What each attempt is for
- Opener. A weight you could triple on a bad day. About 90% of your planned third.
- Second. About 95 to 96%. Close to a recent best. One you expect to make even if warm-ups felt flat.
- Third. The target. A small best, or the lift that secures the total.
Plan from numbers you’ve lifted
Use a tested max or a heavy single from the last four to eight weeks. Not an estimate from sets of five. Recent bests of 150 kg squat, 100 kg bench and 190 kg deadlift give this:
| Lift | Opener | Second | Third |
|---|---|---|---|
| Squat | 137.5 kg | 145 kg | 152.5 kg |
| Bench | 90 kg | 95 kg | 100 kg |
| Deadlift | 175 kg | 185 kg | 195 kg |
| Total | 402.5 kg | 425 kg | 447.5 kg |
The jumps shrink on lighter lifts: 7.5 kg on the squat, 5 kg on the bench, 10 kg on the deadlift. And the openers alone make 402.5 kg. A bad day still ends with a total.
Attempts go up in multiples of 2.5 kg, at least 2.5 kg each time. You can’t go down.
Adjusting on the day
- 01
Read your last warm-up
Slow? Drop the opener. You can usually change it once, up to a deadline before your group starts.
- 02
Let the opener set the second
Fast opener, take the plan. Slow one, a smaller jump. 2.5 kg less costs little. A missed second costs a lot.
- 03
After a miss, ask why
Technical red for depth or a command? Repeat it. Bar just didn’t move? It won’t move a few minutes later either.
- 04
Hand it in fast
You get about a minute to submit the next attempt. Have a friend handle the card.
- 05
Do the maths on the deadlift
The last pull is where you count. Take what you’re good for today, not what you wrote a month ago.
Nine good lifts from sensible attempts usually beat six from ambitious ones. Check the current rules with your federation before the day.
From the Compound founder. Notes on training, not medical advice.