How heavy you should make your opener, second and 3rd attempts at your first powerlifting meet in order to make yourself competitive (free tool)
If you’ve been thinking of doing your first powerlifting meet but have been holding off because you’re just not quite strong enough yet or are intimated by the thought of competing, this article will help you find out just how strong you need to be in order to be competitive in the sport, gain a better understanding of how going to your local powerlifting meet is different from watching internet sensations like Austin Perkins and Jessica Buettner dominate their weight classes on the world stage, why you should compete even if winning isn’t your main motivation and just how easy it is to find and sign up for your first powerlifting meet if you know where to look.
Before we get started, if you want a free copy of my eBook: “Your First Powerlifting Meet – Strength Standards and How to Compete”, you can get it through any of the links below:
- Join my powerlifting community: Starting Powerlifting. I’ve got 10 other free powerlifting guides in there alongside this ebook that you can get for free by joining me there.
How Strong Are Lifters at Local Powerlifting Meets?
Seeing lifters like Perk is fun, but it’s not representative of the sport of powerlifting.
In fact, looking at performances like this with 164 lb/74kg lifters squatting 600+ lbs for a warmup can make it feel like you would just make a fool out of yourself if you even bothered to show up to a meet and were “only” squatting 4 plates as a fully grown man.
The truth is, you wouldn’t compare your 100 yard dash time to the pros in the NFL, you would compare it to the guys you’re actually competing against in your local league.
That’s why I analyzed the performances of 2000+ lifters at local powerlifting meets to see how strong you need to be to actually be competitive.
For 165-198lb Men to end up on the podium at a local “open” powerlifting meet:
- A total of ~1300 lbs (590 kg) is needed on average. For most men, this would mean a mid-400s squat, low 500s deadlift and low-300s bench press (think 440/315/545)
- With the above total in mind, the lowest total in that weight range that received a medal was actually only a little bit above 500 lbs. This might be surprising when compared with a total nearly 3 times higher, but while the initial numbers can feel daunting, the truth is that in local powerlifting meets, default medals are still quite a common occurrence.
For 135-150lb Women to end up on the podium at a local “open” powerlifting meet:
- A total of ~727lbs (~330kg) is needed on average to take top 3. For most women, this would mean a mid-200s squat, mid-100s bench and low-300s deadlift (think about something like 255/155/315).
- While the average total to end up on the podium is actually a bit higher relative to the male totals (likely due to a roughly 2:1 male:female ratio in the sport in 2024, the lowest total for a female to end up on the podium is fairly proportionate to the men at ~365lbs (165kg).
If your bodyweight wasn’t covered in this summary, you can find your weight class and average numbers needed to be competitive in the guide linked at the bottom of this article for free.
Finding Your First Powerlifting Meet
The First Meet Guide linked below will give you the simple steps to find a meet local to you in approximately 60 seconds with resources that are updated daily with the most current powerlifting competitions but there are other ways to test your strength outside of a “sanctioned” powerlifting competition.
The Garage Gym Competition is a semi-annual competition that is completely free. You can test your maxes from the comfort of your usual gym (or home gym) and submit your entry to see how you stack up against other competitors and even win some great prizes too.
If you’re not someone for registering for large events, this can be a great way to dip your toes in the water.
Additionally, many local powerlifting gyms will host unofficial powerlifting meets as a way to welcome competitors into the sport and get some practice before signing up for a formal meet. These can be great as there are lower barriers to entry (typically lower/no meet fees, more relaxed judging of the lifts, etc).
5 Reasons to Compete at a Powerlifting Meet (that don’t involve winning)
While the numbers in powerlifting are a huge appeal for many of us lifters since it allows us to track our progress and easily showcase our improvement in the big 3 lifts, there are SO many other reasons to compete, even if standing on the top of the podium isn’t your priority and you’re more of a “you vs you” lifter.
- Motivation: There’s something about having a set date in your calendar that can spark life back into your training. Knowing your training to be at your best in 15 weeks is a whole lot more fun and motivating than “training for health” or whatever.
- Community: As someone who got picked last in sports for my entire childhood, I’m a bit jaded about team sports. But with powerlifting, there’s something unique. It tends to capture the outcasts, the folks who might not have found their stride until later (and of course the natural athletes too) and bring them all together. Powerlifting is the single most “community-minded” sport I’m aware of. Walk into any powerlifting meet and you’ll see the first lifter of the day get cheered on just as much as the strongest lifter.
- Safely testing strength: If you normally train alone, having a powerlifting meet as the setting for testing your maxes can bring extra confidence and safety to your max testing since there are spotters there to catch you if you miss a lift.
- Building your Strength Potential: With the right [growth] mindset, seeing other lifters stronger than you warming up with your max can get you out of the “big fish in a small pond” mentality you can get once you get decently strong in a commercial gym.
Personally, I added 30 lbs to my bench (275->305) in 3 months after a long plateau just by training more with lifters who were a lot stronger than me. Suddenly, 275 wasn’t a big deal anymore and I was able to get out of my own head and start progressing again. - Lifelong connections: I’ve posted about this before, but when I was 18 I moved across Canada to plant new roots in Vancouver, BC. There are 2 guys I met 11 years ago when I made the move through the sport: Chad Nabe and Steve Pritula. Both would end up becoming some of by best friends and Chad was actually my best man at my wedding. Meeting others with a shared passion of strength can unite you with folks you wouldn’t otherwise EVER cross paths with.
Free PDF Copy of Your First Powerlifting Meet – Strength Standards
Complete the form below for the link to the guide.
— Matt
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 HERE in order to find out more information and see if you’d be a good fit.