This isn’t my strongest deadlift ever, but it’s significant, for two reasons. First, it represents my first set of “heavy” straight bar deadlift instead of trap bar. I decided a few weeks ago that trap bar deadlift is doo similar a movement to squats, and that straight bar would force me to work the posterior chain in a more concentrated and advantageous fashion. Also, trap bars are somewhat difficult to find, so lifting with a normal barbell will make things a bit more convenient.
The other significance is (yet another!) new pair of shoes. I picked up this pair of Inov-8 XF-210s specifically for weightlifting, to replace my old, beat-up pair of Adidas trail shoes. They’re a zero-drop, minimalist shoe with almost no padding whatsoever. The result for lifting is that they provide a stable and solid platform for any vertical movement, allowing your stabilizing muscles to do their job, rather than fighting against the nonlinear flex of a normal running or cross training shoe.
They’ve already made a noticeable difference for my deadlift and standing overhead press workouts. Later this week, I’ll see how they are for squats!