A Biomechanical Comparison Between Conventional, Sumo, and Hex-Bar Deadlifts Among Resistance Trained Women

Gundersen, AH, van den Tillaar, R, Falch, HN, Fredriksen, AB, and Larsen, S. A biomechanical comparison between conventional, sumo, and hex-bar deadlifts among resistance trained women. J Strength Cond Res 39(3): 281-288, 2025-The deadlift is a multijoint exercise frequently used to strengthen the lower extremities and spinal erectors. Despite variations, such as the conventional, sumo, and hex-bar deadlifts, little is known about how these techniques affect the concentric phase of maximal deadlifts among strength trained women. Therefore, this study used statistical parametric mapping to compare kinematics, net joint moments (NJMs), and surface electromyography amplitude between these deadlift variations during the last repetition of a 3 repetition maximum (3RM) in strength trained women. Eleven women (body mass: 67.64 ± 7.27 kg, height: 161.91 ± 3.05 cm, age: 23.18 ± 3.46 years) performed 3RM deadlifts in conventional, sumo, and hex-bar deadlifts, lifting 103.18 ± 18.47, 101.54 ± 15.01, and 99.70 ± 15.94 kg, respectively. The main findings showed that deadlifting with conventional and sumo techniques resulted in larger hip NJMs near the lockout. Conversely, deadlifting with the hex-bar technique resulted in greater barbell velocity, knee NJMs, and increased hip and knee flexion angles. Therefore, when training maximal 3RM deadlifts, we suggest that hex-bar deadlifts may be beneficial for targeting knee extensors and enhancing barbell velocity among strength trained women. Conversely, sumo and conventional deadlifts may be more effective for targeting the hip extensors near the lockout during the last repetition of 3RM deadlifts.