This article will concentrate on the sumo SDL and conventional (bent leg), BLDL and explore the advantages and disadvantages of both.
Both lifts are very similar and enthusiasts of the respective lifts advocate both as ‘better’.
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I’m sure if you ask around at the gym you’ll get a variety of opinions on why you should do the SDL and not the BLDL and vice versa. Or maybe that you shouldn’t do deadlifts altogether because they are bad for the back and instead stick to pumping your arms with nice looking 5lb chrome dumbbells.
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The sumo deadlift (SDL) is done with the feet placed relatively wide, toes pointing out and the arms just inside your legs. The conventional bent leg deadlift (BLDL) is done with feet roughly 10 inches apart, toes pointing nearly straight ahead and the arms outside your legs. This is a simple description of the deadlifts,
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if you are new to them please refer to the guide section here. Deadlifts, more so than other lifts, can be dangerous if the correct form is not used.
SDL uses less back and more legs because you’re virtually upright when you start, the BLDL uses less legs and more back because your legs are less bent at the start.
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It would seem then that if you are a good squatter then you should be better at SDL than at BLDL. Your leg strength should give you the advantage in SDL. A good exercise is one in which you can uses the most weight, that why we do bench press and not cable flyes! If you are a strong squatter you may find you can SDL a hell of a lot more weight than you can BLDL,
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in this case the SDL will allow you to put on more muscle, faster. If your legs are your weak point then perhaps the BLDL would work better and not allow your puny legs to limit your lifts.
With similar weights for both deadlifts,
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the load placed on the spine requires the lumbar regions to work equally hard, however in the SDL the spine is moved through a smaller range of movement. This increased range of movement in the BLDL thus increases the extent to which the lower back is worked.
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The SDL does reduce the distance the bar has to travel, due to the wider placement of the feet. This reduces the range of motion tat the torso must move to complete the lift (In the same way a wider grip on the bench reduces the range of motion). The time under tension in the lift is thus reduced, so rep for rep the SDL
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places less stress on the muscles than the BLDL. Of course as mentioned earlier, if you can lift more in the SDL then this difference is void.
Body types also play a part in what type of DL you should choose. Those with long arms and legs are going to have difficulty lifting using BLDL and are more
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suited to SDL as it reduces the distance the torso has to travel. Compensating do the long legs the bar has to travel up. Those with shorter limbs may find that they can SDL better.
When deciding on what DL is better for you, consider all matters in this
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article but most of all how safe is your choice of DL for YOU. Don’t necessarily choose SDL because your limbs are short or BLDL because they’re long. Discover what works safely for you.
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