Plan Going Into First Meet

Bigger Stronger Leaner Powerlifting & Strength Sports
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Hey guys! I’ve signed up for my first powerlifting meet, and I’m feeling good. However, I am unsure what do to going into the meet. I have been on CT’s 915 program and I like it, it will finish up with 6 weeks until the meet though. What should I do in these 6 weeks? I plan on deloading the week before the meet, and reducing volume and intensity 2 weeks out. What should I do in those other weeks? Should I freestyle it? Thanks!

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Best of luck man! You’re about to have a life-changing moment. With 6 weeks, check out Candito’s 6-week meet peaking program. Its a solid program and a pretty simple way to get familiar with peaking for a meet.

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Use it as a learning experience and enjoy it. Aim to hit 9 lifts and make sure you pick an opener you could lift if you had a kick to the nuts delivered to you as you were walking to the platform.

Do you think that’s a good approach for taking lessons from?

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Max and tsantos pretty much nailed it. The first meet is a learning experience and nothing more. Go there, have fun, aim to hit all your 9 lifts, check the rules of that federation in advance and you’re golden. Candito’s 6 week program is a great way to prepare. Never go freestyle before a meet unless you really know what you are doing.

Edit: Forgot to mention this: train paused bench press for the entirety of the next 6 weeks. I made the mistake of not doing it in my first meet and my bench sucked donkey dong then.

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Appreciate the response, thanks! (also, was not planning on freestyling, that was rhetorical)

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Thanks max! I’m excited for it, I’ll take a look at Candito’s program!

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Thanks Furius, I’ll definitely take your advice! Also, my apologies for putting so many replies, I didn’t think about that.

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Its been said already but I’ll say it again make your openers something you know for a fact you can hit. I always see bombs and people only hitting there openers.

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Squat - take your best triple, subtract 20 lbs and that’s your opener.
Bench - If you haven’t been pausing use your 5RM. You can always go up.
Deadlift - Best set of 3-5 for your opener depending how you feel. You don’t train all three lifts every day right?

Goals for a meet go in this order

  1. Stay in the meet
  2. Place
  3. Win

Since this is your cherry as long as you don’t bomb its a success and you will have a reference point to build on.

Good luck