Deadlift question

AMW47
AMW47 Posts: 23 Member
in Fitness and Exercise
After reading the boards here at MFP, I've decided to start a heavy lifting program. I've been working on a base of strength by doing body weight exercises and working with the weight machines in the gym for a couple of weeks and I think I'm just about ready to progress.

But now I have a question about deadlifts and I admit that this might be a really dumb question but I'm really a total newbie in the world of weights. Anyway, I was planning on starting my deadlifts with just the bar to work on form (and because I'm not sure I can do more than 45 pounds right out of the gate) but if the bar is on the ground, how do I grab it? Perhaps I'm seriously underestimating my own strength and I'd be fine to start with 55 pounds - is there anyone that started deadlifting as a total newbie and is willing to share their starting weight with me?

Any help would be greatly appreciated!

Replies

  • JustFindingMe
    JustFindingMe Posts: 390 Member
    Great question.

    In for info - Thanks :happy:
  • kelly_e_montana
    kelly_e_montana Posts: 1,999 Member
    You can put the bar on steps or boxes or stacked up weight plates to the height you desire.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    You can still pick it up off the ground (the bar will still be about an inch off the floor) but you'll be going a few inches lower than normal. Otherwise, just look for something to set the bar on so that it's a few inches off the ground. That could be the bars in a power rack, stackable steps in the gym, a couple of plyo boxes of the same height, etc.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    prop up the bar so that while empty it is the same height that it would be with plates on it.
  • skippygirlsmom
    skippygirlsmom Posts: 4,433 Member
    I started with just the bar to work on form, nothing wrong with that. I didn't prop the bar up on anything.

    Edited to add: after the first set I added 10 lbs.
  • AFWXDUDE
    AFWXDUDE Posts: 53 Member
    I would put some weights on it if I were you. I have yet to meet someone who couldnt deadlift 80-100 lbs. Weights will automatically set a decent height for you as well. Whats more of a concern is grip and technique. Grip is all about whats comfortable for you. I personally do a dual grip with one hand facing out and one hand facing in. You can do both hands facing out or in or do it like I do. Form is key too though. Make sure you look straight ahead and keep your back completely straight. The bar should be nearly touching your shins while standing up. When you bend down to get it, it may seem like youll hit your knees, but you wont. Lift straight up with the legs. You shouldnt feel much in your lower back. if you do, you are using your back to lift instead of legs. I would be willing to bet as a newbie with deadlifting, you could easily do 120 lbs. Dont be afraid of it. Work your way up and find your max. On average ive found that women do about a 150 max while men are about a 225 max for beginners.
  • TR0berts
    TR0berts Posts: 7,739 Member
    Put plates flat on the floor so that they are "proper" height of 8.5" (I think) - you'll probably need about 6, depending upon the thickness of the particular plates you have - and rest the bar on top of them.
  • robin52077
    robin52077 Posts: 4,383 Member
    prop up the bar so that while empty it is the same height that it would be with plates on it.

    that was my answer to your actual question about the height of the bar...

    but after thinking about it, I don't think you should even bother with just the bar.

    start with at least a ten pound plate on each side then you wont have to worry about height.

    The first deadlift I ever did in my life was 60 pounds. I laughed and did a set of 80, then laughed and did a set of 100. First day. And I'm 5'2" 120 lbs.

    It should be possible to deadlift at least half your body weight for your first day.
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
    If your gym has bumper plates, they may have 10 lb bumpers that are the same width as 45's. 65 lbs probably isn't going to be a problem, it's really not much for a deadlift, even for a female newbie.

    If your gym has a power rack with safety pins that go low enough you can put the bar on that. This is technically a rack pull, not a deadlift, but if the pins go low enough it's the same movement so who cares.

    You can put on a couple of 5 or 10 pound weights, and then stack up other plates/plyo boxes/whatever is handy to get the bar to the right height.

    What I did for my home gym is cut circles of plywood the same size as a 45 pound plate and used a 2" hole saw to cut a hole in the middle. Handy for learning power cleans too, since they don't weigh hardly anything, but still keep the bar at the right height.
  • RoseTears143
    RoseTears143 Posts: 1,121 Member
    I started with just the bar as well when learning form. I didn't prop it up on anything, just grabbed the bar then set up to do the pull...you just won't set it back on the ground between reps. Make sure after you grab the bar (since you're picking it up off the ground), you pull your shoulder blades together and down and keep your lower back arched..NOT hunched over. You don't want to be using your lower back on dead lifts as the major muscle group contributing to the lift. It might feel awkward with just the bar, but as you progress in weight you will understand how important it is to protect your back.

    When you have weights on the bar, you would set your shoulder blades and back before lifting off the ground. Keep your lower legs parallel to the ground, don't let your knees waver too far forward. Slide the bar up along your shins and pull over your knees and then start to stand up straight and push your hips forward to finish the move. To go back down: slide the bar back down your thighs towards your knees while pushing your butt back keeping your core engaged, once you pass your knees squat down to touch the bar to the ground and then start your next rep. Or release the weight and reset your form if you feel like you need to.

    I started with a 45 lb bar and now do 195 lbs. :) It's a killer exercise for overall strength. Hitting new PR's (personal records) might become addicting. :drinker:
  • 1911JR
    1911JR Posts: 276
    My advise is this. Set the bar on something approx. 8 inches off the floor. For 2 reasons.

    1) That will be the bar height when you start using plates.

    2) You DO NOT want to develop bad habits and form. Such as humping your back when you pick up the bar.

    Also, have someone video your lifts from the side. Helps if you can look back and see your own form. I learned many years ago that I was knee dominate in my lifts from a video. And it took for ever to correct after a few years of it. Bad habits are hard to break!
  • The_WoIverine
    The_WoIverine Posts: 367 Member
    You're doing the right thing by working on your form first. Deadlifts are as good as they are dangerous if don't with a bad form.

    Now, in regards to the bar, here are a few suggestions.

    1- Use Jump Boxes if no one are using them.
    2- Lay down a couple of dumbbells to use them as a base for the bar
    3- Since the bar is not too heavy, place the bar on a bench, and when you're ready just pick up the bar and step away from the bench
    4- Lay down a few plates on the floor to use them as a base for the bar

    Or you can just squat to pick the bar from the floor.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • _lyndseybrooke_
    _lyndseybrooke_ Posts: 2,561 Member
    All of these suggestions are good.

    Personally, I started with 95 lbs, which made it much easier to get off of the ground. It was still pretty light, even as a beginner.
  • DeadliftAddict
    DeadliftAddict Posts: 746 Member
    Congrats first off on deciding to start strength training. It is a great thing. i'd like to help on your question but I have one of my own first. Does your gym have 5 or 10 pound bumper plates? Bumper plates are the hard rubber plates. They would allow you to have a standard size bar height with lower weight so you can progress.
  • stealthq
    stealthq Posts: 4,298 Member
    Ditto using bumper plates. And be careful. For my first attempt, I didn't understand how light 65 lbs would be. I actually pulled hard enough to fling it up and into my chest, which looked incredibly stupid, I'm sure, and I probably could have hurt myself.

    After adding plates, I found that an easy lift with just enough weight to feel like I was lifting something was 85 lbs. I could easily have added a lot more weight to that.
  • AMW47
    AMW47 Posts: 23 Member
    Congrats first off on deciding to start strength training. It is a great thing. i'd like to help on your question but I have one of my own first. Does your gym have 5 or 10 pound bumper plates? Bumper plates are the hard rubber plates. They would allow you to have a standard size bar height with lower weight so you can progress.

    I've never looked for them, but I'm sure my gym has bumper plates. It's a pretty well stocked gym. :happy:

    Some great advice here - thank you all.
  • MarcoRod
    MarcoRod Posts: 150 Member
    Nothing to add. Just happy to see more women lifting!
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • timbrom
    timbrom Posts: 303 Member
    Congrats first off on deciding to start strength training. It is a great thing. i'd like to help on your question but I have one of my own first. Does your gym have 5 or 10 pound bumper plates? Bumper plates are the hard rubber plates. They would allow you to have a standard size bar height with lower weight so you can progress.

    I've never looked for them, but I'm sure my gym has bumper plates. It's a pretty well stocked gym. :happy:

    Some great advice here - thank you all.

    The majority of gyms do not have bumper plates, but because of crossfit, more and more are beginning to stock them. Because, if they don't, people are throwing the metal plates on the ground. I've seen it.

    I don't use bumper plates because they are not needed. you should not be dropping weight on a deadlift. There are 2 movements, the move up, and the move down. Both are important. Unless you are an Olympic lifter, you don't need to throw plates to the ground.

    People that drop the weight on a deadlift are pus*y show-offs, trying to lift more weight than they are capable. This has been true 100% of the time, in my lifetime of witnessing people in my gym. Don't drop the weight. Set it down nicely, with both strength and grace.

    While this is true, it's also irrelevant to the OP. We aren't telling her to use bumpers so that she can drop the weight. We're telling her to use the bumpers so that the bar is in the correct position without needing to use 45's.
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    If you have 10lb bumpers at the gym, then that's perfect. Otherwise, find some step aerobic steps, inevitably those are everywhere in a public gym, or a stack of 25lb plates and get enough to where the bar rests below mid-shin. OR, if the gym has a mini Oly bar which is ~25lbs, then use that with some 35lb (some gyms still carry these) or 45lbs.
  • Unknown
    Unknown
    This content has been removed.
  • parkscs
    parkscs Posts: 1,639 Member
    I don't use bumper plates because they are not needed. you should not be dropping weight on a deadlift. There are 2 movements, the move up, and the move down. Both are important. Unless you are an Olympic lifter, you don't need to throw plates to the ground.

    People that drop the weight on a deadlift are pus*y show-offs, trying to lift more weight than they are capable. This has been true 100% of the time, in my lifetime of witnessing people in my gym. Don't drop the weight. Set it down nicely, with both strength and grace.

    Depends on what you're calling a drop. Obviously, if someone just lets go at the height of the movement, that's uncalled for and arguably a bit dangerous.

    But on the other hand, if you're lowering the weight as slowly as it's coming up, you're probably wasting more energy than you should just trying to set the weight down quietly - and trying to gracefully/slowly control it once it gets below your knee is arguably risky. Put simply, not everyone is as interested in the eccentric portion of the movement. A controlled drop is what's generally recommended, and some people descend faster than others. Just because some people descend faster though doesn't make them "***** showoffs." It may well just mean that they feel they can get an additional rep if they descend more quickly, rather than spending all their energy trying to "gracefully" lower the weight and set it down "nicely." If you look at powerlifting rules, the gist is you need some semblance of control and both hands need to remain on the bar. I have yet to see a rule that says you have to set it down nice and quiet and that you must do so with strength and grace.

    Could be we agree on this and it's just semantics, but words like "grace" and setting it down "nicely" are on the other end of the spectrum from "don't drop it."
  • Sam_I_Am77
    Sam_I_Am77 Posts: 2,093 Member
    People that drop the weight on a deadlift are pus*y show-offs, trying to lift more weight than they are capable. This has been true 100% of the time, in my lifetime of witnessing people in my gym. Don't drop the weight. Set it down nicely, with both strength and grace.

    Yyyyyeah, you are clueless my friend. Come pull 415 with me and let me see you set it down "nicely". The eccentric portion has nothing to do with the deadlift. Granted, I don't know that you should just flat-out drop it in a commercial gym because it's a bit obnoxious. But trying to set it down nicely so it doesn't make noise is ridiculous. It is not a show of strength. If somebody is not capable of lifting the weight, trust me; that weight ain't coming off the ground in the first place. If they can pull it up to their waste and lock it out, they're strong enough to pull the weight.

Categories