What percentage of 1RM should my opener be?

Your opener should be 87-91% of your current 1RM — a weight you can confidently triple in the gym. The primary goal of an opener is to secure a total, not to impress. Failed openers are the most costly mistake in competition. A conservative opener at 87-88% ensures you get on the board even if warm-ups felt sluggish or the platform feels different from your gym.

How do I choose between conservative and aggressive?

Conservative if: recovering from injury, first meet, inconsistent recent training, or weight cut affected strength. Moderate for standard meet prep with no major disruptions. Aggressive only if training has been peak quality with recent PRs at or above target weights in the final training block. First-time competitors should always choose conservative — meet-day adrenaline often compensates for the lower attempts, and finishing 9-for-9 builds confidence for future meets.

Why are attempts rounded to 2.5 kg?

Competition barbells use calibrated plates in 2.5 kg increments (1.25 kg per side minimum). All attempts must be loadable with available plates, so the calculator rounds to the nearest 2.5 kg. In some federations, 0.5 kg record-attempt plates are available, but standard attempt selection should use 2.5 kg increments. This rounding can occasionally create situations where a 2nd and 3rd attempt are the same weight.

Should I plan 3rd attempts in advance?

Plan a target 3rd attempt but be prepared to adjust based on how your opener and second feel. If your second attempt moves slowly or with technical breakdown, repeating it as a 3rd is smarter than jumping to a PR attempt. The gap between 2nd and 3rd attempts should typically be 2.5-5 kg (not 10+). Many experienced competitors decide 3rd attempts in the warm-up room based on how their 2nd moved on the platform.

What is a good jump between attempts?

Standard jumps: opener to 2nd = 5-7.5 kg for squat/deadlift, 2.5-5 kg for bench. 2nd to 3rd = 2.5-5 kg for all lifts. Larger jumps (10+ kg) are risky and only advisable if the previous attempt moved exceptionally fast. The smaller the jump to your 3rd attempt, the higher the probability of making it. A made 3rd at a smaller weight always beats a missed 3rd at a bigger weight.

How does a weight cut affect attempt selection?

Water cuts of more than 3-5% bodyweight can reduce strength by 5-10%, especially on squat and bench where stability matters. If you cut weight, reduce all attempts by 5-7% from your gym maxes and choose the conservative setting. Deadlift is typically least affected by weight cuts because it has no walkout or stabilization phase. Rehydration quality matters: poor rehydration (under 3% regained) may warrant dropping attempts further.

Methodology: Meet Day Attempt Selector

Scope

Suggests powerlifting opener, second, and third attempts from 1RM and confidence level.

Formula

opener = 0.89–0.91 * expected_1RM. Second = 0.95–0.97 * expected_1RM. Third = 0.99–1.03 * expected_1RM.

Coefficients

Parameter	Value	Note
Opener band	`89–91% of gym 1RM`
Second attempt band	`95–97%`
Third attempt band	`99–103%`

Data sources

International Powerlifting Federation — Technical Rules Book (attempt selection and meet-day flow). — Three-attempt format and attempt-card rules for sanctioned meets.
USA Powerlifting — Rule Book. — National-federation reference for meet-day attempt timing and selection.
Helms ER, Cronin J, Storey A, Zourdos MC. Application of the repetitions in reserve-based rating of perceived exertion scale for resistance training. Strength Cond J. 2016;38(4):42-49. — Peer-reviewed RPE/RIR framework that informs the opener-to-third progression bands.
Rippetoe M, Baker A. Practical Programming for Strength Training. 3rd ed. The Aasgaard Company, 2013. — Coaching textbook; source of the classic 90/96/102% attempt ladder used by many federations.
Tuchscherer M. The Reactive Training Manual. Reactive Training Systems, 2008. — Source of the RPE-driven attempt-selection approach; self-published manual.

Assumptions

Meet is fed-sanctioned with standard three-attempt format.

Approximation range

Openers at ~90% are chosen because >95% of lifters make them; third attempts are the risk attempts.

Limitations

Cannot see the lifter's technique on the day; coach override is the final word.

Reproducibility

Squat 1RM 200 kg. Opener 180 kg (90%). Second 192.5 kg (96%). Third 202.5 kg (101%).

Change log

2026-04-24: methodology page first published.

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DOTS & Wilks Score Calculator — DOTS & Wilks score calculator: compare powerlifting strength across weight classes with IPF DOTS and Wilks-2020 coefficients.

Worked example

Computed by the same engine bundle served at /engines/meet-day-attempt-selector.js. Re-runnable: the values below are the literal output of compute(engineInput).

Input

tool: meet_day_attempts
squat_1rm: 180
bench_1rm: 120
deadlift_1rm: 200
squat_confidence: moderate
bench_confidence: moderate
deadlift_confidence: moderate

Output

squat: {"opener":160,"second":170,"third":180,"openerRpe":"RPE 7.5-8","secondRpe":"RPE 8.5-9","thirdRpe":"RPE 9.5-10"}
bench: {"opener":107.5,"second":112.5,"third":120,"openerRpe":"RPE 7.5-8","secondRpe":"RPE 8.5-9","thirdRpe":"RPE 9.5-10"}
deadlift: {"opener":177.5,"second":187.5,"third":200,"openerRpe":"RPE 7.5-8","secondRpe":"RPE 8.5-9","thirdRpe":"RPE 9.5-10"}
conservativeTotal: 445
moderateTotal: 470
aggressiveTotal: 500

FAQ

What percentage of 1RM should my opener be?: Your opener should be 87-91% of your current 1RM — a weight you can confidently triple in the gym. The primary goal of an opener is to secure a total, not to impress. Failed openers are the most costly mistake in competition. A conservative opener at 87-88% ensures you get on the board even if warm-ups felt sluggish or the platform feels different from your gym.
How do I choose between conservative and aggressive?: Conservative if: recovering from injury, first meet, inconsistent recent training, or weight cut affected strength. Moderate for standard meet prep with no major disruptions. Aggressive only if training has been peak quality with recent PRs at or above target weights in the final training block. First-time competitors should always choose conservative — meet-day adrenaline often compensates for the lower attempts, and finishing 9-for-9 builds confidence for future meets.
Why are attempts rounded to 2.5 kg?: Competition barbells use calibrated plates in 2.5 kg increments (1.25 kg per side minimum). All attempts must be loadable with available plates, so the calculator rounds to the nearest 2.5 kg. In some federations, 0.5 kg record-attempt plates are available, but standard attempt selection should use 2.5 kg increments. This rounding can occasionally create situations where a 2nd and 3rd attempt are the same weight.
Should I plan 3rd attempts in advance?: Plan a target 3rd attempt but be prepared to adjust based on how your opener and second feel. If your second attempt moves slowly or with technical breakdown, repeating it as a 3rd is smarter than jumping to a PR attempt. The gap between 2nd and 3rd attempts should typically be 2.5-5 kg (not 10+). Many experienced competitors decide 3rd attempts in the warm-up room based on how their 2nd moved on the platform.
What is a good jump between attempts?: Standard jumps: opener to 2nd = 5-7.5 kg for squat/deadlift, 2.5-5 kg for bench. 2nd to 3rd = 2.5-5 kg for all lifts. Larger jumps (10+ kg) are risky and only advisable if the previous attempt moved exceptionally fast. The smaller the jump to your 3rd attempt, the higher the probability of making it. A made 3rd at a smaller weight always beats a missed 3rd at a bigger weight.
How does a weight cut affect attempt selection?: Water cuts of more than 3-5% bodyweight can reduce strength by 5-10%, especially on squat and bench where stability matters. If you cut weight, reduce all attempts by 5-7% from your gym maxes and choose the conservative setting. Deadlift is typically least affected by weight cuts because it has no walkout or stabilization phase. Rehydration quality matters: poor rehydration (under 3% regained) may warrant dropping attempts further.