Dr. Squat - Dr. Fred Hatfield

Overall strength, hmm.. i know that in my 20`s i used to do conventional DL because of my (relative to my lower body)stronger posterior chain and because thats what the college weightlifting team taught me. So does having a strong posterior chain give me more overall strength, i dunno, it sure helped me do confident power and full squat cleans.

After having stopped powerlifting for nearly a decade, i tried again with a conventional dead and had a few problems with my lower back and decided to try sumo, and did fairly well i suppose.

What exactly is your basis for overall strength in the deadlift, the greatest number of muscles used? The greatest use of the posterior chain muscles? I always thought the sumo was the more "all around balanced" style (in terms of legs and back)

Conventional will have greater transfer to other movements, sports movements & skills, and everyday life.

Kid,

Pulling sumo does not insure pulling more in the deadlift. How do you come up with this stuff?

Kenny Croxdale

I guarantee it will never work if you never try it.

Kid,

It is about playing to your strength. Some lifters are capable of deadlifting more using a conventional, some with the a sumo deadlift.

"Probably 2 dozen would too."

I think you mean two dozen clones of you would "probably agree." However, one of the clones might not...since probably doesn't connotate 100% certainty.

Kid, you never fail to make my day.

I still didn't get the book from you. You wrote one, right?

Kenny Croxdale

I guarantee it will never work if you never try it.

I lift 10% more conventional than sumo. Probably because I'm built like an orangutan, much longer arms, long legs, short torso. Standard sumo not comfortable for me to do with max weights, semi sumo is good and I can lift about as much as conventional.

Depends entirely on leverage / biomechanics.

Different exercises, really. I think that the ONLY reason someone might pull sumo was to gain extra numbers on their deadlift.
That said, for MOST people I think the conventional will still give better numbers.

I'm conventional and will stay that way. Long legs.

Kid, have you even tried the sumo deadlift? Or trained with anyone who has? It takes a while to learn the lift.

Here is an interesting article.
http://www.powerpage.net/deadlift.html

Kenny, any more ideas about the sumo and conventional? I'd be interested to hear further comments. Are you conventional?

RDC used to post on this forum occasionally. Mr Crain, please chip in if you're lurking anywhere.

Nick

I go with Kenny on this. I pull much more conventional than sumo. Actually spent a full year trying to get my sumo number up, because it "looks" like it should be more efficient when you do it right. After the year was up, I still pulled more conventional. I think its a personal thing, based on how your body is built.

As it applies to overall strength, i would go with conventional as well.