Dead lifts!

i love me some dead lifts!! i do them as part of the New Rules of Lifting For Women program. Best advice I can give you is to keep your chest and chin up, as well as rolling the bar along your legs as you take it back to the floor. Your weight should primarily be in your heals rather than in your toes-- this is honestly the toughest part for me since dancing has always been about staying on my metatarsal (ball of your foot). I wear lifting gloves, because at first i got blisters. I used a box until I got to the point that I had a 45 plate on each end. When you are just starting and using smaller weight plates like a 10 or a 25 the bar is so low to the ground that it can cause bad form (imo). If you haven't been doing much with weights just start out small. You have plenty of time to add weights; it is more important to have proper form than to lift something heavy. I'm proud of you for trying this... dead lifts can be so intimidating!!! ♥

Buy lifting gloves, the bar blisters my hands when I forget to wear them!

If you are getting blisters you are holding the bar wrong.

I'm pretty sure I'm not, it was the first thing I thought when I got the blisters and I looked it up. I think I just have really delicate skin on my palms. The barbell has a diamondy cross pattern on it for grip, the dumbells have that too and they also cause blisters if I don't have gloves on no matter what I'm doing with them.

How do you think I should be holding it, just in case it's not one of the things I looked up?

Edit: That's a genuine question, just realised it could be interpreted as rude which is isn't supposed to be

Buy lifting gloves, the bar blisters my hands when I forget to wear them!

If you are getting blisters you are holding the bar wrong.

I'm pretty sure I'm not, it was the first thing I thought when I got the blisters and I looked it up. I think I just have really delicate skin on my palms. The barbell has a diamondy cross pattern on it for grip, the dumbells have that too and they also cause blisters if I don't have gloves on no matter what I'm doing with them.

How do you think I should be holding it, just in case it's not one of the things I looked up?

Edit: That's a genuine question, just realised it could be interpreted as rude which is isn't supposed to be

The bar should run across the pads of your hands then wrap your hands around the bar, too many people grab the bar with the middle of their hands because that feels the most comfortable.

Rippetoe has a youtube video showing: How to grip a bar/dumbbell, why its important to grip it right, and what will happen if you grip it wrong.

Sadly I'm at work so i can't find the video, you'll have to do your own searching.

You should do, at a minimum:
Deadlift
Full barbell squats
Overhead Press
Bench Press
Pull Ups/Chin ups

Chin ups are so hard But now I have to figure out how to do a bench press with a bar. Too google! I'd ask the workers at the gym...but I'm too afraid to. I don't wanna be looked down upon ):

You should ask!! Nothing compares to having someone watch your form and correct it. I'm sure they'd rather have someone ask than see people lifting incorrectly.

You should do, at a minimum:
Deadlift
Full barbell squats
Overhead Press
Bench Press
Pull Ups/Chin ups

Chin ups are so hard But now I have to figure out how to do a bench press with a bar. Too google! I'd ask the workers at the gym...but I'm too afraid to. I don't wanna be looked down upon ):

You should ask!! Nothing compares to having someone watch your form and correct it. I'm sure they'd rather have someone ask than see people lifting incorrectly.

Wouldn't bother asking, most don't really know either. Check out "So You Think You Can Bench" on YouTube, best bench tutorial I've ever seen at least.

That's what I do, it causes tiny blisters at the bases of my fingers. I found that video before unfortunately. I don't think it would be a problem if that cross pattern wasn't on the bar.

Unfortunately not all bars are equal and that part of the bar can be sharper on some bars than on others.

I love them (almost as much as I love squatting ... but I don't think a love of squats is all that common).

Someone else who loves squats?! I LOOOOVE squats!

All the info supplied is great - I keep a mantra in my head 'Nipples Up" - aside from all the other obvious techniques to be aware of, this keeps my tummy tight and back straight.
I know there are quite a few groups on here for lifting for women - which is the best to join for intermediate grade? Would love to get some encouragement and more tips.

Come hang out with us in the "Powerlifters" group!

http://www.myfitnesspal.com/groups/home/507-powerlifters

Been using "New Rules of Lifting for Women". Not enough info for newbies on deadlifting--try those websites mentioned to watch videos on form. But GREAT info on weight lifting in general! Started lifting for the first time in May. Can't believe how much strength I didn't have. Real game-changer! Am doing this for life.

I think I just have really delicate skin on my palms.

I do too. I wear gloves when I lift. I frequently blister or scrape my palm skin when I'm even trying to take lids off of containers like soda bottles.

Glad you liked the site. They post some really great stuff on there and have a facebook page they share it on as well.