Deadlifts Question/Advice

Simona40
Simona40 Posts: 50 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
I dont post often but I needed some advice....

I wanted to start incorportating deadlifts into my workouts but I have no idea what weight I should start at.

How does one determine that??
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Replies

  • sarafil
    sarafil Posts: 506 Member
    I just use trial and error.....if I do a few reps and it feels too easy, I up the weight. If I choose a weight and I can't complete the reps, I lower it. You just have to play around with it.
  • caseythirteen
    caseythirteen Posts: 956 Member
    Just by trying really. I would just add some low weights to the bar and see how it feels. Keep going up until it feels heavy enough to do your desired number of reps/sets.
  • Simona40
    Simona40 Posts: 50 Member
    Didnt think it would be that simple :) Thanks for the replies.
  • taekwonkenpo
    taekwonkenpo Posts: 1,004
    I would start light to be honest. Deadlift is typicilly done at high weights. However it is an excercise that can easily cause lower back pain. For a beginner i would suggest you take it slowly. Go fairly light. Learn the proper form. Make sure you have a back belt before you start going heavy.

    But Do them!!! There is probably no other excercise that can do more for you then the deadlift. It hits so many muscle groups. Chest, shoulder, back, arms, forarms, legs, buth, everything.

    Just make sure you have the form down before you go to heavy is all i am saying.
  • Dave198lbs
    Dave198lbs Posts: 8,810 Member
    LOW weight

    form is EVERYTHING

    get your form nailed before attempting any significant weight
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    The day I started them I believe I started with the bar + 10 pound bumper plates.

    Regular plates are going to put the bar lower to the ground than it should be (except for the 45s) so I'd pull off of mats if you have them available.

    Are you a guy or girl? I'd say most guys could probably start with 95 pounds for a couple sets then learn with 135 after that.
    I'd reccommend pulling singles to start with, and resetting after each rep.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    A little off topic but of importance - one thing to keep in mind is the bar height, which should be at around 8.8 inches with the weights loaded on it. If you have the bar too low you're prone to flexing your back (rounded back) which is bad. You may have to get some books, boards, or such to elevate the weights until you can lift 135 lbs, which is a bar with a 45lb weight on each side (standard height).
  • Simona40
    Simona40 Posts: 50 Member

    Are you a guy or girl?

    I'm a girl.
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    A little off topic but of importance - one thing to keep in mind is the bar weight, which should be at around 8.8 inches with the weights loaded on it. If you have the bar too low you're prone to flexing your back (rounded back) which is bad. You may have to get some books, boards, or such to elevate the weights until you can lift 135 lbs, which is a bar with a 45lb weight on each side (standard height).

    ^^^good point here
  • ilovedeadlifts
    ilovedeadlifts Posts: 2,923 Member
    A little off topic but of importance - one thing to keep in mind is the bar weight, which should be at around 8.8 inches with the weights loaded on it. If you have the bar too low you're prone to flexing your back (rounded back) which is bad. You may have to get some books, boards, or such to elevate the weights until you can lift 135 lbs, which is a bar with a 45lb weight on each side (standard height).

    What he said.


    Does your gym have bumper plates? (like the large olympic lifting plates that bounce when dropped) If not then I'd start with a bar + 10s on each side. And put them on mats, boards, books, etc like reccommended above so your form isn't compromised.

    Film your sets so you can see what you're doing. Feel free to post em here or shoot me a PM I'd be more than happy to help you with form.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    As others have said, start light and focus on form. It's an exercise that's really easy to get wrong.

    Unless your gym has special training weights that have a large diameter but are light, you'll need to put a light weight on top of boxes or steps or something similar, small diameter plates will make the exercise much more difficult to perform correctly.
  • taekwonkenpo
    taekwonkenpo Posts: 1,004
    I work out in my garage. I only have the iron weights. What would you all reccomend i do so i can lift heavier. ( I can't risk droping them when really needed)
  • Simona40
    Simona40 Posts: 50 Member
    WOW! Thanks for all of the advice. I really wasnt expecting it :)

    I didnt know about the bar height. I was watching some videos on form but all the lifters were doing 400lbs+ so the bar was higher. I'll check out the bars/weights tonight - Im planning on starting them tomorrow.
  • IronSmasher
    IronSmasher Posts: 3,908 Member
    WOW! Thanks for all of the advice. I really wasnt expecting it :)

    I didnt know about the bar height. I was watching some videos on form but all the lifters were doing 400lbs+ so the bar was higher. I'll check out the bars/weights tonight - Im planning on starting them tomorrow.

    You should probably look up more instructional videos, and then start from a sceptical view point that the instructor hasn't got a clue and needs to convince you they do.
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    What he said.

    LOL - it's what SHE said. ;)
  • Chief_Rocka
    Chief_Rocka Posts: 4,710 Member
    What he said.

    LOL - it's what SHE said. ;)

    Nice bicep
  • Leadfoot_Lewis
    Leadfoot_Lewis Posts: 1,623 Member
    Nice bicep

    Thanks!
  • mamasmaltz3
    mamasmaltz3 Posts: 1,111 Member
    What he said.

    LOL - it's what SHE said. ;)


    Love this! Way to represent the ladies. Keep rockin those guns!
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    WOW! Thanks for all of the advice. I really wasnt expecting it :)

    I didnt know about the bar height. I was watching some videos on form but all the lifters were doing 400lbs+ so the bar was higher. I'll check out the bars/weights tonight - Im planning on starting them tomorrow.

    Until I got up to over 135lbs I would set the bar on cinder blocks. It's maybe an inch lower than where 45lb plates would put it.
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    I work out in my garage. I only have the iron weights. What would you all reccomend i do so i can lift heavier. ( I can't risk droping them when really needed)

    Get some thick rubber mats - like horse stall mats. Or haul your *kitten* out to the yard (that's what I'm currently doing until I get my garage set up properly).
  • Erienneb
    Erienneb Posts: 592 Member
    Because I don't have access to a bar and even if I'm at the gym where there is one, I'm intimidated to go to that area still beacuse I don't lift that heavy, and because I literally started lifting two weeks ago, I started deadlifts with dumbbells because a 45lb bar was intimidating to me...I got my form checked and am doing 25lb dumbbells, which isn't a weight I could get on the bar since I would have to add in incriments of ten lbs basically. I would rather start light like this because it's hard for me, than not be able to do it with the bar...
  • DavPul
    DavPul Posts: 61,406 Member
    LOW weight

    form is EVERYTHING

    get your form nailed before attempting any significant weight

    This times a million
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    All awesome advice.

    Start with very low weight. You can always go up from there as you progress, but if you start too heavy and hurt something, you won't make progress for a very long time. (This lecture is for my benefit as much as it is for yours. Maybe if I say it often enough, I'll follow the advice.) Use something to move the bar to an appropriate height (blocks, boards, other plates, etc.).

    And I'm trying to find a good deal on horse stall mats to make my lifting area wall to wall matted. Currently, I have my rack on a 4x8 sheet of high density particle board (on concrete) and I deadlift on a carpet remnant (on concrete).
  • sjohnny
    sjohnny Posts: 56,142 Member
    One of these days I'm going to do something like this

    http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yxXnum6xV98
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    figure out what you can lift 3 times. Then plug that number into this: strstd.com and have it calculate your workouts - make sure to unclick the 90% box.
  • dtf88
    dtf88 Posts: 53
    You can try Romanian Deadlifts too, which would eliminate the bar height problem, you can rack the bar at around knee/thigh level on the lower part of the squat rack. All good advice in this thread, form is very important here. I prefer Sumo Deadlifts when I am lifting straight off the ground, more comfortable for me, something you can also look into.
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    figure out what you can lift 3 times. Then plug that number into this: strstd.com and have it calculate your workouts - make sure to unclick the 90% box.

    I don't think I like the idea of her finding her 3-rep max when she's first learning the lift. There is definitely a time for a calculator like strstd.com...I just don't think she's there yet.
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    figure out what you can lift 3 times. Then plug that number into this: strstd.com and have it calculate your workouts - make sure to unclick the 90% box.

    I don't think I like the idea of her finding her 3-rep max when she's first learning the lift. There is definitely a time for a calculator like strstd.com...I just don't think she's there yet.

    who said max
  • jofjltncb6
    jofjltncb6 Posts: 34,415 Member
    figure out what you can lift 3 times. Then plug that number into this: strstd.com and have it calculate your workouts - make sure to unclick the 90% box.

    I don't think I like the idea of her finding her 3-rep max when she's first learning the lift. There is definitely a time for a calculator like strstd.com...I just don't think she's there yet.

    who said max

    You did: "figure out what you can lift 3 times."
  • yoovie
    yoovie Posts: 17,121 Member
    figure out what you can lift 3 times. Then plug that number into this: strstd.com and have it calculate your workouts - make sure to unclick the 90% box.

    I don't think I like the idea of her finding her 3-rep max when she's first learning the lift. There is definitely a time for a calculator like strstd.com...I just don't think she's there yet.

    who said max

    You did: "figure out what you can lift 3 times."

    yeah - this feels good, can pick it up three times in a row, done and done - time to build up from here....

    I dont see why I would suggest a max as a starting point...

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