Sumo Deadlift High Pull

The Sumo Deadlift High Pull (SDHP) builds on the Deadlift, widening the stance, bringing the grip inside the knees, adding a shrug, an upward pull with the arms, but, most importantly velocity. The move requires an aggressive extension of the hips and legs before the arms pull.

Teaching the Movement
SETUP: • Stance = wider than shoulder width, but not so wide that the knees roll inside the feet • Weight in heels • Back arched/lumbar curve locked in • Shoulders slightly in front of the bar • Bar in contact with the shins • Arms locked straight • Symmetrical grip inside the knees EXECUTION: • Accelerate through the heels from the ground to full extension of the hips and legs • Shrug, with straight arms • Arms follow through by pulling bar to the chin with elbows high and outside • Return the bar down fluidly in the reverse sequence: arms, then traps, then hips, then knees, back to the setup position

Seeing the Movement
PRIMARY POINTS OF PERFORMANCE: • Hips open before shrug and arm bend • Bar is pulled up to just below the chin • Fast and aggressive • Elbows travel and finish high and outside; elbows are higher than the hands at all times during the movement

Correcting the Movement
ALL FAULTS AND FIXES FROM THE DEADLIFT APPLY TO THIS MOVEMENT, PLUS THE FOLLOWING: FAULT – PULLING TOO EARLY WITH THE ARMS. HIP NOT COMPLETELY OPEN BEFORE SHRUG OR ARM PULL. • Fix – Take the athlete to step 3 in the progression (Sumo Deadlift Shrug). Emphasize that the hip needs to fire first, before arms. Try two Sumo Deadlift Shrugs for every full SDHP; do as many times as needed to get it right. FAULT – NO SHRUG. • Fix – Back to progression. Do two Sumo Deadlift Shrugs and one High Pull; do as many times as needed to get it right. FAULT – ELBOWS LOW AND INSIDE. • Fix – Cue: “Elbows high!” FAULT – INCORRECT DESCENT (HIPS BEFORE ARMS). • Fix – Slow down the movement; return arms then hips, then legs; then speed it up again. FAULT – TOO SLOW. • Fix- Cue “Faster!” FAULT – SEGMENTING THE MOVEMENT. • Fix – Cue to accelerate or jump the bar off the ground. FAULT – LOSING CONTROL AND LEVELNESS OF BAR. • Fix – Widen the grip a bit. Make sure the grip is symmetrical on the bar. FAULT – RUNNING INTO THE KNEES • Fix – Narrow the grip and make sure the hips aren’t too low in the setup position.

Progression
1. Sumo deadlift! 2. Sumo deadlift shrug, slow 3. Sumo deadlift shrug, fast 4. Full Sumo Deadlift High Pull