Is the kettlebell sumo deadlift a squat or a hinge?

It is a hinge. The bell starts on the floor, the hips move back first and stay above the knees, and the torso tilts forward to reach the handle, while a sumo squat such as the Dumbbell Sumo Squat keeps the weight off the floor and lowers the hips straight down with a more upright torso.

How is the sumo stance different from a regular kettlebell deadlift?

The wide stance and turned-out feet let you reach the bell with a more upright torso and slightly more knee bend than the hip-width Kettlebell Deadlift. In a study of 30 trained men lifting a barbell at 85% of their one-rep max, the sumo style produced higher peak activity in the outer quadriceps early in the pull, while the conventional style produced more hamstring (biceps femoris) activity.

Should the kettlebell touch the floor on every rep?

While you are learning, yes: setting the bell down lightly lets you reset your back, brace and pull from a dead stop each time. Once the pattern is solid, a light touch without letting go keeps tension on the muscles, but the bell should never bounce off the floor.

What should I do when one kettlebell gets too light?

Add reps, slow the lowering phase to three or four seconds, or pause just above the floor before moving to a heavier bell. When the heaviest bell you have is no longer a challenge, the Barbell Sumo Deadlift lets you keep the sumo stance and add load in small steps.

Is this a good way to prepare for kettlebell swings?

Yes. It teaches the same hip hinge slowly, with the bell starting from a dead stop on the floor, so coaches commonly use a kettlebell deadlift before adding the speed and momentum of the Kettlebell Swing.

Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift

What Is the Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift?

Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift is a compound exercise that primarily targets the glutes and the inner thighs (hip adductors) and also engages the hamstrings, quadriceps and lower back. It is a beginner-level movement in which you stand in a wide stance with the toes turned out and lift a single kettlebell from the floor between your feet, holding the handle with both hands.

The exercise is a hip hinge: the bell starts each rep at rest on the floor, the hips travel back first, and the hips and knees extend together to bring you to a tall standing position. Because the load is light, close to the body and easy to set down, it is a practical way to learn to pull from the floor before moving on to the Barbell Sumo Deadlift, and a common first step before ballistic work such as the Kettlebell Swing. It fits well as a warm-up, as a main lower-body lift for beginners and home training, or as a higher-rep accessory later in a session.

The wide stance and turned-out feet let you reach the bell with a more upright torso and a little more knee bend than a Kettlebell Deadlift taken from a hip-width stance. That shares the work between the glutes, the adductor magnus on the inner thigh and the quadriceps, while the hamstrings and lower back still hold the hinge position. It is not the same exercise as the Dumbbell Sumo Squat: in the squat the weight never rests on the floor and the hips sink straight down between the feet, while in the deadlift the hips stay above the knees and the torso tilts forward to reach the bell.

The Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift suits beginners, people returning to training and anyone who finds it hard to reach a bell from a narrow stance with a flat back. If the bottom position is still out of reach, raise the kettlebell on a sturdy block or a stack of plates and practice the unloaded hip hinge first. Once a single bell feels light, progress with more reps, a slower lowering phase, a heavier bell or a barbell.

Muscles Worked

MuscleActivation

Adductor Magnus: Primary
Gluteus Maximus: Primary
Biceps Femoris: High
Semimembranosus: High
Semitendinosus: High
Vastus Lateralis: High
Vastus Medialis: High
Adductor Longus: Medium
Erector Spinae: Medium
Upper Trapezius: Low

Instructions

Stand with your feet wider than shoulder width and your toes turned out slightly.
Place the kettlebell on the floor between your feet, in line with the space between your heels and the middle of your feet.
Push your hips back and bend your knees, pressing them out over your toes, until you can grab the handle with both hands in an overhand grip.
Set your position: back flat, chest up, arms straight, hips above your knees and eyes looking a few feet ahead.
Brace your core and pull your shoulders down to take the slack out of your arms.
Drive your feet into the floor and stand up, extending your hips and knees together as the bell rises straight up between your legs.
Finish standing tall with your hips and knees fully extended, glutes squeezed and the kettlebell hanging at arm's length in front of your hips, without leaning back.
Push your hips back first, then bend your knees, and lower the bell under control until it touches the floor between your feet.
Reset your brace and repeat for the desired number of reps.

Common Mistakes

Squatting the bell up
Dropping the hips straight down with an upright torso turns the lift into a squat, so push the hips back first and keep them above the knees at the bottom.
Rounding the back
Letting the lower back round to reach the handle shifts the load from the hips to the spine, so hinge only as far as you can keep a flat back.
Knees caving in
Allowing the knees to collapse inward on the way up strains the knees and groin, so keep them tracking in line with your turned-out toes.
Bell too far forward
Setting the kettlebell ahead of your feet pulls the torso forward and loads the lower back, so start with it between your heels and the middle of your feet.
Leaning back at the top
Arching the lower back to finish the rep strains the spine, so stand tall with the glutes squeezed and the ribs stacked over the pelvis.
Pulling with the arms
Bending the elbows or shrugging the bell up takes work away from the hips and legs, so keep the arms straight and let them simply hold the handle.

Injuries

Kettlebell Sumo Deadlift is a low risk exercise when performed with proper technique. The load is usually moderate, the bell sits close to your center of mass and it returns to the floor on every rep, which leaves little room for the large spinal loads seen in heavy barbell pulling.

The lower back takes the strain when the spine rounds to reach the bell or when the bell sits ahead of the feet and pulls the torso forward. The inner thigh and groin can be strained by a stance wider than your hips comfortably allow, especially when rushing the first reps cold, and the knees are stressed when they cave inward instead of tracking over the toes. Choose a stance width that lets you keep a flat back and your knees in line with your feet, set the bell between your heels and the middle of your feet, brace before every pull, and finish by squeezing the glutes rather than leaning back.

If reaching the floor costs you a flat back, raise the bell on a block or plates, or build the pattern with a Kettlebell Deadlift and the Kettlebell Goblet Squat. Progress to a heavier bell, the Barbell Sumo Deadlift or the Kettlebell Swing once the hinge is consistent. Stop the set if you feel sharp pain in the lower back, a pulling or stabbing pain in the groin, or pain, tingling or numbness running down a leg.

Overview

Primary Focus: Glutes and hips & groin
Equipment: Kettlebell
Modality: Strength
Difficulty: Beginner

Alternative Exercises

Frequently Asked Questions

Q: Is the kettlebell sumo deadlift a squat or a hinge?: It is a hinge. The bell starts on the floor, the hips move back first and stay above the knees, and the torso tilts forward to reach the handle, while a sumo squat such as the Dumbbell Sumo Squat keeps the weight off the floor and lowers the hips straight down with a more upright torso.
Q: How is the sumo stance different from a regular kettlebell deadlift?: The wide stance and turned-out feet let you reach the bell with a more upright torso and slightly more knee bend than the hip-width Kettlebell Deadlift. In a study of 30 trained men lifting a barbell at 85% of their one-rep max, the sumo style produced higher peak activity in the outer quadriceps early in the pull, while the conventional style produced more hamstring (biceps femoris) activity.
Q: Should the kettlebell touch the floor on every rep?: While you are learning, yes: setting the bell down lightly lets you reset your back, brace and pull from a dead stop each time. Once the pattern is solid, a light touch without letting go keeps tension on the muscles, but the bell should never bounce off the floor.
Q: What should I do when one kettlebell gets too light?: Add reps, slow the lowering phase to three or four seconds, or pause just above the floor before moving to a heavier bell. When the heaviest bell you have is no longer a challenge, the Barbell Sumo Deadlift lets you keep the sumo stance and add load in small steps.
Q: Is this a good way to prepare for kettlebell swings?: Yes. It teaches the same hip hinge slowly, with the bell starting from a dead stop on the floor, so coaches commonly use a kettlebell deadlift before adding the speed and momentum of the Kettlebell Swing.