Sumo Deadlift is a compound exercise targeting the glutes: several joints work together, it takes heavy loading well and belongs at the start of a session. Secondary muscles: legs, back. Equipment: barbell, dumbbell, kettlebell. Difficulty: advanced, requires solid technique and training history. It takes 5 steps; the most common mistake is covered in the tip below.

Step-by-step

Set your feet wider than shoulder-width and turn your toes slightly out, with the bar close to your shins.
Push your hips back and squat down, gripping the bar shoulder-width with your arms inside your legs.
Lift your chest, keep your back flat, and brace your core.
Drive through your heels, keep the bar close to your legs, and push your hips forward to stand up.
Stand tall at the top and squeeze your glutes, then push your hips back to lower the bar to the floor under control.

Coaching tip

In a wide stance, push your knees out, keep your chest up, and stand up by driving with your hips.

Caution

Skip this move or ask a professional first if you have pain or an injury in: lower back, knee. FitCi filters it out of your program automatically based on the injuries in your profile.

How to program it

Sets × reps and rest by goal; load and long rest matter most on compound lifts. Start at the bottom of the range in week one; add 2.5–5% when you hit the top with clean form.

Goal	Sets × Reps	Rest
Strength	4 × 4-6	180 s
Muscle gain	3 × 6-10	150 s
Fat loss / conditioning	3 × 10-15	90 s

FitCi applies this table to your age and goal automatically and writes weekly progression.

Alternatives

At home, no equipment: Fire Hydrant, Donkey Kick
Same muscle, different equipment: Cable Pull-Through, Cable Glute Kickback, Hip Abduction Machine

More glutes exercises

Add this exercise to your program

Build your own program in FitCi, pick an expert template, or photograph the plan your coach gave you; the app tracks sets, reps and weight.

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