Is The Sumo Deadlift Cheating?

#fitness #lifting #powerlifting #benchpress #deadlift #teamblaha #dadbod

[metamodernbarbell]

My tuppence ha'penny worth: it doesn't really matter that much because powerlifting isn't really a sport many people care about, especially at lower wight classes, and there just isn't a lot of money involved. However, I think sumo does somewhat compromise the paradigm of SBD being a good overall test of physical strength - it definitely emphasises quad a little more and there comes a point that combined with 'zero-bench' techniques powerlifting becomes 'quads/glutes+thoracic spine lol' at certain weight/gender classes.
Obv it will not happen anytime soon bc doping concerns, but I think if powerlifting were an Olympic sport it would have to ban sumo (and regulate bench). As it is....I am curious to see what happens but my hypothesis is that we will see more sumo over time.

[alexmc]

Its not cheating against the rules in a powerlifting competition.

It IS, however a different lift. Deadlift is with plates on the BB, arms outside of legs, no straps. Atlas stone is not a DL because it uses the stone. Sumo is not a DL because it’s arms inside legs. Strongman DL with straps is not a DL isn’t a DL because straps.

It’s not cheating, but there’s a reason one is called a deadlift and one is called sumo - they’re different.

Kabuki bar has highlighted just how absurd sumo is given the greater distance between plates and the greater flex.