joncrane said:
First of all, CCJ, you are doing what? like 95#? You can have the best form in the world at 95# then at 275 or even 185 the form is way different.
Second of all the bar should be as close as possible to your body. This will involve some scraping. The closer the center of gravity of the bar is to your body, the better (and the more you can use your legs vs. you back).
Thirdly, I have a special technique for sumos the works well for me:
Feet way out, like 6" away from the wheels. Pointed out at about a 45-55 degree angle.
Grip about 1" inside the smooth part. This means the farthest out the outer pad of my hand is is 1" into the smooth part. The minor instanility is more than compensated for by the lack of digging into my quads.
The whole damn thing rides up my legs on the way up.
JC
Thanks - but Rickey Dale Crain - a noted expert on the sumo form gave me some tips - he does say the back will not be arched and can be rounded. The thing is there is no way I can get the bar anycloser to scrape my shins, my thighs ar ein the way!
anyway some tips he gave to me -
practice makes perfect......set up with 45's on the bar..not 25's....hips need to be in closer to the bar,,,not so far behind them.........knees out like you were squatting...you do not squat to the bar...you lean over grab the bar moreso and then knees out....shoulders down......hands insidethe thighs....dip and pull..
absolutely....technique is so vital to sumo...i have worked and refined on it since the early 70's...longer than perhaps anyone on this planet.... lots of tips and tricks in it... rdc
halfo on and half off....you are lifting with a chrome bar...which is not good for any type of gripping..use a non chrome bar...
actually the shoulders should be directly over the bar...in a straight line as you start the pull.....hips in close to the bar.....head...shoulders/arms/knees(as close as possible/bar all in a straight line....center of gravity is really important in this lift......
rdc
Here is something on sumo deadlifting from RDC's article on Advanced Powerlifting Techniques:
The sumo set-up:
Approach the bar. Take one foot or the other; your choice as to which is most comfortable and depending on whether you are a wide sumo or a narrow sumo. The shin goes up to the bar, and toes tilted out 45 degrees or even more in some cases. Shins vertical, and knees slightly bent. Hands should be down inside the legs with the forearms touching the inside of the thigh if possible. As you push your knees out (like the squat), you bend over slightly, with arms straight, and grasp the bar half on and half off the knurling. Your arms should be straight vertically from the shoulders to the bar. This rule will determine exactly where the hands are to be placed. For a very big lifter with wider shoulders this may be all the way on the knurling. For most, however, half off and half on will insure the best and shortest pull.
The arms are straight, and the bar lies in the fingers, like it is holding a hook. Thumb should be overlapping one or two of the first two fingers.
The bar should "not" be squeezed. Rather, it should just lay in the fingers/hand. Only the thumb should be flexed, or squeezed, not the hands, not the forearm. If this is done incorrectly, most likely, the bar on a very hard pull will slip out of the hands. Also if the hands are rotated as you grip the bar, it will most likely slip out as the weight pulls down, and pulls the rotated hands back to a straight up and down position. One does not have to have a strong grip to hold onto large amounts of weight. I have a very poor grip and grip strength and have never lost a deadlift, i.e. 716 at 165lbs.
The sumo attempt/pull:
As you are leaning over the bar knees pushed out, you dip the hips slightly to start your pull, short and sweet. The hips will pull in towards the bar. The head will follow from down to out as you start the pull. You will pull the slack first out from the plate/bar. Then, the bend in the bar slack will come next. The bar will pull into the fingers even more as this slack is pulled out and as all the different areas of slack are pulled out you will explode up, with a very short in line stroke. The back will not be arched but have a slight curve in it/or perhaps even straight. You should take a short half breath right as you go down to the bar. Too much breath expands the chest and rib cage more than it need be. It raises the shoulders and lengthens the distance the bar travels, as well as forces the shoulders back while at the bottom right before the pull.
A variation of the slow sumo pull is the drop and grab and explode method. Everything is still the same as far as the hands, but it is done very quickly. Many times, when done too quickly or out of control, one grabs the bar wrong and/or the hips rise to fast, giving way to a stiff legged deadlift.
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