Barbell Sumo Deadlift High Pull
- Level
- Intermediate
- Equipment
- Barbell
- Movement
- High pull
- Tracks
- Weight & Reps
Works
Full Body Glutes Hamstrings Traps Back Shoulders Quadriceps
How to do it
- Load a barbell on the floor and stand with feet wider than shoulder width, toes turned slightly out, bar over the middle of your feet.
- Hinge at the hips and bend the knees to grip the bar with a double-overhand grip, hands just inside your knees, arms straight and shoulders slightly ahead of the bar.
- Brace the core, set a neutral spine, and drive through your heels to extend hips and knees together, keeping the bar close to your legs.
- As the bar passes mid-thigh, snap the hips forward and shrug the shoulders up.
- Pull the bar to collarbone height with elbows high and outside, then reverse the path and lower the bar under control to the floor.
Common mistakes
- Bending the arms early and turning it into a biceps curl.
- Letting the wrists rise above the elbows, which makes it an upright row.
- Rounding the lower back during the setup or the descent.
- Letting the bar drift away from the body on the way up.
- Gripping outside your knees, so your arms hit your knees on the way up.
- Lowering the bar with straight arms and no hip hinge, which jars the lower back.
Safety
Load the spine progressively; heavy loads with a rounded back risk lumbar injury.
Avoid if you have shoulder impingement or wrist issues, since the high pull stresses both.
With a barbell, also make sure collars are on and the bar is lowered under control rather than dropped from the top.
Tips
- Keep the bar dragging close to the legs so the path stays vertical.
- Let the hips finish before the arms bend; the pull is a follow-through, not a start.
- Keep elbows above the wrists at the top so it stays a high pull.
- Brace the core and hold a neutral spine from setup through the descent.
- Set the grip just inside the knees so the arms clear the thighs on the way up.
Details
- Base movement
- High pull
- Load position
- Front rack
- Arms
- Both
- Legs
- Both
- Hand orientation
- Pronated (palms down / away)
- Grip width
- Close
- Stance
- Wide
