More meets are lost to a missed opener than to a missed third attempt. Picking your three attempts well is a skill in itself, separate from how strong you actually are on the day.
The classic percentage bands
A common starting framework, built around your best current estimate of your true 1RM on meet day:
- Opener: ~90–91% — a weight you are essentially certain to make even on an off day. Its only job is to get a number on the board and build confidence for what follows.
- 2nd attempt: ~95–96% — a solid, competition-tested weight, typically close to or matching a recent training PR.
- 3rd attempt: ~100–103% — your PR attempt, chosen based on how the first two attempts actually felt, not just the plan you walked in with.
Why the opener matters more than it seems
A missed opener doesn’t just cost you a lift — it forces your 2nd attempt to also serve as an opener, compressing your whole meet and usually costing you a shot at a real 3rd-attempt PR. Conservative openers feel unsatisfying in the warm-up room but consistently produce better meets than aggressive ones.
Reading the room (and the bar)
Your attempt plan should be a starting point, not a contract. If your opener moved noticeably faster than expected, there’s room to push the 2nd attempt harder than planned. If it grinded, that’s real information — a conservative 2nd attempt that you make is worth more than an aggressive one you miss, both for your total and for your third-attempt confidence.
Different strategies for different goals
If you’re chasing qualifying totals or need every kilogram, a more aggressive attempt selection makes sense. If you’re newer to competition or your main goal is a clean, confidence-building meet, banking conservative, makeable lifts and building from there will usually serve you better long-term.
Plan your attempts against your own estimated max with our Attempt Selection Calculator, which lets you toggle between conservative, standard, and aggressive strategies.
Worked example: building a full attempt plan
Take a lifter whose best recent gym singles are a 200 kg squat, 130 kg bench press and 230 kg deadlift. Using common percentage bands (opener around 90–92%, second around 95–97%, third around 100–102%) and rounding to loadable weights:
| Lift | Opener | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat (200 kg best) | 182.5 kg | 192.5 kg | 202.5 kg |
| Bench (130 kg best) | 117.5 kg | 125 kg | 130–132.5 kg |
| Deadlift (230 kg best) | 207.5 kg | 220 kg | 232.5 kg |
That plan builds a 507.5 kg total from the openers alone and a 537.5 kg total from successful seconds. The thirds are only attempted if the earlier lifts moved well. Our attempt selection calculator does this rounding for you and follows federation loading increments.
Common opener mistakes
- Opening with a gym PR. Your opener should be a weight you could lift on your worst day — a triple-able weight, not a near-max.
- Ignoring the meet-day environment. Commands, judges, unfamiliar equipment and long waits all cost a few percent. Plan for that.
- Making big jumps after a slow opener. If the opener was a grinder, take a smaller second attempt instead of following the original plan.
- Forgetting that the deadlift decides the total. A safe deadlift opener protects your total; a missed opener there can end your meet.
Frequently asked questions
What percentage should my opener be?
Most coaches recommend roughly 88–93% of your expected best, depending on experience and how reliable that best is. Newer lifters should stay at the lower end.
Can I change my attempts during the meet?
Rules vary by federation. Most allow changes to second and third attempts within a short window after each lift, and limited changes to the opener before your flight starts. Check your federation’s rulebook.
How do openers affect my DOTS or Wilks score?
Your score uses your best successful total, so missing lifts lowers it directly. A conservative opener that guarantees a total is usually worth more than an aggressive one. Learn how totals become scores in our DOTS score guide.