Planning your lifts in a meet

[Joliver]

Lift selection can be difficult. I do it differently than most. I take a strategic approach to the opener that many disagree with, but here are my thoughts on the methods.

One method:
First: 200 (easy)
Second: 300 (moderate)
Third: 400 (grinder)

Average loading: 300lbs
Max load: 400lbs

Other method (person of equal strength)
First: 350 (moderate)
Second: 375 (difficult)
Third: 400 (grinder)

Average loading: 375lbs
Max loading: 400lbs

This is an obviously exaggerated example of lift selection, but look at the work done per attempt. The first lifter gets on the board easily. And even though both guys are 400lb lifters, the first lifter has achieved a successful lift with much more energy conserved for the PR attempts. The second guy has been working his ass off on high percentage sub-PR attempts that may compromise his PR attack.

Spacing all of your lifts within striking distance of your PR isn't always the best plan.

Rule #1--get on the board.

A grinder on your first attempt is a bad sign. Kind of leaves you nowhere to go.

 

[Tren4Life]

I like hitting all 9. I'd rather make a 3rd that was 10 pounds off of complete max than miss it and leave 40 pounds off my total.

Just my .02.

 

[PillarofBalance]

We all like hitting a nine steel sometimes you gotta settle for a six... oh. Wait... hitting all nine lifts.

Nevermind

 

[Joliver]

About the 9 for 9 thing... Few thoughts on that. There are two bad ass lifters that have completely opposing views on it, and I'm a nobody, so I can't exactly be a tie breaker. But food for thought anyway:

Ed Coan: He believes if your diet, training, peaking, and cut go according to plan, you should never miss a lift.

Donnie Thompson: Missing a lift is ok. Reach for the stars...so to speak. If I remember correctly, Donnie only had a couple of "perfect" meets in his storied career.

I, personally, am on Donnie's side of the fence for a couple of reasons. I consider my 3rd to be deep water territory. Go big or go home so to speak. I get tired of the rotation and stressed from the monotony of the meet, so planning a monster lift--and missing isn't foreign to me, and it keeps me mentally in the game. Plus, I do max singles in my weekly training, so I don't fear a max miss. Shit happens.

Also, Eddie has talent that I'll never possess and he had his coach call his lifts in the mountaineer cups. He didn't know what was on the bar until he looked at it. That is a guy that is a precise machine. POB and any coach out there will tell you how hard it is to judge your own performance...let alone someone else's.

 

[snake]

I personally like a light opener; the environment is not your own and you can get a little too amped up at a meet. I like something I just did in the gym for 4 reps as an opener and build on that for my second. Ultimately, I know what I have for a third attempt so I just split the difference for the second, less 5 lbs on bench and 10 on the Sq. and DL.

As for the "Hitting all 9", that's me. You should know what you can do so do that weight. The chance of an injury is ever-looming and goes up exceptionally when you reach beyond yourself. If you're feeling good and want to add 5 lbs to your 3rd or there's a record you're close to hitting, load it up!

In my last meet, I left some weight on the table in my squat. I could have hit more and knew it after my second attempt. But I was there to do a specific weight and I did it. My knee tightened up but thanks to POB and DYS, it was fine by the dead lift. Had I tried more, I may have jeopardized a good DL.

Yes, you may have dead lifted X pounds in the gym but did you do it after blowing your goo in the squat and bench?