Which deadlift form do you do/prefer?

missADS1981
missADS1981 Posts: 364 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
Since there are so many varieties, would love to open a discussion on which one you prefer to do and why.

Romanian? Trap Bar? Stiff Leg? Sumo? Conventional?
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Replies

  • DopeItUp
    DopeItUp Posts: 18,771 Member
    Conventional FTW.
  • arghbowl
    arghbowl Posts: 1,179 Member
    Sumo FTW!

    More than anything it's because I know I can go much heavier without sacrificing my form.
  • born2drum
    born2drum Posts: 731 Member
    Conventional. THe others (aside from sumo) are pointless. Romanian is ok. Stiff legged will jack your back if not done properly. Great for strecthing the Hams,though.
  • born2drum
    born2drum Posts: 731 Member
    Sumo FTW!

    More than anything it's because I know I can go much heavier without sacrificing my form.

    CHEATER!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!! lol.
  • CarlKRobbo
    CarlKRobbo Posts: 390 Member
    Conventional for me...

    Sumo suits people with long limbs, not tried trap bar.
    I do think is depends on how you prefer to setup tbh - I compete in powerlifting (5ft 7 tall, 93KG class), as does one of the bigger guys (Over 6ft tall, in the 120KG class) in my gym, we both lift conventional, but with a different stance (My feet are close together, his are wider), and he can Sumo Deadlift close to his conventional 1RM. I can only hit around 440Lbs Sumo, compared to 562Lbs conventional.

    RDL\SLDL I see as Deadlift assistance in that they focus more on the Hams\Glutes as opposed to seeing them as Deadlifts
  • missADS1981
    missADS1981 Posts: 364 Member
    I love the trap bar. It helps me to keep a neutral spine and lift heavier. I have a hard time with conventional as I lift heavier with always hitting my knees :/
  • SweetPea_7
    SweetPea_7 Posts: 249 Member
    i love conventional... but i will admit, Romanian is my favorite of them all.
  • just_Jennie1
    just_Jennie1 Posts: 1,233
    Stiff legged which if leg day falls on back day I'll kill two birds with one stone.
  • HMVOL7409
    HMVOL7409 Posts: 1,588 Member
    Conventional. I will add RDL at times for more isolation stuff but nothing beats traditional DL for me. Trap bar and sumo are eh.
  • missADS1981
    missADS1981 Posts: 364 Member
    which form would you say targets the posterior more than anterior?
  • mdizzle99
    mdizzle99 Posts: 169 Member
    Conventional for me. I lack the hamstring flexibility to do straight leg properly. I do some RDL as assistance work.
  • tequila09
    tequila09 Posts: 764 Member
    I do sumo dead lifts, Romanian and stiff leg! I like doing all of these equally!
  • IronPlayground
    IronPlayground Posts: 1,594 Member
    I prefer conventional. I've lifted slightly more with the sumo, but don't really like it much. I tried the jefferson deadlift for fun. It's a good variation for training purposes.

    The conventional will target the posterior more.
  • Savyna
    Savyna Posts: 789 Member
    I prefer the stiff legged.
  • Lleldiranne
    Lleldiranne Posts: 5,516 Member
    I must still be a lifting N00b, I didn't know there was a difference between Romanian and stiff leg :embarassed:

    I think I do the Romanian ones … I keep my knees soft but lift more with the hams/glutes than whole leg (this is the deadlift I was taught years ago by a trainer). I want to expand to traditional at least, but keep sticking with my normal. I guess I need to watch a few more youtube videos to feel familiar with the form.


    EDIT: Google-fu! Looked it up and I do the RDL (gentler on the back, yay)
  • Gwen_B
    Gwen_B Posts: 1,018 Member
    Stiff legged
  • Myhaloslipped
    Myhaloslipped Posts: 4,317 Member
    Conventional. I feel like I get the most out of those.
  • Serah87
    Serah87 Posts: 5,481 Member
    Stiff legged.
  • wilmnoca
    wilmnoca Posts: 416 Member
    Stiff and sumo. I'm pretty tall so sumo works well for me.
  • marvybells
    marvybells Posts: 1,984 Member
    conventional.

    although when i was doing a lot of stiff legged ones my hamstrings had a lot more shape to them & i really liked it. i am tempted to start incorporating some of those into my routine even though i've read not to add anything additional when you are doing stronglifts
  • mscrystallee
    mscrystallee Posts: 62 Member
    Due to knee issues, I tend to do leg presses and then Romanian Deadlifts.
  • AlongCame_Molly
    AlongCame_Molly Posts: 2,835 Member
    Conventional.
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    For max attempts I pull conventional. That and sumo are really the only *actual* deadlift variations. The others are modifications of the lift designed to be more isolating movements. They're training accessories, not "main lifts."
  • murphy612
    murphy612 Posts: 734 Member
    I have long legs so I prefer Sumo, but second favorite is conventional. RDL is ok and I've never tried trap bar.
  • MMulder68
    MMulder68 Posts: 139 Member
    Romanian all the way!
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    conventional barbell and trap bar. according to wendler the trap bar is the only real substitution for actual dead lifts.
  • LoveMyLife_NYC
    LoveMyLife_NYC Posts: 230 Member
    Stiff leg! I want to like conventional, but I can't get the hang of it. Always feel like I'm going to fall backwards. :grumble:
  • Huffdogg
    Huffdogg Posts: 1,934 Member
    conventional barbell and trap bar. according to wendler the trap bar is the only real substitution for actual dead lifts.

    I have a hard time believing Wendler thinks sumo isn't a real deadlift since you can use it on the platform.
  • Capt_Apollo
    Capt_Apollo Posts: 9,026 Member
    conventional barbell and trap bar. according to wendler the trap bar is the only real substitution for actual dead lifts.

    I have a hard time believing Wendler thinks sumo isn't a real deadlift since you can use it on the platform.

    i never said, and he never said either, that sumo isn't a real dead lift.

    what he says is that the trap bar is the only acceptable dead lift option for strict dead lifting.
  • singingflutelady
    singingflutelady Posts: 8,736 Member
    RDL because I hurt my back doing conventional and I am now scared of them :/ I also like single leg RDL a lot

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