Bombing Out Of a Meet: How To Prevent It (And Respond When It Happens)
“Bombing out.”
The worst-case scenario for anyone competing in Powerlifting: one we attempt to avoid at all costs, setting our attempts in a way to (theoretically) ensure it won’t occur. Yet, sometimes, you either make decisions you shouldn’t have- or are met with factors beyond your control, despite your best efforts, missing a lift. Maybe multiple. The fear starts to set in even more.
What if you fail your next one? How are you supposed to continue? What does this mean about you as an athlete?
It’s a discussion we usually like to set aside, believing that it’ll either never happen to us- or not wanting to think about that possibility. But, these conversations allow us to strategize our meet attempts better, set ourselves up for more successful attempts, and know how to deal with unforeseen misses when they occur. Chances are, at some point, you’ll experience a failure that surprises you, and the key is knowing your next steps.
What It Means To Bomb Out: Rules of Powerlifting
First, what does the term “bombing out” refer to? What does it mean about your meet-day performance and options going forward?
“Bombing out” is when you miss either:
All three squats,
bench presses,
or deadlifts-
As in, you didn’t get one single counted attempt- in any or multiple of the three events- whether that’s because the weight was too heavy or something technical.
By the rules of Powerlifting, regardless of federation, you must get at least one successful attempt in each event to “stay in the meet.” To achieve a total that counts on OpenPowerlifting, take a state record, have an official DOTS score, and be counted in the running of your weight class, you cannot miss all three attempts in any lift.
If this does occur, you're disqualified. You can still go on to complete your following lifts, but you’ll be considered a guest lifter, and your total/DOTS/record attempts aren't officially recognized.
How to prevent it
Now that you know what the horrors of bombing out entail, let’s discuss how we can plan, pre-meet, to drastically decrease your chances of this being your fate. Because, as a Powerlifter (especially when equipped with a good coach), you have a lot of control. There are many factors at your disposal in which you have the power to choose- how you train, the standard to which you train, your programming, the weights you lift on meet day, what your opener is, your recovery habits, etc.
You know what lifts you’re performing, you have access to the resources that will inform you of the rules, you have people to support you day of, and you can prepare for many circumstances that meet day may bring up.
Do that. Take the initiative to build a meet-day performance you feel secure with.
Set openers conservatively.
Don’t choose an opener that matches, or even close to, your current PR. Never set an opener that exceeds what you’ve done in the gym.
Your opener's purpose is to:
a) get you on the board,
b) ensure you don’t bomb out and
c) save energy going into your following lifts.
Your determined number should reflect that.
If you’re feeling nervous about a given lift, maybe it’s your first meet, lower that number beyond suggested percentages. You should feel entirely confident in your ability to (regardless of the day or circumstances) perform 2-3 reps of this number. Usually, this is about 88-91% of your 1RM, but again, err on the side of lower vs. higher if you’re unsure.
Train to standard.
Practicing for a successful meet begins long before you do your first lift on the platform. It starts when you sign up for that competition (or maybe even before).
Pause your bench presses on your chest.
Don’t sink your bench reps, heaving the bar on the ascent.
Hold the weight in your hands before you rack it.
Squat to depth.
Start and end your reps fully locked out.
Practice clean, smooth lockouts on your deadlifts, finish those reps & hold them at the top.
It’s not just about the basics of technique. Put yourself in a position to match the commands, increasing your chances of success. You don’t need to do squat & rack commands every time you lift- but hold that lockout a little longer as if you were about to.
If this is the typical environment you train in, once you step out onto that platform, it won’t feel so foreign- it’ll be an ingrained pattern in your body.
Practice your commands.
Starting 1-2 weeks before the meet, during all of your singles (maybe even doubles) in the gym, have someone yell the commands for you. During this period, you want to start getting those words in your head, associating them with your lifts, and remembering them every time you set your hands on the bar. If the first time you practice commands is meet day, you’ve failed yourself. Control this variable, and on meet-day-you will be grateful.
Addressing out-of-the-gym habits
Meet day should reflect your recovery practices to the greatest extent possible. This event is where your performance counts the most, where you have all of the time to prepare for it, knowing the exact day, which provides the ability to set aside efforts- ahead of time- to ensure you feel your best. Stay off your feet the day before. Take time to visualize, finetune your mindset, and create a mental approach for the meet. Eat lots of food, bring snacks with you, etc. Self-care is a separate topic, but it directly affects how your lifts move and feel. Don’t let food, for example, be the reason you bombed out.
Leading up to the meet, the tools within your control can determine whether you miss or make your lifts. Address and utilize those.
Responding to a missed lift
Inevitably, at some point, you will probably fail a lift on meet day, whether due to strength or technique. That said, a missed 1st/2nd attempt doesn’t need to breed further misses. One failure does not have to mean bombing out.
Identify why it occurred
The first step is to state why you missed the lift.
Was it mental? You got in your head, psyched yourself out, lost focus?
Was it physical? You didn’t have the strength to stand up with it?
Or was it technical? If it was technical, was it because you:
Missed a command?
You didn’t start or end your lift in the proper position?
Did something else happen during the movement?
Right after the lift, you should immediately know. If you’re unsure due to a technicality, ask your judge who gave you a red light why- before the next lifter goes up.
Repeat the same weight (almost always)
Unless:
You are an experienced lifter and must hit a certain third to qualify for a higher meet,
You are (at least) an intermediate lifter, and the miss was something as small as a rack command,
Do not choose to increase weight for your next attempt.
In doing so, you are drastically upping your chances of bombing out or ending with a total you feel dissatisfied with. Don’t let your ego get ahead of you at this moment. You’ll be much happier with a made attempt (even if you could’ve done more) than a missed attempt (regretting going up). On meet day, your goal is the highest TOTAL possible, not individual lifts, and to achieve the best total; you must actually complete your attempts.
Don’t add to the changing factors in this next attempt- keep all variables as similar as possible and focus on altering the ones that will help you.
Choose 1-2 things to focus on
It’s easy to overstimulate with laundry lists of what could’ve gone better, brainstorming all the possible things you could improve in your rep. This psychological process can add to your overwhelm and anxiety. Once you’ve determined why you’ve missed a weight, figure out how to execute, so that’s not an issue.
If it was psychological: Tap into what helps you when you’re experiencing anxiety/distraction/doubt.
Maybe it’s a mantra you repeat or visualize the lift.
Having someone get behind you for support.
Dancing/shaking/deep breaths to reduce anxiety.
Re-watching previous successful lifts to remind you that you’re capable.
Choose 1-2 of these tools, maximize and reiterate them, utilizing the time you have before that following attempt to get your brain ready. Once you’re out there, your craving for redemption deepens, you know exactly how you want the lift to go, and you fight like hell to complete it this time.
If it was physical: Your psychological tools will support you now, too.
If you happened to misgroove it, your positioning was off, reducing your strength output-
Narrow it down to 1-2 cues that help you fix that.
Think about when your lift feels “right,” what are you doing?
How are you going through the movement?
Identify the big, overarching focuses that ensure that, and emphasize them on this next attempt.
Then, visualize it in your head, even doing practice reps behind the platform (pretend you’re getting into position to deadlift, and replay that cue mentally as you do).
If it was technical:
You know exactly what it is you need to change going into this next attempt, so follow through. Maybe you need to alter your setup (psychological or physical) to help you with those comp standards and do that, but most of all, replay whatever it is you got red-lighted for.
Make this the deepest squat, the cleanest lockout- you’ve ever performed. Use any frustration or distress to fuel you- show off to those judges what a high-caliber athlete you are, how well you can execute, and fight for those white lights. Replay “depth, depth, depth,” and “wait for the commands” in your head, staying focused and present in the lift. Don’t let yourself black out. Instead, fixate on what you need to make for a successful lift. Ask your coach/handler to be out there: beside you, yelling that reminder out loud so you don’t forget in the moment. But, chances are, when you miss one lift for a technicality, you probably won’t miss your second for the same reason.
Establish your mental approach, lean into support
It’s normal and valid to feel distressed about a missed rep, regardless of why it happened. But before the next lift, cut that “dwelling on it” aspect short. You’ve got about 10, maybe 15 minutes before your next shot, and if you spend all of it feeling upset, you’ve wasted the opportunity to fixate on the shit that’ll help you. Save some of that processing for later. Give yourself 3-5 minutes to feel that discouragement before you reframe your mentality into one of discipline, triumph, and resiliency. This moment is your chance to shine as an athlete. The perfect 9/9 meet days without any mishaps are one expression of strength and elite performance- but the comeback stories are an entirely different feat, requiring an impressive level of adaptability & trust. If you’re participating in a Powerlifting meet, you’ve got those qualities within you. Pull them out right here, at this moment when you need them. Your focuses are twofold:
Addressing & emphasizing what it is you need to change and figuring out how to do that,
Lighting a fire inside, a hunger to redeem yourself, a desire to outdo your previous lift.
You require both enough passion to want it badly enough- and the vision to identify how you’ll do that. Verbalize these internal thoughts with your handler, ask for advice, or simply state what you need from them. Their job is to be your emotional & physical support the day of, and going through this alone can lessen your chances at that next attempt. Use the resources at your disposal, and advocate for yourself.
What if it does happen? Continuing the meet vs. going home
Sometimes, your opener was just too heavy, you had too many factors against you, you couldn’t perform as expected for whatever reason, and you did bomb out. When that sinks in, it’ll probably feel defeating. As athletes, we invest a lot into this sport, and while there aren’t necessarily guarantees, we have a vision for how the day will go, one that you may have established weeks, months, or even years before the day arrived. You may internalize this to mean that:
You’re not meant for this sport,
You’re a "bad" competitor,
You’re not as strong as you thought,
Why are you even here?
-A gaping vortex of negative thoughts that can pull you in endlessly.
It sucks, there's no way around that, and you don’t have to deny that reality. But, simultaneously, it doesn’t have to define you. It can be a chance for you to redefine yourself.
Technically, you can still complete the rest of the meet. It may not get you a DOTS score or a total, but who knows, you could hit some gym PRs (if you bombed out of squats or bench presses) and have an enjoyable experience to follow. Apply that same mentality as above- not letting one failure breed more- you can turn your day around and leave feeling better than where you were. After all, we find joy in lifting heavy things and feeling strong- that’s what brings us to Powerlifting, and you can still have some semblance of that, even if not for official numbers. I think there’s a lot of merit to derive from that: it takes courage and humility to continue the day through those circumstances, and it’s unlikely you’ll regret doing so. You could, on the contrary, regret scratching everything else, pondering what would’ve happened in time to come. At the very least, stay to support your teammates and derive inspiration from following competitors.
That said, if you’re under significantly difficult circumstances, feeling depleted (such as a super stressful event or extreme water cut impacted you), maybe have another meet coming up very soon- you may decide to go home afterward. You have autonomy as an athlete, and you get to determine what choice makes the most sense for you- only you can do that. Feeling your emotions is a vital part of the process, but also consider what decision Future You will be proud of- and go from there.
After the day ends, set aside space and time to reflect on it all. This experience can be transformative, reshaping your athletic career. Don’t let a bombed meet prevent you from doing another one again; why let this be how you end your career? You have all the tools, knowledge, and experience- to inform your future choices and transform your next meet into one you’re proud of. Give yourself that chance. Take everything you’ve learned. Identify why you bombed out, not just the reason behind the lights, but the reasons within your body and mind, and figure out how to better take care of yourself, strengthen your training, and adapt your life- to create the opposite outcome next time. Your next meet is a “comeback” one, and those can be the most exciting/rewarding days of your career. The satisfaction in accomplishments builds from the struggles, and you must have both to derive all the possible fulfillment from this experience.
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Bombing out is the worst nightmare of many Powerlifting athletes, yet it’s an important topic to discuss and address. A failed attempt will happen, or at least, almost to everyone at some point, and we must be aware of how to prevent it & respond when it does occur. Missing a lift during a meet is common, and your steps immediately after can determine the rest of your day. Take all the precautions to set yourself up for the most made attempts possible. And sometimes, those misses can lead to more, even disqualifying you. While you’ll likely be disappointed, you want to look beyond that: viewing the whole experience holistically- figuring out how to keep moving forward. In either instance, the goal is to reflect, process, and push through- that’s how you continually become a better athlete.
