Meet Day Attempt Selector
Plan your opener, second, and third attempts before competition day. Enter your gym maxes and experience level to get recommended weights for all three lifts - calibrated to help you go 9/9.
Recent Gym Maxes
Enter your best recent gym singles or calculated 1RMs from the last 2-4 weeks of training. These should be lifts you have actually hit, not goals.
Example: 200 kg squat, 140 kg bench, 240 kg deadlift (novice)
Opener / second / third, planned off your gym maxes.
Enter your numbers above for your own result.
Planning your meet attempts...
Meet Day Strategy Tips
Openers (Attempt 1)
Your opener should be a weight you can hit for a comfortable triple on your worst day. The goal is to go 3/3 on openers and build momentum. A missed opener puts enormous pressure on the rest of your meet.
Second Attempts
Your second attempt should be close to your current capability - a weight you can hit with good technique under meet conditions. This is often where you "lock in" your total. Think of it as your real target.
Third Attempts (PR Attempts)
Only go for a PR on third attempts if your second felt solid. If your second was a grinder, consider repeating it or taking a small jump. A missed third is fine strategically, but a missed second hurts your total.
First Meet Advice
Your primary goal at your first meet is to go 9/9 (make all 9 attempts). Do not chase PRs. Conservative attempt selection builds confidence, teaches you the process, and ensures you leave with a total. You can be more aggressive at future meets.
Why Attempt Selection Matters
In a powerlifting meet, you get three attempts at each lift - nine attempts total. Only your best successful attempt counts toward your total. Pick attempts too light and you leave kilograms on the platform. Pick too heavy and you bomb out or miss lifts that hurt your total. Good attempt selection is the difference between a career-best meet and a disappointing one, even when your strength is exactly where it should be.
The three-tier strategy is universal among experienced lifters and coaches: a safe opener to get on the board, a strong second attempt that locks in a solid total, and an ambitious third attempt for a PR if the day is going well. The exact percentages shift based on your experience level - first-timers need more buffer, experienced competitors can push closer to their true max.
This calculator applies the same percentage guidelines used by elite coaches and meet directors, adjusted for your competition experience. The recommendations are evidence-based starting points - your opener, second, and third attempts for squat, bench, and deadlift - plus a projected total if you hit all nine.
How to Use This Calculator
Choose your experience level (first meet, novice, or experienced), then enter your recent gym maxes for squat, bench, and deadlift. Use weights you have actually lifted in the last 2-4 weeks - not calculated estimates or targets. The calculator builds your full attempt plan for all three lifts, with percentage breakdowns for each attempt.
These numbers are your starting plan. On meet day, adjust based on warm-ups: if the bar moves fast and technique feels locked in, you might add 2.5kg to your opener. If warm-ups feel sluggish, drop 2.5-5kg. Never change your second or third attempt targets until after you have completed the previous attempt.
Attempt Percentages: What the Numbers Mean
Coaching experience and competition data have established reliable ranges for each attempt tier:
- Opener (88-92% of gym max) - This should move fast and feel controlled. It is not a challenge - it is a confidence builder. First-timers use the lower end. An opener you barely grind out is too heavy and sets a bad tone for the rest of the session.
- Second attempt (95-100% of gym max) - Your real target. This is where your total gets locked in. Many experienced lifters open at their gym max here, because competition conditions - full rest between lifts, adrenaline, and the platform environment - frequently add 2-5% over training.
- Third attempt (100-105% of gym max) - PR territory. Only go here if your second felt strong and moved well. A 2.5-5kg jump from second to third is standard. Bigger jumps are risky and rarely pay off. On deadlift, a missed third has no strategic consequence - take the swing.
Frequently Asked Questions
Always use weights you have actually lifted recently - not estimated or projected numbers. If your best recent squat single is 180kg, enter 180kg even if a 1RM calculator estimates 190kg from a rep set. Attempt selection based on real performance is always more reliable than projections. The competition platform is not the place to find out your estimate was optimistic.
Repeat the weight. Almost always. A missed opener is usually nerves or a technical error - not a weight problem, assuming you selected it correctly. Dropping the weight signals panic to yourself and your coach, and rarely helps. Your second attempt becomes your new opener mental target, and your third becomes your second. Take a breath, fix the technical issue you identified, and hit the same weight clean.
First-timers need significantly more buffer. Meet day adds variables you cannot fully train for: unfamiliar bars and equipment, the judging commands (squat, press, rack - rack), time pressure between flights, crowd noise, and adrenaline that can make warm-ups feel deceptively heavy. Experienced competitors have learned to manage all of this. This calculator adjusts opener and second attempt percentages by about 2-3% between experience levels to account for the learning curve.
Yes, but only small adjustments. If warm-ups move fast and technique feels sharp, add 2.5kg to your opener. If they feel heavy and slow, drop 2.5-5kg. Never make large adjustments based on warm-up feel alone - warm-ups often feel harder than competition lifts due to timing, a different bar, cold plates, or pre-meet stiffness. Once the adrenaline kicks in on the platform, weights that felt heavy in warm-ups often move much better. Stick close to your plan.
For most lifters in most meets, yes. Going 9/9 builds confidence, maximizes your total, and gives you accurate data for your next meet. Missing attempts is demoralizing and disrupts your rhythm between lifts. Lifters who go 8/9 or 9/9 consistently outscore those who gamble on aggressive attempts and go 5/9 or 6/9. The one exception: your third deadlift, where a miss has no strategic consequence. That is the appropriate time to take a calculated risk on a big PR attempt.