Powerlifting Attempt Calculator
Turn your gym bests into a full meet plan: openers you won't miss, seconds that build your total, and third attempts worth chasing — all nine attempts in meet-legal 2.5 kg loads, with your projected total and DOTS score.
Calculator
| Lift | Opener | Second attempt | Third attempt |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 165 kg 363.76 lbs | 172.5 kg 380.3 lbs | 182.5 kg 402.34 lbs |
| Bench press | 107.5 kg 237 lbs | 112.5 kg 248.02 lbs | 120 kg 264.55 lbs |
| Deadlift | 197.5 kg 435.41 lbs | 207.5 kg 457.46 lbs | 217.5 kg 479.51 lbs |
Projected total: 520 kg 1146.4 lbs
If every third attempt goes in. Attempts are rounded down to 2.5 kg — how meets actually load the bar.
Add your bodyweight to see the DOTS score of your projected total.
How attempt selection works
A meet gives you nine attempts — three per lift — and your total is the sum of the best successful attempt on each. The strategy is asymmetric: a missed attempt costs you the weight you would have made with a smarter call, and a missed opener can cost you the whole meet. So attempts climb from safe to ambitious: an opener you could hit half-asleep, a second attempt near your gym best that secures the total, and a third that reaches for the best day you have in you.
The three plans map onto meet experience. Conservative (87.5 / 92.5 / 97.5%) is built for first meets and comebacks: every attempt below your best, nine white-light lifts the goal. Standard (90 / 95 / 100%) matches your gym best on the platform. Aggressive (91 / 96 / 102.5%) assumes a real peak and taper — the third attempts are small PRs.
Base everything on honest, recent, competition-standard gym bests. If you have not maxed lately, estimate your current 1RM from a recent hard set with the 1RM calculator — a set of 2-5 reps at RPE 9-10 predicts it well.
Meet-day numbers to know
Meets run in kilograms: the bar loads in 2.5 kg steps (plus a 0.5 kg exception for record attempts), you submit your opener at weigh-in, and you can change each next attempt until one minute after the previous one is scored. That is why this calculator rounds every attempt down to 2.5 kg — rounding an opener up, even slightly, is the wrong direction to miss in.
Once you have a projected total, see what it scores across bodyweights with the DOTS calculator — or the Wilks and IPF GL scales your federation might use. And plan your warm-up room ramps with the warm-up calculator: last warm-up around 90% of your opener, timed to finish a few attempts before you are called.
Frequently asked questions
How do I choose my opening attempt?
Open with a weight you could triple on a bad day - around 88-91% of your gym best. The opener has one job: get you on the board and settle the nerves. Nobody remembers a light opener; everybody remembers bombing out of a meet on a weight they were "sure" about.
What percentage should my attempts be?
A classic plan is roughly 90% / 95% / 100% of your gym best: a comfortable opener, a second attempt near your training best, and a third at - or just above - your max. First-time competitors should shift everything down about 2.5%, seasoned and well-peaked lifters can push the third a bit past their best.
Why are the attempts rounded to 2.5 kg?
Powerlifting meets load the bar in kilograms and attempts must be multiples of 2.5 kg. This calculator does everything in meet terms - it rounds each attempt down (never up) to the nearest 2.5 kg, so your opener stays as easy as you planned it, and shows the pound equivalents alongside for gym reference.
Should my third attempt be a PR?
Only if the first two attempts moved well. The aggressive plan here puts the third at 102.5% - a small platform PR. A useful habit: pick two third attempts in advance, a "good day" number and a "normal day" number, and decide after your second attempt. You can change the weight until one minute after the second attempt is scored.
What should I do at my first powerlifting meet?
Use the conservative plan: openers around 87.5% and a third attempt just below your gym best. Nine successful attempts with a small total beats six-for-nine with a bombed lift every time - you get a full meet experience, a total on the books, and PRs to chase next time.
Is my gym 1RM the right starting point for attempt selection?
Yes, with honesty about what it is: a recent, to-competition-standard single. A touch-and-go bench or high squat from months ago is not a gym best. If you have not tested recently, estimate your current max from a hard set of 2-5 reps and base attempts on that instead.
Peak for the platform with Hardy
Hardy tracks your squat, bench, and deadlift maxes from every session and runs your percentage-based training up to meet day — so when it is time to pick attempts, your numbers are current, not guesses.
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/r/HardyApp