I don't have a bar with heavy weights at home but want to incorporate deadlifts into my workout program. I experimented a bit with dumbbell deadlifts, but the 10 kg dumbbells I used feel very light for me (I just read that a beginner woman could deadlift her bodyweight) and I don't want to buy new dumbbells. So my idea was that I could do the deadlift with resistance bands. 

I took a pull-up bar and some strong bands and made something like on the following video but without the weights: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=poyrLz6GpEk>

Here is a slightly different image of this:

![enter image description here](https://i.stack.imgur.com/0fknS.jpg)

And here is another simple setup: <http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=jwD211uLXBs> (though the guy on the video is performing stiff leg deadlifts)

Now I have some questions about this:

* Is it possible to get the same benefits from the deadlift using this setup as from a regular deadlift?
* Is there any risk of doing it this way instead of a regular deadlift?
* Since the force of the bands increases monotonically with the elongation of the band you have a significantly smaller force at the initiation of the lift compared to the top of the movement. Does this lead to any problems concerning risks or training effects and does it imply changes in technique compared to the normal deadlift?
* For travelling I can take the bands with me but not the bar. Is there and reasonable way to do deadlifts with bands only? How is the proper technique in this case?

**Edit:**

Here is a more complex setup of how to use resistance bands for deadlifts:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=HztKutgiim0&pxtry=1>

There is also a more simple version of this but it seems to lead to bad form:

<http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lonkJjBeFKg>