Hit 500 pounds on deadlift and it completely changed how I buy used gear

I've been trading used equipment on here for a couple years now, mostly plates and bars. Always figured I'd top out around 400 and that was fine. Last month I pulled 505 at my buddy's garage gym and suddenly realized my old 300-pound plate set wasn't cutting it anymore. Now I'm hunting for a second set of 45s and a better bar, which I never thought I'd need. Anyone else hit a number that forced them to rethink what gear they actually need?

2 comments

2 Comments

ross.sean3d ago

Have you always stuck with one set of plates for deadlifts? I used to think one set of 45s was plenty for anyone who wasn't competing, but hitting 480 myself made me realize I needed more weight just to keep the bar at a decent height for warmups. Changed my whole setup.

craig.grant2d ago

Oh man, for a while I was just using whatever mismatched plates I could find at the gym. I mean, my old setup had these cheap rubber 45s that felt like they were gonna crack every time I dropped them. But then @ross.sean, I switched over to a full set of those thin competition-style plates and it made a huge difference for warmups. I can stack like 315 on the bar and it's still low enough to not mess with my setup. The bar height thing is real though, idk why I never thought about it before I had to pull from a deficit just to get a proper starting position.