So you signed up for your first powerlifting meet and you’re not sure what your attempts will be. Here are some guidelines that will help you pick the best attempts.
First and Foremost. LET YOUR EGO GO!!!.
You want to base your attempts off of objective factors like what you hit in the previous training block and if the lift was up to the powerlifting federation standards.
Hit a single two weeks out in all three lifts then analyze.
Squat
- Was it deep enough?
- How was the bar speed?
If hip crease was a it higher than depth but bar speed was very fast. Make it your third attempt at the meet. If it was very high and bar speed was slow, look to take off 20-30lbs and make that your 3rd attempt.
Bench press
- Did you pause on the chest long enough?
- Did you butt come off the bench or your feet move?
- How was bar speed?
Holding the bar for what may seem like and extended amount of time is usually a big change. Also, the pause of the chest in training “seems” a lot longer than contest day. I recommend to pause on the chest for 3 seconds in training. If your last single was a short pause and was a grinder think about making your third attempt 5-10lbs lighter. If your butt comes off the bench aggressively and the bar moves fast consider taking 5-10lbs off and widening your foot stance to limit but coming up.
Bench is tough because 5lb jump is a lot. One attempt may feel fast and explosive while 5 more lbs. to the bar you just seem to hit a wall
Deadlift
- Did you ramp or hitch to get the weight up?
- How slow was the bar speed?
- Can you hold lockout for 5 seconds?
If you find pushing your knees forward after it passes your knees but the bar speed was good use the same weight or up to maybe 5kg heavier at the meet BUT make sure you keep your shoulders forward of the bar before you lockout. If the bar speed was slow but form standards were met 5 more lbs. at the meet. If you can’t hold the lockout for 5 seconds at the top lighten up 10-30lbs. if you cant hold on to the bar no one cares how much you can deadlift because it doesn’t count.
Reverse Engineer Success
So you have you’re third attempts lets back
Say these are your projected 3rd attempts (these are in kilos)
SQ – 130kg (286lbs)
BP – 65kg (143lbs)
Deadlift – 170kg (374lbs)
Here is what all three attempts will look like
SQ – 115kg/122.5kg/130kg (7.5kg/16lb increases)
BP – 60kg/62.5kg/65kg (2.5kg/5lb increases)
DL – 150kg/160kg/170kg (10kg/22lb increases)
Openers should be around 90% of your projected 3rd attempts.
Extra Pointers
If you create your attempts and the openers you created are weights that you cannot hit any day of the week under any conditions LOWER THEM to a weight you can do on your worst day ever.
If a lift is much heavier than expected but you get it do 2.5kg jumps. This is your default increase option and supersedes your current plan.
If it is your first attempt and you miss a lift due to technical issues, like missing a command, not going deep enough, or not pause long enough or ramping TAKE THE SAME WEIGHT AGAIN. You need to get a successful attempt under your belt for a total.
Be Open and Accept the Outcome
Powerlifting has high standards on what is considered a good rep. Competing at powerlifting meets tells you how…
- Good your technique is
- Adaptable you are to variables
- Well you plan in advance
- Well you handle stress
- Well you handle your ego
- Well you handle your own thoughts and
- Well you perform under pressure
- Well you picked your attempts
You might have a great meet; you might set PRs you might not. The key to successful powerlifting is being objective, create a successful plan, perform to the best of your ability, not listening to your ego and reflecting after it’s over. The faster you can accept the outcome the faster you will be a stronger lifter.