Stand with your feet wider than shoulder-width apart. Place the barbell on the floor in front of you. Bend your knees and grasp the bar with an overhand grip, with your hands slightly wider than shoulder-width apart. Keep your back straight and chest up. Push through your heels as you stand up, extending your hips and knees until you are fully upright. Slowly lower the bar back down to the floor by bending your knees and maintaining a straight back. Repeat for the desired number of repetitions.

How to perform the Barbell Sumo Deadlift

  1. Set up. Set up in a stable, balanced starting position appropriate for the Barbell Sumo Deadlift using your barbell.
  2. Brace and execute. Brace your core, control the descent, and move through a full pain-free range of motion while emphasizing your quadriceps.
  3. Reset. Reverse the movement under control and reset between repetitions, keeping your form crisp on every rep.

Coaching cues

  • Move with intent — every rep should feel deliberate, not rushed.
  • Drive force through your quadriceps rather than momentum.
  • Keep your breathing steady: exhale on the hard part, inhale on the reset.

Common mistakes

  • Using too much weight and losing positional control.
  • Cutting the range of motion short and missing the target muscle.
  • Letting your spine round or hyperextend instead of staying neutral.

Detailed cues, common mistakes, and demonstration video are available in the Fitly app.

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Variations of Barbell Sumo Deadlift

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