I have a question for those of you who have competed in powerlifting. I am doing my first meet this Saturday and am a bit unsure what weights to pick for my final lifts. Originally my goal was to get 1200lbs with a 425 squat, 310 bench, and 465 deadlift.
Two weeks ago I hit 415, 307.5, and 445.
This past Friday (my last real training day) I failed on 425, hit 310 on bench, and hit 455 on deadlift. The bench and deadlift felt strong, and I’m pretty confident that I can get 465 on the deadlift, however I am really not sure about the squat now because the failed lift on Friday really rattled my nerves a bit.
Being that I am pretty confident with 415 (even though it was hard), what would you guys suggest I do? I have a video of the failed lift if you think that would help
although im pretty much a rookie too (competed in 2 meets), the way i felt on the meet day determined my final lifts. have all three attempts planned out and have your last attempt determined on how you did on the 2nd. and dont be bummed out if you dont hit your goal cause its only your first meet. my only real advice to you is open way low. ive had a friend almost bomb out at a collegiates when he opened 35 lbs under his 1rm (max was 525 or so)
I wouldn’t worry about 3rd attempts until the day of the meet depending upon how you feel. The only numbers you should really worry about going into the meet are your openers, and for your first meet, open with safe numbers, like a weight you can triple even on your worst day. Then depending upon how your opener goes, pick a 2nd attempt that takes into account how the first attempt felt. And then third attempt, assuming you already completed one of your previous attempts, go for broke. Just because you hit such and such a number in the gym a few weeks ago, doesn’t mean it will translate perfectly to meet day. Based on your numbers, I would do something like for squat, 375 - 405 - 425, bench 275 - 295 - 310, and deadlift 405 - 435 - 465.
We have similar numbers for squat. For my 1st meet, my attempts were 375, 395, and then 420. My 2nd meet I did 405, 425, & 440.
Worry more about your 1st attempts, having fun, and getting numbers on the board. Don’t bomb out.
“Meet magic” can help you get lifts you’d miss in the gym. I always take a week off before the meet and by Saturday I am well rested and always feel stronger than usual.
This being your first meet, open up light. I’d open 365 / 270 / 380 or so. Your opener at a meet will set the tone for the rest of the day. Pick a weight you can smash, and destroy it. This will give you the ability to pick a smart 2nd lift to set your up for your 3rd. Always remember, it’s not what you open with that counts – it’s what you finish with.
That being said, this is your first meet. Don’t get carried away with goals, every lift you make is a PR.
I would add to try and hit three squats and not get so aggressive that you fail on the third. Failing on a squat takes a lot out of you, then you still need to bench and deadlift. Its ok to leave a few pounds on the platform for squat. Then you can go for broke on your third bench and third deadlift. Also, on bench, you have to wait for the commands. My first meet, they had me hold for what seemed like forever because my feet weren’t set. I am really glad I opened light–its different on the platform and lots of things you might not expect can go sideways on you.
A solid rule of thumb is to set your opener at something you could get a triple on a day that you feel like absolute shit. 90% is a decent mark to aim for. For your first meet, your goal should be to go 9 for 9, because EVERY attempt you get will be a PR. Your gym lifts mean nothing unless you have done it on the platform.
Once you get a couple meets under you belt, you can usually begin to experiment a little bit with percentages and whatnot. I usually like to set a small PR (~5lb) on my second if I can, then go for broke on my 3rd. If I’m feeling shitty, or my opener wasn’t that great, I’ll go for maybe 2-3% off of my PR for my second, and then see how I feel for the third.
Just remember that lifting in a meet is a lot different than lifting in the gym. You have to share a warm up area with people you’ve probably never met, although they will be very helpful if you ask questions. You have to have proper depth, know the commands, be able to pause your bench press, time your warmups right, time your wraps right, etc.
[quote]black_angus1 wrote:
A solid rule of thumb is to set your opener at something you could get a triple on a day that you feel like absolute shit. 90% is a decent mark to aim for. For your first meet, your goal should be to go 9 for 9, because EVERY attempt you get will be a PR. Your gym lifts mean nothing unless you have done it on the platform.
Once you get a couple meets under you belt, you can usually begin to experiment a little bit with percentages and whatnot. I usually like to set a small PR (~5lb) on my second if I can, then go for broke on my 3rd. If I’m feeling shitty, or my opener wasn’t that great, I’ll go for maybe 2-3% off of my PR for my second, and then see how I feel for the third.
Just remember that lifting in a meet is a lot different than lifting in the gym. You have to share a warm up area with people you’ve probably never met, although they will be very helpful if you ask questions. You have to have proper depth, know the commands, be able to pause your bench press, time your warmups right, time your wraps right, etc. [/quote]
true dat about the wrapping . something as normally simple as wrapping takes on a different feel when your hands start to shake . then all it takes is to have the wrap slip out of your hand…and bam…feels like your head is about to pop off …haha
A super simple guideline is to pick your goal weight (thirds which you listed) and that is your 100%. Then go for 95% on your seconds and 87.5% on your first. Since this is your first meet don’t go up in weight if you miss an attempt. Good luck on Saturday - Tim
My usual method is to pick a weight that I’m 100% sure I can get for my first attempt. (usually about 20lbs less than my current gym max). For my second attempt I’ll go for my gym max if it has been giving me trouble, or add 5-10 lbs to it if I feel good about the weight. My third attempt is an all out PR. You’ll be suprised how much more you can hit at a meet then at the gym. In my first competition I was struggling with 315 in the gym. Sometimes I would get it and sometimes I wouldn’t. I ended up hitting 345.