From weigh-ins to warm-ups to the platform — this is your shortcut to not looking like a rookie at your first meet.
You’ve trained for months. Your opener is dialed in. You finally hear your name called… and then it happens — you forget to wait for the squat command. Three red lights. All that work, wasted by a simple mistake you didn’t even know about.
That’s the reality for many first-time powerlifters. Not because they weren’t strong enough, but because no one told them the unwritten rules — the meet etiquette that separates the lifters who look like pros from the ones who look lost.
This guide (and podcast episode) will walk you through the key do’s and don’ts of meet day, so you can focus on hitting PRs and enjoying the experience instead of worrying about messing up
For simplicity, we have split this mega-article into the 3 critical parts involved in succeeding at a powerlifting meet. this is part 1, but all are linked below (these will be posted about 2 weeks apart, but you can get instant access to all 3 parts and a free copy of my 10% PR Booster Tool by joining my Starting Powerlifting Community (for exactly $0).
Part 1: Meet day lifting (equipment, warmups and timing)
Part 3: Meet day, before lifting (performance nutrition and hydration)
Each period carries significant importance and is built on the foundation of a solid training program designed to not just test your 1RMs, but to peak them beyond what you would otherwise be capable of in the gym.
Without further ado, let’s jump in to part 1: the days leading up to the meet
Did you know that soft knees are enough to fail a lift before you even start? Probably not.
Instagram tips are NOT ENOUGH to learn how to compete. The moment you sign up to compete in a meet, you should download the federation’s rulebook and read the specific rules for the technical execution of each lift and begin practicing at least your top sets to that standard.
Additionally, you should ensure that the equipment you plan to use is on the list of approved equipment for your specific federation (this is also outlined in the rulebooks).
On the topic of technique, the last half of your block (generally last 2-3 weeks) of your prep should involve reinforcing your current techniques.
This is the stage of your lifting where every ounce of focus matters and building that muscle memory of “how” you’re doing the lifts is critical.
You should have “one” way that you go through your squat, bench and deadlift reps regardless of the %1RM at this point in your program.
This repetition is especially important for lifters who thrive on the “groove” and are more analytical/technique focused lifters.
One example of this is with Zoey Farago – a lifter that I currently coach. Her 3rd meet is coming up shortly and in a very short period of time has already qualified and is competing at regionals. This meet prep has been ~ 4 months long for her and she has already hit a 15lb squat PR in training 1 month out.
In the first 2 blocks of training, we focused on more variation and experimented with different cues to see how to best leverage her strengths in the bottom of her squat since she has very long femurs. 2 months out we transitioned to more specific lifts, with the goal of crystalizing the technique changes and at 1 month out, the notes in the program simply state to lift everything with exactly the same body positions and techniques as she takes a 3rd attempt squat with.
This idea of keeping things “the same” extends beyond just your cues and into other areas of your lifting such as your warmup sets – you should keep your jumps the same in working up to your top sets in order to assess how you are feeling on specific days, treating certain numbers like “indicator sets” to better judge your top set weights for the day.
If you have your best top sets where your last warmup is at 93-95% of your top set weight, don’t change a winning formula. Repeatability trumps novelty in meet prep.
On the topic of mobility, you should have a clear framework of what needs to be done for mobility work, if any as part of your warmup routine for each lift and aim to keep that consistent.
This is boring as hell, but it works.
One last thing to note about preparation for your first powerlifting meet: if you’re just getting started in the sport… go have fun. It’s not that deep. Once you qualify for national level meets, you can start to really focus on dialing everything in, but placing a bunch of pressure on yourself to win a meet that nothing turns on is a great way to underperform and actually delay your ascension to higher level competitions. Open meets are akin to playing house league sports. They build you up to higher levels of competition but don’t be that dude that shows up with a bad attitude because you’re taking it too serious. Smile, make some friends, go lift and have a great time.
In the next installment of this series, we will cover what to do on competition day (including performance nutrition and hydration strategies to make sure you don’t crash mid day).
Part 2: Performance Nutrition and Hydration
PS – here’s another way I can help you prepare for your first powerlifting meet:
Apply to join my “Platform-Ready Blueprint” and become a case study. We’ll work with you 1-on-1 to show you how to add up to 200 lbs to your total and compete in a powerlifting meet with less than 5 hours per week in the gym.
It takes less than 60 seconds to apply below in order to find out more information and see if you’d be a good fit.