Old Forum Obvious plate-loading sumo tip

[Mattsirpeace]

Hi all,

Dunno if this is already something people already know about.  I was lucky enough to get a deadlift tip from Pavel himself and convert to sumos.  They make sense both for born squatters and for tallish guys like me who have knees in the way.  Gosh-durn nifty to have a deadlift style that meshes with swings & goblets.

My most ergonomic style puts my pinkie toes within one or two inches of the plates, so I'm always scared of smashing my feet.  Solution?  Wait for it...

Duh!  Move the plates out!  Slap on three nickels and a dime on the inside of the 45s so the bar is at 185.  Or, get an extra pair of collars, put them on before the plates, on the inside, and give yourself a couple extra inches around the feet.  Done and done.

 

[Joel the Savage]

Excellent advice!

 

[Journeyman]

That would work--two things to think about though:

1. Obviously if you do even a casual powerlifting meet, it won't be allowed/they won't load the plates like that.

2. Once you get into the mid 400s at least (and less with a deadlift bar) the mechanics of the lift will change because more weight being closer to the ends of the sleeves means the bar will bend more, earlier. Effectively decreasing the range of motion. You'll probably be able to lift a little more this way, but going back to a normal setup will be noticeably harder.

 

Some top deadlifters turn their feet in on the eccentric, like so:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=P_Rb_Gywwn8

Obviously if you're doing multiple reps you'll have to stand up and re-set after each one, and you won't be doing touch and go reps or slow eccentrics that way.