Attempt planner.

Openers win meets; thirds win records

An opener has exactly one job: put a number on the board. Take something you could hit for three reps on a bad day — call it 88–91% of your best single — and you keep a total even if the next two attempts go badly. The failure mode people actually experience is bombing out on a first attempt they had to fight, not opening too light.

The second attempt is where the total is decided. Around 95–97% of your best single, a 3–5% jump from the opener, is the weight most lifters' final total ends up sitting on. The third is the swing: 100–105%, taken knowing a miss costs nothing you have not already banked. If the second was a grind, repeating it is a legitimate third attempt and frequently the better one.

Conservative, normal, aggressive

The three risk profiles are the same shape with the risk shifted, not three different strategies:

• Conservative — 88 / 94 / 100%. Built to bank a total. Right for a first meet, a qualifying total, coming back from injury, or any day where placing depends on not missing.
• Normal — 90 / 96 / 102%. The default. Expects a small personal record on the third and leaves room to adjust upward if the opener flies.
• Aggressive — 93 / 98 / 104%. For chasing a record where second place and fifth place are worth the same. Costs you the safety margin on the opener, which is the part to think hardest about.

Whichever you pick, the percentages are of your current best single — a recent competition or gym max, or an estimated 1RM from a heavy top set. Not your training max: that is deliberately set 8–15% below a true max so percentage work stays sustainable, and using it here would hand you an opener you could take for five reps. If a training max is all you have, divide it by about 0.9 first, or work the single out from a top set with the RPE calculator.

Deciding between attempts

The choice you actually face on the platform is about the total, not the lift, which is why this planner shows two of them. Banked is what you have made. Forecast assumes everything still unmarked goes up. Watching the gap between the two is how you decide whether a safe third deadlift already secures the placing or whether you need the risky one.

Federations require attempt declarations within a minute or so of the previous attempt, so decide the branch before you need it: know what you take if the second flies and what you take if it grinds. Both numbers, written down, before you are on the clock.

Why the score matters as well as the total

DOTS and IPF GL Points convert a total into a bodyweight- and sex-adjusted score, which is what best-lifter awards and most online rankings are decided on. A 10 kg heavier total at a heavier bodyweight is not automatically a better performance. If you are picking between attempts with a best-lifter placing in play, the score is the number to watch — and it is the same formula set the DOTS calculator uses.

Frequently asked questions

How do you pick your opener at a powerlifting meet?

Take something you could hit for three reps on a bad day — roughly 88–91% of your current best single. The opener has no job except getting a number on the board so a missed second and third attempt still leaves you with a total. Lifters bomb out of meets by opening at a weight they have to fight for, essentially never by opening too light.

What should your second and third attempts be?

The second attempt is where most of your total is decided: around 95–97% of your best single, or a small personal record if the opener flew. Convention is a 3–5% jump from the opener. The third is the swing — 100–105% of your best. If the second attempt was a grind, repeating it is a legitimate third attempt, and often the better one.

How much should you jump between attempts?

In percentage terms, 3–5% per attempt. In absolute terms that is roughly 10–20 kg on squat and deadlift and 5–10 kg on bench for most lifters. Bigger jumps than that on a third attempt are where misses come from; smaller than about 2.5 kg is usually not worth the attempt.

What is the difference between conservative, normal, and aggressive attempt selection?

They are the same three-attempt shape with the risk moved around. Conservative (88 / 94 / 100% of your current max) is built to bank a total and is right for a first meet, a qualifying total, or a lifter coming back from injury. Normal (90 / 96 / 102%) is the default and expects a small PR on the third. Aggressive (93 / 98 / 104%) is for chasing a record when placing does not depend on going nine for nine.

Should attempts be based on your training max or your best single?

Your best recent single, or an estimated 1RM from a heavy top set. A training max is deliberately set 8–15% below a true max so that percentage work stays sustainable, so feeding it in here would give you openers you could take for five reps. If all you have is a training max, divide it by about 0.9 first.

Why does the planner show a forecasted total?

Because the decision you actually make between attempts is about the total, not the lift. Marking attempts as you go shows what you have banked and what you are still on track for, so you can see whether a safe third deadlift already secures the total or whether you need the risky one.

Attempt percentages are conventional selections, not measured prescriptions — treat them as a starting point and adjust for how the opener felt. DOTS, Wilks and IPF GL are implemented from the published formulas; this tool is not affiliated with any federation.