Which of the following is a fault observed in the sumo deadlift high pull?

• A. Elbows below the bar at finish
• B. Early arm pull
• C. Slow hip extension, segmented movement
• D. Inactive shoulder

Answer: (A)

In a sumo deadlift high pull, the bar path and the finish position of the arms are essential cues of proper technique. You want a powerful hip drive, a strong shoulder shrug, and the bar finishing close to your body with the elbows high and outside. When the elbows finish below the bar, it shows the bar path stayed too low and the arms ended up doing too much of the work instead of finishing with a high, efficient pull. This means you’re not fully leveraging hip extension and shoulder shrug, which reduces power transfer and can place unnecessary stress on the shoulders.

To fix this, focus on exploding the hips first, then actively shrug the shoulders and drive the elbows up so they finish above the bar as the bar reaches chin height. Keep the bar close to the body throughout and avoid pulling with the arms early. Other faults like pulling with the arms too soon, slow hip extension, or insufficient shoulder engagement are also issues, but finishing with the elbows below the bar is the clear sign that the bar path and elbow position need to be raised to achieve a proper finish.