ExRx.net

the standard deadlift is with bended knees right? if i start on top of the movement it's romanian? knees not bended is stiff leg dl, with wide legs it's sumo?

if im doing the dl with bended knees, is this enough for hamstrings in comparison to the stiff leg dl? is it also true that stiff leg dl focuses more on upper back and bended knees dl does not?

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"his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - muhammad ali

They both should be with bent (stiff means slightly bent) knees. Straight leg is more of a stretch and shouldn't be done heavy.

Romanian are done with stiff knees and starts from the top and only goes down as low as you're comfortable. The focus is more on hamstrings than normal deadlifts as the normal deadlift has more glute and quad involvement. It's good to do both. Romanian are usually lower weight than normal deadlifts but they do give you more hamstrings. Upper back is involved but not the target in either version.

Sumu deadlifts have the hands inside the knees and the feet are wide. Conventional deadlifts have the hands outside the knees and the feet are closer together.

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

good description, thanks! so, sumo is just something for people with extreme hamstring inflexibility?

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"his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - muhammad ali

Not only that. It has to do with body mechanics. Some people are just stronger with that style of pull. I have good hamstring flexibility but with my long back I'm considering switching to sumo.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

It's generally accepted that the choice between sumo and conventional is determined by arm length to torso length or lower back issues. The longer your arms, the more mechanical advantage you have in a conventional stance. Caveat: more strength records are set with conventional stance than sumo. Whether this occurs because conventional represents a greater preference among lifters or because it represents a stronger lift remains to be determined.

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don't you know there ain't no devil
that's just god when he's drunk

do you go down til the bb is on the floor every repetition or keep it in the air?

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"his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - muhammad ali

Romanian, keep it in the air, conventional and sumo, start and end on the floor.

_________________
Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

thx. what about bb rows? til floor or keep it in the air? what's better?

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"his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - muhammad ali

Depends. It's like roughly comparing Box squats and Regular squats. The other cuts the tension, other maintains it. What is more suitable for your goal.

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on the rare occasion I deadlift, I pull with a kind of semi-sumo stance.

so, not touching the floor would be more for endurance and saving the lower back a bit? touching the floor is maybe best for getting stronger and bigger?

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"his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - muhammad ali

Well, yes and no.
Time under tension is a very important factor of hypertrophy training, it also was an old bodybuilding staple to always leave the rep in a slight contraction, never give rest in the middle of the rep.

Is it saving the lower back? Maybe a little, especially if you work in a bigger angle. Nothing certain tho.

I like the so called dead-stop rows where every rep ends in the floor and starts again. I prefer them as training for maximal strength and force production. No spindel effect (rubber band), just like in box squat. The eccentric and concentric part is divided by a slight rest.

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Prove the impossible!

What are your guys' thoughts on "frog stance" style deadlift, ala George Hechter?

I've found over the last couple months that I have a really, really hard time setting my back in a strict conventional stance, and that only by tweaking out my foot angles and keeping my heels in close was I able to rip a "heavy" pull (anything over 330). My deadlift was stagnant for a while before I figured this out, but once I did, the numbers starting creeping upwards again.

Is there a specific anatomical reason for this?

This article looks at different styles: http://www.t-nation.com/free_online_art ... e_deadlift

See #8

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Let thy food be thy medicine, and thy medicine be thy food.~Hippocrates
Strength is the adaptation that leads to all other adaptations that you really care about - Charles Staley
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Thanks TimD

i noticed that many lifters, who lift huge amounts of weight at deadlifts, use a mixed grip. do you recommend it? should i change the grip from working set to working set then? i mean left underhand, right overhand one day and right underhand, left overhand the next day?

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"his hands can't hit what his eyes can't see" - muhammad ali