Did I injure myself using poor form??

I started workout B stage 1 of NROLW yesterday. I did 2 sets of 15 deadlifts using 55lbs. I tried to do exactly as the book says. It seems almost impossible to not use your lower back when lifting from the floor. Maybe I was doing it wrong but today my lower back muscles are pretty sore. Is that supposed to happen or did I completely mess up this exercise? Please help so I don't make the same mistake twice.

Are you keeping the weight close to your shins all the way up?  Using your legs to rise?  Is it a good sore?  I am sore after that, but mostly in my bum and upper legs.

I'm by no means an expert, but I think the problem might be that your back isn't straight - when you are leaning over, at some point, your lower back becomes curved or arched (out, not in towards your belly) a little - when you pull up, you are using your back. If you don't arch the back and keep it at the natural curve, you sholdn't feel it in your back. 

I'm not sure I explained that well, but read over the discription in the book more, and mabye have someone who knows what to look for watch you do it. Or try it without weights and see how it feels then.

I think what you need to do is feel like you're sticking your chest out and your butt so you get your lower back curving the correct way, towards your stomach.  Throughout the book it talks about the "natural curve" of your back.  I would suggest like the previous poster, to do the exercise without any weight and hopefully in front of a mirror so you can see what's going on.

The hardest thing for me is lowering the bar back down without hurting myself.  Try to do the same move you did while picking up the bar, just in reverse.

Deadlift.

And Deadlift again.

These videos will help you with form so you can avoid lower back pain for the rest of your life and walking with a hunch. haha..

Good form is very important and of course will prevent injuries. It's REALLY difficult to learn good form from just reading a description of the exercise, and lower back pain is not a very good sign when doing the deadlift, it's mostly a quad exercise even though it works most of the muscles on your body.

Watch the videos, read some more on form, FIND someone in the gym that can help you practice good form and analyze your form when doing the lift, do deadlifts in front of a mirror, and try to avoid crippling yourself.

Remember to do low weight and high reps untily your form is perfect and your muslces adjust.

Err, if deadlifts are mostly a quad exercise for you, then you're doing them wrong.

 Define low weight/high rep - more than 10-12 reps is a waste of your time when working in, you need a proper load to strengthen your muscles and connective tissue enough that you can pull heavy without risk of injury later on.

 Think "gorilla" when you pull from the floor - big chest, head up, neutral/flat back, and have the bar so close to your shins you risk losing some skin every time you pull.

Gluteus Maximus? wow... someone needs to correct bodybuilding.com, they led me astray. haha..

I'm going to do some deadlifts today, I haven't tried them in a while do to lower back problems, and I don't think I'll ever try stiff-legged deadlifts.

I'm not sure I like stiff-legged deads and good mornings either - I saw an analysis from Eric Cressey once where he went through those and I think he landed on about 4-10% of the lifting population could do those safely and get a training effect that they couldn't get safer and more efficiently doing something else.

I guess I am going to read through that again. It's not really a bad hurt, it's a muscle sore thing but I really didn't think that I was supposed to use my back at all. If it's not a safe exercise (especially for beginners...is there a recommendation for an alternative that will provide the same benefits?

If you keep your back at a normal curve and the bar close to your shins you should be ok.  Have someone watch you.  Sometimes you think you are doing 1 thing and you are doing something totally different. 

My love handles get a little sore... I thought that was good.  They need to GO!

Your lower back muscles are worked pretty hard in the deadlift, so if they're mildly sore along with other muscles, like your hamstrings, that's normal. If your back is a lot MORE sore than your other muscles, though, or if you're really in pain, you may have a muscle strain or some other injury.

If it's hard to lift the weight without straining your back, USE LESS WEIGHT. Whenever I start doing a new exercise, I always do my first few sets, or even the first few workouts, with only small weights - an empty bar, or even a broomstick (if your gym has "body bars," those are great because they have some weight to them but not much). When it feels good with the broomstick or body bar, switch to a pair of dumbbells, an empty bar, a bar with small weights, a bar with medium weights, etc, before lifting what you think you "should" be able to.

Correct form is really important, so watch videos like the ones fortius recommended.There is a difference between a regular and a stiff-legged deadlift, so learn about both and make sure you're not doing the stiff-legged one by accident.

Also try to find someone you trust who can watch you and tell you if you're doing it right. Mirrors help, but sometimes when you turn to look at yourself in the mirror you change your body position.