the plates settle on the floor before the next rep.
What is a good Sumo Deadlift for my bodyweight?
In Flawless, Gold starts at 1.9× bodyweight for men aged 23–39 and 1.35× for women, Diamond at 3.2× and 2.25×. For an 80 kg man that is a 152.5 kg and a 255 kg one-rep max.
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