Sumo Deadlift
Muscles worked: Glutes, Quads (assisted by back, hamstrings, traps, forearms).
How to do it
- Begin with a bar loaded on the ground.
- Take a breath, and then lower your hips, looking forward with your head with your chest up.
- As the bar passes through the knees, lean back and drive the hips into the bar, pulling your shoulder blades together.
- Return the weight to the ground by bending at the hips and controlling the weight on the way down.
Coaching cues
The two cues IronPack shows on this exercise's card mid-workout:
- Shins vertical, knees out over toes
- Wedge hips down before the pull
Logging it
IronPack suggests working in the 3 to 6 rep range, progressing in 5 kg jumps when you own the top of the range. Records are tracked automatically at every rep count from 1 to 12. Loading the bar? Use the plate calculator, and check your estimated 1RM from any hard set.
Related exercises
- Deadlift - back, glutes
- Trap Bar Deadlift - quads, glutes
- Back Extension - glutes
- Kettlebell Swing - glutes
Track the sumo deadlift properly
IronPack logs every set, tracks your records at every rep count, shows these form photos mid-workout, and turns the training into a card game you play with your mates.
Get IronPack free on the App StoreFree download, iPhone. Currently on the New Zealand App Store, wider rollout to follow.
Photos and steps: free-exercise-db (public domain). Cues, muscle weighting and logging guidance are IronPack's own app data. Last generated 2026-07-17.