There are many benefits of Sumo Deadlifts and Vibram Five Fingers shoes.
To keep thing simple I will just make a list, starting with Deadlifts and then the Vibram Five Fingers.
A few of the main benefits for Sumo (and regular) deadlifts:
1- It is one of the best muscle-building exercises. Fact!
2- It is a great core exercise as you really have to stabilize your spine.
3- It is one of the best “bang for your buck” exercises when you have limited time.
4- It is a great movement that carries over into everyday life. Think about all the times we have to pick something up from the ground.
5- It can help with running speed and power (other exercises can help this too).
6- It can help with jumping power.
7- It can help to improve posture.
8- It can improve grip strength.
9- Bonus one for men (and women): It improves thrusting performance (and testosterone levels). Just don’t do deadlifts right before having sex, as it will diminish performance due to nervous system fatigue! 🙂
The deadlift has helped me a lot, along with many other exercises. You can see that here at my Body Space profile.
For a more in-depth overview of the benefits of the deadlift see this video of Elliot Hulse with Paul Chek.
A few benefits of wearing Vibram Five Fingers:
1 – They improve balance.
2- They allow feet to function optimally. The fact of the matter is that we are not designed to have our feet locked up in shoes all day. (That said, I know some of us are in jobs where we have to be in shoes “all day”, but do your best to keep your feet out of shoes and as free as possible, for as long as possible. Barring any medical or structural problems.)
3- They improve lifting performance.
4- They put less stress on joints when lifting and running.
If you want a more in-depth review of the Five Fingers shoes have a read of this article I found.
And ignore articles like this in the mainstream media saying how bad they are for you.
Anyhow, back to the deadlift and vibram five fingers. Take a look at this short video of me performing the Sumo Deadlift (with four and a half plates each side) whilst wearing Vibram Five Fingers shoes. It feels so much more smooth and efficient (though not necessarily easier) than when doing deadlifts in normal trainers.