Barbell Sumo Deadlift High Pull

A step-by-step form guide from the Ægir Iron exercise library: how to do the lift, what to watch for, and the muscles it trains.

HOW TO PERFORM

Stand with the feet wide and the toes turned out, bar over mid-foot, and take a narrow overhand grip inside the legs with the hands a few inches apart.
Drop the hips with the chest up and the back flat, knees pushed out over the toes.
Drive through the floor and stand up fast, extending the hips hard as the bar passes the knees.
Carry that drive into the arms: pull the elbows high and out to bring the bar up to just under the chin.
Let the arms straighten, then sit back down until the plates touch the floor and go straight into the next rep.

The hips lift the weight and the arms only finish the pull. If the arms start bending before the hips have opened, the load is too heavy.
Keep the elbows above the hands at the top. Once the hands rise past the elbows it has become an upright row, which is much harder on the shoulder.

Log it in Ægir Iron to track your PRs and estimated 1RM, and to see the sets each muscle gets every week. Free for individual lifters.