[youtube]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=hQNdRRXWRkQ[/youtube]
Sumo Deadlifts are my new favorites! (thank you hubby for teaching them to me!)
They are a little different from traditional deadlifts in that they are less stressful on the lower back and require more work from your hips. You must have good flexibility to perform these correctly, so make sure to work on how Limber you are for awhile first! So here is how to set-up for it:
- Have your feet wide and toes turned out.
- Grab the bar with your hands about shoulder distance apart. I prefer an overhand grip, but you can use whatever works best for you.
- Now move the bar to your shins and drop down into a squat position.
- When you are ready take a deep breath in. On your exhale, begin to lift the bar while driving the knees outward and keeping the weight in your heels. Drag the bar up your shins.
- Once you are halfway up, thrust your hips forward, lean back, and straighten the knees out.
- That’s it! Then lower back down! I like to control it on the way back down and challenge my knees to continue pushing outward on the eccentric/negative motion. But if it is my last set til failure, I’ll just drop the bar and then re-set for the next rep.
A few extra tips:
- My tennis shoes cause me to have more weight in my toes than in my heels. So in the future, I would wear converse or go barefoot for these. Hubby taught me that!
- Also consider wearing high socks or shin pads to avoid getting scraped and bruised up on your shins!