The foot position you adopt for a deadlift will depend on the type of deadlift and your goals. Some deadlifting styles require a wide stance, others require a narrow stance. Regardless of stance, all deadlifts require that you maintain a stable foot position and flat or slightly arched back. Consult a health-care practitioner before beginning any strength-training program.
Conventional
The standard, or conventional, deadlift requires you to have your feet no wider than your shoulders. This allows you to pull the bar straight up over your knees, and uses a great deal of lower-back effort. Your toes should point straight ahead, which allows you to get more drive from your quadriceps, which are the muscles on the front of your thighs. The narrow stance allows you to grip the barbell just outside of your legs.
Sumo
The sumo deadlift requires you to stand with your feet at least half-again as wide as your shoulders. Your toes should must turn out at least 45-degrees. This style of deadlift requires more flexibility in the legs and hips, but puts less strain on your lower back, according to a 2000 study published in Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise. By standing with your feet wide and gripping the barbell with your hands inside your legs, you keep your torso closer to vertical. This stance allows you to use more leg drive than the conventional deadlift.
Stiff-leg
The stiff-legged deadlift starts off just like the conventional deadlift: stand with your feet no wider than your shoulders, toes straight forward. After you stand up with the bar, ensure that your back remains arched and your knees slightly bent. Lower the bar by bending forward at the hips until the point where you approach rounding your lower back, then straighten up. Avoid locking your knees during this exercise, and never allow the bar to drift away from your body. This exercise works the hamstrings, or the muscles on the back of your thighs, more than other exercises, including the barbell squat, according to a 2002 study published in the Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research.
Common Issues
When deadlifting, regardless of stance, never rock forward onto the balls of your feet. You should always drive through the heels. This not only gives you more power, it helps you maintain proper bar position. You never want the bar drifting away from your legs when you deadlift because it will increase the strain on your lower back. To ensure this, curl your toes up slightly against the top of your shoes. Never allow your feet to slide in or out. If this occurs, you need a more stable surface to deadlift on.
References
- "The Westside Barbell Book of Methods"; Louie Simmons; 2008
- "Medicine and Science in Sports and Exercise"; A Three-dimensional Biomechanical Analysis of Sumo and Conventional Style Deadlifts; Rafael F. Escamilla, et al.; July 2000
- "Journal of Strength and Conditioning Research"; Electromyographic Activity of the Hamstrings During Performance of the Leg Curl, Stiff-leg Deadlift, and Back Squat Movements; Glenn A. Wright, et al.; May 1999
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