COACHES LOG:

This installment of the Monster Garage Gym/Maroscher Coaches Log covers Hybrid Sumo Deadlift.

In powerlifting, the meet is often won or lost with the deadlift. Some pullers are conventional and some sumo. Some powerlifters can pull either sumo or conventional, but typically the body type or injuries dictate the style.

Then there are those lifters that favor the sumo, but they just can’t get the leverage they need out of that traditional wide stance. At the Monster Garage Gym (MGG) we have tweaked the sumo stance for some lifters and we call that the hybrid sumo which is where the legs are still on the outside of the arms ala sumo, but the distance of the feet apart from one another is dictated by the imaginary perpendicular line draw up and down from the angle of the lower leg (being a right angle to the floor of the deadlift platform). So, not a close stance sumo as a closer stance can still produce more of a 45 degree angle from the top of the shin to the platform surface.

The toes are still pointed out, but are never pointed out as far as a more traditional sumo stance would have them pointed out. The chest is up, and the head is up and the initial pull is still from the head and chest ala conventional, but with the leg drive of a closer stance squat.

The weight of the body, like a squat, goes on the outer heel of the foot or the calcaneus bone, the thickest most dense bone in the body. Also, like a closer stance squat, the knees of the hybrid are driven out as well as the head and chest are driven upward toward ultimate lockout.

In this video, Steve demonstrates the hybrid stance. (filmed in HD, so  you can put your settings to 720 or 1080)

[youtube=https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=bED61gmD5t4]

Also in the video you will notice some augmentations made to his Metal Ace brief. We cut the seam to the cuff so that cuff was in essence removed from the brief. The material at the end of the opening of the brief was sewn together so it would not unfurl or get tattered. The reason is that Steve has over-developed quads and the cuff was getting stuck on his quads and that was not allowing him to sink into the hybrid sumo stance, thus he was fighting the brief instead of the brief working for him. This fix takes 10 minutes to do and does not compromise the fit of the brief around the hips nor thighs, where it needs to remain tight. We never cut off that cuff or extra material just in case he wants the cuff back. If he is sure he does not want to re-cuff the brief, he can leave the material loose, or if it is too long, cut some away and sew the bottom of the brief so it does not fray or get tattered too much.

We hope this video/write up from our coaches log is beneficial to you. Special thanks to Steve Brock. Music: Binary Metal, by Rob Scallon.

Monster Garage Gym/Maroscher coaches log:
Eric Maroscher, 2-Time WPC World Powerlifting Champion. Columnist, Elitefts. Team Elitefts Member. Owner, Monster Garage Gym
MGG/Maroscher coaches log squat demonstration by: Steve Brock, WPC World Powerlifting Champion