This data will show you how strong you need to be to win as well as how strong you need to be to at least podium in men’s powerlifting meets.
With data from 10 of the most recent “open” powerlifting competitions (based on meet results from openpowerlifting.com), I filtered the information down to make sure that it included a few key criteria:
- Lifters must be 24-39 years old (in the “Open” Age Category)
- Lifters must be participating in the drug tested division
- Lifters must be competing in a full power category (performing the squat, benchpress and deadlift on the same day) and not including bench only, deadlift only or push-pull divisions
- Lifters must be competing in the raw category, meaning knee sleeves, wrist wraps and a lifting belt are permissible, but no supportive equipment such as knee wraps, squat suits, bench shirts or deadlift suits are allowed.
This article will show you both how strong you might need to be to win as well as the “lowest” total you could still acheive a podium position with at an upcoming powerlifting meet.
After analyzing the data, I aimed to create 2 data sets:
- The highest total (sum of the heaviest squat, bench press and deadlift) from all of the meets, per weight class
- The lowest total that still put the lifter in at least 3rd place in their respective competitions and weight class.
The men’s 93 kg (~205lbs) and 120 kg (264 lb) classes were by far the most competitive and as a result had the highest winning totals but the 93kg class actually had the higher “minimum podium total” due to more competitors as a whole, meaning that there were less default medals awarded in cases where there were 3 or less competitors in a class at a specific competition.
With the above in mind, the other consideration to look at is equating for relative strength. While in the short term, we might see spikes in certain classes, at a high level in the long term, the higher the weight class, the higher the totals are. As such, I used the DOTS formula to equate for bodyweight/relative strength in order to see which weight class is the most competitive with everything else held equal.
When looking at DOTs data, it is clear that the 90, 93 and 120 kilogram weightclasses in powerlifting were the most competitive and the 93, 105 and 66kg classes were the hardest as a whole to get on to the podium in.
There’s a couple caveats I would like to add to this, in order to properly qualify the powerlifting meet data:
- open meet results vary a LOT depending on who shows up, time of year (proximity to higher level competitions) and if you’re in a more or less popular weight class
- ultimately, nobody cares if you win or don’t podium at your first meet except for YOU. Your best case scenario for your first meet is you lift enough to set a qualifying total for states/provincials where the competition field is more experienced and it’s a higher level overall
- if you’re on the fence about competing, you should probably go get meet number 1 done so you have some experience to draw from when it’s time to get serious about records, QTs, etc.
PS _ here’s 2 ways I can help you
1. Follow me on Instagram (@strongeryoupt) for free lifting advice, programs and more powerlifting content. You can DM me the word “BENCH GUIDE” and I’ll get you a copy of my bench variation PDF that outlines the programming style we used to add 40+ lbs to JR’s Bench.
OR
2. Apply to join my “Platform-Ready Blueprint” and become a case study. We’ll work with you 1-on-1 (in-person or online, depending on location) to consistently increase your PRs.
It takes less than 60 seconds to apply HERE in order to find out more information and see if you’d be a good fit.
