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The Art of Attempt Selection.
- Craig Cassie
- Mar 4
- 3 min read
Quick Thoughts - The Art of Attempt Selection.
Greed is the most expensive mistake you can make on the platform.
The majority of every bombed out lifter in the history of sport had one thing in common. They thought that the number was there. Sometimes it is, sometimes it isn’t, but by the time they found out it was already too late. Attempt selection is not a glamorous topic so it doesn’t get talked about enough, but it is one of the single biggest factors separating a good competition from a wasted entry fee.
Attempt selection is more than just picking three numbers, you look at any other sport and
most of them involve some sort of strategy.
This is where that strategy comes into powerlifting.
Your opener is not a PB attempt or shouldn’t be anything close for the vast majority of people. Think of your opener as your last warm up, a weight you could lift for two or maybe even three reps on a bad day, we need to guarantee our place in the meet. If it is effortless too, the mental boost from not having to grind or miss our very first lift with two still left to take can be a huge boost. It is also totally subject to change on the day, usually up until five minutes before your flight starts. This gives you a chance to assess your warm ups, running order or how you’re purely feeling that day. There is no shame in dropping your opener if you feel like that might be the route on that given day.
Don’t see the plan you made before the competition in regards to attempts as set in stone and must be adhered to, see it more as a framework that can be adapted for how the day
goes.
Whether they admit it or not, most lifters come into a competition with numbers they want to load for their third attempts and never deviate from that regardless of how previous lifts move. Remember powerlifting is a sport made up of a total across three lifts where the biggest total or the higher score is the winner, and the higher your total the higher your score.
Obviously if you’re a single lift competitor the building of the total only comes from one lift, but the point still stands, the biggest lift or score wins. With this in mind, the biggest PB you can walk away from a competition with is a total/score PB.
In the reality that most lifters have a third attempt in mind, the other jumps need to be tailored to hit that goal.
Opener is your last warm up, something you’re guaranteed to hit any day of the week following a car journey, poor sleep and some random food you’ve likely not made yourself. Your second attempt is the lift that truly sets the tone for your day, it needs to be something achievable, but heavy enough you can judge your third attempt appropriately.
Try to take even increases in weight or smaller than the previous increment, rather than adding 10kg from your opener then adding 20kg from your second.
From your second attempt you can call whether that goal number you came in with is there, if you feel it genuinely is, it’s time to load it and give it your all. If your second became a bit of a grind or felt subpar to when you’ve lifted it previously you can pull that third attempt back to play for that total or skip it entirely saving yourself for the following lifts.
Just remember it’s a sport of all three lifts coming down to your total or a score at the end of the day, it isn’t just about loading the numbers that are in your head and never deviating.
Craig Cassie is a strength coach with over 17 years of coaching experience across rugby, strongman, and powerlifting. A former Team Josh Hezza athlete turned JHEPC coach, he’s known for his sharp technical eye, fast communication, and terrible sense of humour. Craig specialises in building strength, fitness, and resilience through a Conjugate-inspired approach that prioritises both performance and long-term health.
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