Attempt Selection 101
Any experienced powerlifting coach will tell you that how you base your projections for meet day 3rd attempts is a little more complicated than just thinking “ok, I’ve hit x number in training, so I’ll aim for a few lbs more on meet day,” and I think even the experienced coaches can use a bit of a refresher on this topic every now and again, including myself. That’s a very sunshine and rainbows way of looking at it, but that’s rarely how it goes, unless you’re a newer lifter.
Meet day is incredibly multi - factorial, and is never just as smooth as another day in the gym. When you go to the gym to hit some heavy squats, you get to pick your time of the day you do it, it doesn’t really matter how much you weigh beforehand, you get to rest as long or as little as you’d like - the list goes on. When you get to meet day, you have to run to someone else’s beat, not your own. You warm up on the meet’s time, you weigh in and have to meet the weight class requirement, listen to commands, do all 3 lifts in one day, etc.
When it comes to knowing how strong you’ll be on the day, it’s all your best guess - and the more times you guess correctly in training and on meet day, the more you can lean on that data in the future to predict performance based off how you write training. With that being said, I usually think it’s a smart move to have a lighter opener for your squat - I’d say something that you can typically hit for 3 reps or so in training. This first attempt will really allow you to gauge how strong you feel for the day, and not be forced into a corner of making small jumps on your subsequent attempts. The easier your first and second attempt move, the more likely it becomes that you’ll hit your 3rd. If your first and second attempt are grindy, then you can bet the 3rd one will become less likely just due to the amount of energy you’ve spent by then.
Moving into the Bench Press, the same rule applies here - open 2.5kg lighter than you think you need to. Bench has the most commands across any of the 3 lifts, so that’s the most variables to deal with. How long will you have to hold the bar at the starting position before you get the start command? How long will the pause be? Have you been training with press commands? These are all things to think about, and very often, I suggest most of the athletes I work with aim for their best bench in training on meet day, unless they’ve regularly left a lot in the tank regularly in training, AND if they regularly pause for a nice length. It’s common to get a little excited or anxious when going for a big lift and pause for a short time.
When Deadlifts come around, you can usually have a pretty solid idea with how the day’s going already - you’ve gotta think that if you hit some nice lifts on your first two lifts, that you’re going to be feeling at least pretty good on Deadlifts. For openers, I again, suggest opening light, but that’s mainly because I think bigger jumps fare best on this lift. For most, this is where you’ll be lifting the absolute most weight your body’s capable of, so it can be a bit more taxing than the other two, so making your first two attempts pretty swift leaves room for a nice third attempt.
Now - some of the finer details, which I think can separate okay days from great days:
If you really grinded through your Squats, be a bit more conservative on your Deadlifts. These two lifts usually affect each other a fair bit, so keep that in mind.
If one particular lift is going to make up the majority of your PR total (ex: your deadlift has made a ton of progress but squat and bench haven’t moved much), it’s smart to prioritize that lift. Try to either match your PR, or hit small PRs on those two lifts, but be sure to leave some in the tank. If you hit 2.5kg PRs on each your squat and bench and really had to work for them, and that tanks your deadlift 10kg on the day, now you’re 5kg in a deficit on your total had you just matched your best squat and bench and went all out for your pulls.
It’s important that you make attempts above all else if a PR total is your goal. Undershooting by 2.5kg is much better than over shooting by 2.5kg, because a miss only leaves you with the prior attempt counting. If you squat 95g for your opener, 105kg for your second, and then miss 115kg on your third, but you could’ve done 112.5kg, you’re only left with 105kg toward your total.
Be very clear about what your goal is; if it’s to hit X total, then make your attempts and go for that deadlift at the end to make it happen. If it’s to hit a PARTICULAR number on a PARTICULAR lift, don’t reach on the other lifts. Prioritize that one, and keep your goal your goal.
If you cut to make weight, specifically on a 2 hour weigh in, it’s probably a good idea to drop your squat opener down even a bit more than you think. Cutting takes a toll, especially once you’re beginning to push 3-5% of your total bodyweight being cut.
Powerlifting may not be the most strategically advanced sport in the world, but there’s still strategy involved. Don’t walk in without a plan and do things on the fly. Have a good plan, stick to it, and seize the day. Each attempt is an opportunity to add to your total.