Exercise

Sumo Deadlift: How to Do It, Muscles Worked

Last updated 26 July 2026

What muscles does the Sumo Deadlift work?

The Sumo Deadlift primarily targets the hamstrings, and also recruits the adductors, forearms, glutes, lower back, middle back, quadriceps, traps as secondary muscles. It's classified as a intermediate-level powerlifting movement using barbell.

What are the most common Sumo Deadlift mistakes?

• Rounding the lower back to reach further down instead of stopping where the hips can no longer hinge.
• Letting the bar or weight drift away from the body, turning the lift into a lower-back-dominant grind.
• Hyperextending at the top of the rep instead of finishing in a neutral, upright position.
• Bending the knees like a squat instead of hinging at the hips first.

How should I program the Sumo Deadlift — sets, reps and frequency?

As a hip-hinge compound movement, it responds well to a moderate-to-heavy 4-8 reps for 3-5 sets when trained for strength, or 8-12 reps for hypertrophy. Most lifters train it once or twice a week as a primary movement in a push/pull/legs or upper/lower split. Add small amounts of weight or an extra rep once every working set can be completed with good form — the same progressive overload principle behind every strength exercise in the library.

What are good Sumo Deadlift variations and alternatives?

• Good Morning — barbell, intermediate level, hamstrings
• Romanian Deadlift — barbell, intermediate level, hamstrings
• Sumo Deadlift with Bands — barbell, intermediate level, hamstrings
• Glute Ham Raise — machine, intermediate level, hamstrings

Sumo Deadlift at a glance

Attribute	Value
Level	Intermediate
Equipment	Barbell
Category	Powerlifting
Primary muscles	Hamstrings
Secondary muscles	Adductors, Forearms, Glutes, Lower Back, Middle Back, Quadriceps, Traps

How to do the Sumo Deadlift, step by step:

1. Step 1. Begin with a bar loaded on the ground. Approach the bar so that the bar intersects the middle of the feet. The feet should be set very wide, near the collars. Bend at the hips to grip the bar. The arms should be directly below the shoulders, inside the legs, and you can use a pronated grip, a mixed grip, or hook grip. Relax the shoulders, which in effect lengthens your arms.
2. Step 2. Take a breath, and then lower your hips, looking forward with your head with your chest up. Drive through the floor, spreading your feet apart, with your weight on the back half of your feet. Extend through the hips and knees.
3. Step 3. As the bar passes through the knees, lean back and drive the hips into the bar, pulling your shoulder blades together.
4. Step 4. Return the weight to the ground by bending at the hips and controlling the weight on the way down.