Powerlifting Attempt Selection: How to Choose Your Opener, Second and Third Attempts

You can spend months getting stronger for a powerlifting meet and still leave kilograms
on the platform because of one thing: poor attempt selection.

In a full powerlifting competition you have three attempts at the squat, three at the
bench press and three at the deadlift. Only your best successful lift in each movement
counts toward your total.

That means your goal is not simply to lift the heaviest possible weight on every attempt.
Good powerlifting attempt selection is about balancing
certainty, performance and calculated risk.

The Three-Attempt Strategy

What Percentages Should You Use for Powerlifting Attempts?

There is no single percentage formula that works for every lifter. Strength level,
competition experience, fatigue, weight cuts and individual lift characteristics all matter.

However, research on successful elite classic powerlifters provides a useful reference point.

This works out approximately to the familiar
91% → 96% → 100% pattern when the planned third attempt represents
a realistic meet-day maximum.

How to Choose Your Powerlifting Opener

Your first attempt has one job:
get a successful lift on the scoreboard.

The opener should not be a test of your strength. It should be a weight you are highly
confident you can execute even if meet day is not perfect.

Competition conditions can be very different from training. You may have travelled,
slept poorly, cut weight, waited longer than expected between warm-ups or simply be nervous.

Your opener needs enough safety margin to survive those variables.

A good opener should:

How to Choose Your Second Attempt

Your second attempt is where you begin building your real competition total.

If your opener moved exactly as expected, your planned second attempt will often remain
unchanged.

But the first attempt gives you valuable information.

If your opener was very easy

Proceed with the planned second attempt. Experienced competitors may occasionally make
a slightly larger jump, but there is rarely a reason to abandon a sensible plan after
one easy lift.

If your opener was slower than expected

Consider reducing the planned jump. Your goal is still to secure a strong second attempt
rather than turn attempt number two into a maximum-effort gamble.

If you missed your opener

First identify why.

A technical miss and a strength miss are not the same thing.

If you missed because of a command, depth or another correctable technical issue,
repeating the same weight may be appropriate.

If the weight was simply too heavy, increasing the bar is usually a poor decision.

How to Choose Your Third Attempt

The third attempt is where strategy becomes more individual.

By this point you have two pieces of real meet-day information: your opener and your
second attempt.

Your third attempt can therefore be adjusted according to how you are actually performing,
rather than how you hoped you would perform before the competition started.

A Complete Powerlifting Attempt Selection Example

Imagine that your realistic meet-day targets are:

• Squat: 200 kg
• Bench Press: 140 kg
• Deadlift: 240 kg

Using a strategy close to the research-based 91% / 96% / 100% framework and rounding
to normal 2.5 kg competition increments, your plan could look like this:

Notice what happens here.

If you successfully complete only your opening attempts, you already have a
527.5 kg total.

If all second attempts are successful, you have already secured
557.5 kg before taking a single third attempt.

The third attempts can then be used to build toward the full 580 kg target.

Squat Attempt Selection

The squat is your first lift in a standard full powerlifting meet, so poor attempt
selection here can affect the entire competition.

A difficult squat opener can create unnecessary fatigue and pressure before you even
reach the bench press.

Your squat opener should therefore be particularly dependable.

You should also account for competition depth and commands. A gym squat that would not
receive white lights should not be used as the basis for an aggressive competition max.

Bench Press Attempt Selection

Bench press often has smaller absolute jumps than squat or deadlift.

For a lifter benching around 120–150 kg, a 2.5 or 5 kg change can represent a meaningful
percentage difference.

This makes sensible rounding especially important.

A 2.5 kg increase that appears small on paper may already be a significant jump near
your maximum.

Competition pauses and commands should also be considered when estimating your
meet-day bench strength.

Deadlift Attempt Selection

Deadlift is different because it is normally the final lift of the competition.

Your deadlift strategy may depend not only on your strength but also on your current
total, placing and the totals of other lifters.

A third deadlift can therefore serve several purposes:

• set a personal record,
• reach a target total,
• improve your placing,
• reach a qualification standard,
• or attempt the exact weight needed to win.

Current IPF Attempt Rules You Should Know

Individual federation rules can differ, so always check the rules of the organization
running your meet.

Under the current 2026 IPF Technical Rulebook, several rules are especially
important for attempt planning.

1. You have one minute to submit your next attempt

After completing an attempt, the lifter or coach must submit the weight for the next
attempt within the required one-minute period.

2. Standard attempts normally use 2.5 kg increments

In IPF-recognized competition, normal bar weights are multiples of 2.5 kg and standard
progression between successful attempts is at least 2.5 kg.

Special rules apply when attempting records.

3. You can repeat a failed weight

If an attempt is unsuccessful, the same weight can be attempted again in the following
round.

4. Second attempts cannot normally be changed after submission

Once a second attempt has been submitted, it cannot normally be withdrawn or changed.

5. Third squat and bench attempts cannot normally be changed

Once submitted, third attempts on squat and bench press are generally fixed under IPF rules.

6. Third deadlift is different

The third deadlift allows additional weight changes under specified conditions, which is
why deadlift attempt selection can become highly tactical in close competitions.

7. Three failed attempts in one lift can end your total

Under IPF rules, three unsuccessful attempts in any one of the three lifts eliminate the
lifter from the overall competition total.

Should Beginners Use Different Attempts?

Usually, yes.

A first-time competitor has more uncertainty than an experienced lifter.

You may not yet know how your strength responds to:

• competition commands,
• long waiting periods,
• different equipment,
• meet-day nerves,
• warm-up room timing,
• travel,
• or a weigh-in.

For a first meet, the priority should normally be
building a successful total and gaining competition experience.

Why Going 9 for 9 Matters

“Going 9 for 9” means successfully completing all nine competition attempts.

That is not always necessary to have a great meet, and sometimes calculated third-attempt
risks are completely justified.

However, successful lifting matters.

An analysis of 1,312 competitors from IPF World Championships between
2013 and 2019 found that successfully completing eight or nine attempts was associated
with higher odds of winning.

That does not mean simply choosing extremely light weights will make you win.
The best lifters still need heavy attempts.

Instead, it reinforces an important competition principle:

Should You Base Attempts on Your Lifetime PR?

Usually not.

Your attempt plan should reflect your current strength, not the strongest
you have ever been.

Imagine you deadlifted 260 kg eight months ago but your recent training suggests that
245 kg is currently realistic.

Planning the meet around a 260 kg maximum can make every attempt unnecessarily aggressive.

Use recent training performance, preferably lifts completed with technique that would
be accepted in competition.

How a Weight Cut Can Affect Your Attempts

If you are cutting bodyweight for a competition, especially if the cut is larger than usual,
consider additional uncertainty when planning attempts.

A lifter who normally squats 200 kg may not necessarily have the same performance after
a difficult weight cut, travel and weigh-in.

This is another reason to avoid locking your ego to predetermined numbers.

The bar does not care what your spreadsheet predicted.

Common Powerlifting Attempt Selection Mistakes

Opening too heavy

An opener should establish your competition, not test the limits of your strength.

Planning from an unrealistic max

Using an old lifetime PR makes every percentage look reasonable while every actual
attempt is too heavy.

Ignoring competition standards

A 200 kg gym squat that is consistently high is not a reliable 200 kg competition squat.

Taking huge jumps after an easy opener

An easy opener means your plan is working. It does not automatically mean you suddenly
became dramatically stronger.

Deciding all thirds before the meet

You should have planned options, but third attempts should reflect how you are performing
on the day.

Chasing a PR when the total matters more

Sometimes a smaller successful increase produces a better meet than an ambitious missed PR.

Attempt Selection for a PR vs. Attempt Selection to Win

The correct third attempt depends on your goal.

At a local meet where your primary target is a personal record, it may make sense to
take a slightly more aggressive third attempt.

In a close competition, the weight you need to win may be completely different from
the weight you originally planned.

This is especially important on the deadlift, where lifters and coaches can react to
the competition as final totals become clear.

The Best Powerlifting Attempt Strategy

The best attempt strategy is not the one with the most aggressive numbers.

It is the strategy that gives you the best chance of turning your current strength
into the best possible competition result.

Frequently Asked Questions

Sources and Methodology