When is NOT a Deadlift?

Lately online there has been some serious back and forth about the deadlift. There is a pretty vocal contingent in the powerlifting community that balks at the sumo deadlift while over in the strongman world the sumo deadlift is regularly frowned upon. Which made me think, when is a deadlift NOT a deadlift?

In the powerlifting world the bench press is one of the three main lifts, and in gyms across the world on Mondays between 4 and 10pm the flat bench is king. However, so is the incline bench, the decline bench and for many, so is the close grip bench. No one ever complains that one or the other is NOT a bench press, just a variation of it.

Though the squat is not as widely practiced by the gym-goers of the world, no one ever looked at World Record Powerlifter Ray Williams and said “that bar is too high.” Conversely, no one has ever gone to multiple time World’s Strongest Man Brian Shaw and given him grief for bar placement either. Yet, there is rarely confusion over high or low bar placement rendering a squat…well, not a squat.

Then you come to the greatest exercise in the world, the deadlift. Suddenly, a sumo stance means its “not a deadlift” to a legion of keyboard tough guys who think that the slight decrease in range of motion means the fucking weight didn’t come off the floor in someone’s hands and they somehow didn’t stand up straight.

I love the sumo deadlift. When I started deadlifting I was over 400 pounds and couldn’t bend over to grab a conventional lift. Spoiler alert, being fat sucks and will kill you if you let it. So for years, even after losing weight I kept pulling sumo and had some respectable lifts north of 600 and one lift at 705 that blew out a shoe (story for another time.) Then when I began to train for strongman I had to relearn how to pull conventionally because that’s how contests are governed. I didn’t gripe and complain online and bitch about how “I’m stronger than those conventional guys” I just put in the work and moved the needle.

The deadlift is unique in that in can be adapted to whatever you might need. If you’re training strongman, conventional deadlift (with straps!) is the norm so you should train to that. However, are a wrestler or fighter, I think the sumo stance is better for you because it will force you to learn how to activate your hips and strengthen you glutes. Then there is deadlifting from a deficit or from a rack, both of which strengthen different parts of your posterior chain and both lifts are fine by the experts on the internet, yet the poor sumo deadlift gets no love.

If you are just starting out or if you are maybe changing the game up a bit for yourself, experiment with different deadlifts and try to find out what works for your unique goal. So many guys online pontificate about an exercise and don’t bother to think that everyone out there is training to a different goal. I also recommend picking up an anatomy book and learning about all of the small muscles that work together to influence those crazy deadlift numbers, you might learn that you’ve been thinking about it all wrong.

There’s nothing wrong with entertaining a little Broscience every now and then, but remember that your body is unique, your goals are personal and you results are you responsibility. Believe in yourself, and trust the process!