Your Guide To Setting Meet Day Openers
Openers are one of the most fundamental aspects of Powerlifting and yet one that many athletes underappreciate. They set the tone for your entire day and determine, to some extent, whether you’ll stay in the meet. Not only that, but openers predict how you’ll feel going into your following attempts. If you’ve spoken to strength coaches/those in Powerlifting circles, you’ve probably heard that the most common mistake is setting them too heavy. And it’s true: unfortunately, this mistake is a relatively prevalent one. We see many first-time (or even repeating) athletes perform openers that look like RPE 9 grinds- or even RPE-10 failures. It is possible to open too light , too- one must choose these numbers strategically. Openers should be a separate training day, performed with intention and care, to set you up for the best meet possible. When you've got an outline behind those decisions, you're far more likely to succeed in your meet- as a whole.
What should an opener feel/look like?
Many newbie athletes inaccurately perceive that their openers should be close to, or match, their current PRs, so they can try new weights on their following attempts. This idea is skewed and flawed.
While it would be rewarding to go into a meet, starting with your previous gym bests and ending with two new PRs, this is far from reality, and expecting this outcome is a surefire way to feel like you fell short.
Truly, it’s a massive win to repeat your gym PRs on the platform, under competition standards, going officially to your name. When approaching a meet with this mentality, it’s far easier to be objective and enthusiastically celebrate whatever you end with. And, you’re far more likely to succeed at your goals.
No one wants to bomb out, it’s the worst-case scenario (besides maybe a freak accident) that could occur on the platform. Opening too heavy is how you open up the chances of that happening.
Instead, taper down your estimations, aiming for small, conservative PRs/repeats on your third attempts, with Plan B’s and C’s all across- depending on feel. Your opener is nearly set in stone, so that should be a 100% certainty lift.
Open like you’re trying to repeat your gym PR on your third.
Open like you’re trying not to bomb out.
Open like you’re trying to save energy for what’s next.
The goal of the opener is threefold:
Get in the meet, stay in the meet, get at least *a* total,
Increase your confidence, complete a lift on the platform so you feel better going into your next few, and
Save room in the tank for heavier pushes & avoid gassing yourself out too early.
What do all three of these objectives require? A conservative, light number to begin from.
So, when testing your openers, they should look light. They should feel smooth. Your opener shouldn't necessarily be a warm-up (it should still set you up to make reasonable jumps for your next attempt), but something you could hit on your worst day. You can never know or predict exactly how you’ll feel on a meet day, so you want to control for that possibility.
Generally, your opener should be something you could hit for a triple- that pretty much secures the “ability to lift it in the worst of conditions” principle. You should feel entirely confident in your ability to move that weight, no matter what may arise.
You/your coach should create a plan from that opener (either working forward or backward from your targeted third), with jumps that feel realistic from the starting number. A 5-7% increase for squats and deadlifts makes sense (advanced lifters can add more ambitious attempts) and about a 3-5% increase for bench, from first to second. If that throws off the plan of your second/third attempt, you may need to adjust your opener.
Primarily, the goal of your opener should be to move a load that feels confident, and then, you can look at potential jumps from there. Expect to match your PRs on the platform, and take anything extra you may get- with gratitude.
2. Guidelines In Setting Openers
If we’re talking guidelines here, your opener should be roughly 88-91% of your one-rep max. Sometimes, things look especially great, and you may move it up a little further, or, if you’re having a tough time- some lingering pain, stress, or poor recovery, lowering the opener may be the best choice. Listen to how you feel and how things look when you go to test your first attempts. Don’t deviate from the above range unless there’s a significant reason to.
Other rules about openers include:
If you can’t lift it to comp standard, it doesn’t count.
If it’s overly slow or grindy, it’s probably too heavy.
It’s far more common for an opener to be too heavy than too light.
If you don’t feel confident in it, it’s probably too heavy.
They shouldn’t overly fatigue you going into your following attempts.
They may be the same as previous meet openers (depending on your experience level and various circumstances), which doesn’t necessarily mean you’ll end with the same numbers.
They don’t always guarantee what your following attempts will be.
They should be something you’ve hit in training more than once.
For beginners, setting (especially) the squat opener more conservatively is a good idea to boost confidence. It's your first lift of the day- in a new environment, and you want to set the tone for completed lifts to follow.
You want to time them appropriately leading up to your meet, and the exact distribution here partially depends on your training age. As a beginner lifter, you can do all your openers 4-6 days out, no problem. Your numbers are lighter- relative to your strength potential, so this won’t be overly fatiguing or difficult to recover from. Work up to your full openers in the squat, bench press, and deadlift, then do back-off sets- more on that later.
As an advanced lifter, the spacing of this matters more. Since deadlifts are more fatiguing on you, you’ll want to space those further. Perform your Deadlift opener 6-7 days out and your squat and bench openers 5.
Here’s what that would look like:
Beginner Athletes (first/second meet, DOTS score <300, up to 1 year of Powerlifting):
-Openers: 4-6 Days out: work up to opener in Squat, Bench Press, and Deadlift, followed by backoff sets @ 70% of opener
-Final light workout: 2-3 days out
Intermediate/Advanced Athletes:
-Deadlift Opener: 7 days out, followed by backoff sets @ 70% and some accessories
-Squat & Bench Opener: 5 days out, followed by backoff sets @ 70% of opener (you can squat further out and bench closer, but this can get complicated with scheduling. Another option is to do deadlifts on the same day, but only work up to your last 1 or 2 warm-up sets).
-Final light workout: 2-3 days out
Openers should be one of the final steps in your meet prep programming, done close to the competition. You want to ensure that these are numbers you can lift under fatigue, prepare your brain for the days ahead, and implement any possible changes. Timing them appropriately will ensure adequate recovery- because, while they aren’t excruciatingly heavy or fatiguing, they aren’t necessarily light either, and we want to find the balance between the two.
3. How to Warm Up for Your Opener
Warm-ups can be a question of chaos and wonderment, and many athletes truly aren’t optimizing theirs. Some are too fixated on making them exact, and others randomly slap plates on, lacking intention. Neither option is ideal, and while warm-ups don’t need to follow strict guidelines every time, there should be reasoning behind them.
With that said, this is just a broad outline. I’m giving percentages here to make things more straightforward. But, in the warm-up room, you probably won’t get the precise weights and reps you want every time. That’s fine. You can adapt. The 5-10 lb differences on your warm-up sets are negligent. What matters is that you practice the movements, get some lighter sets in to prepare you, take bigger jumps + more reps with lighter weights, smaller jumps + fewer reps with heavier weights, and practice commands. You only need 4-6 warm-up sets, erring on the side of 4 for lighter, less experienced lifters and 6 for heavier, more experienced lifters.
Warm Up Outline:
Bar x 5-10 reps
40-50% opener x 3-5 reps
60-65% opener x 3 reps
75-80% opener x 2 reps
85-90% opener x 1 rep (commands)
90-95% opener x 1 rep (commands)
Make the jumps that make sense, and if you like doing it differently, be my guest. Go about warm-ups on meet day with the same routine as typical training. Your opener day can be a way to test out what feels best.
4. What if you need to change them?
If you need to change your opener, either when testing them or on meet day, the most important step is to listen to your body. If it’s telling you that the weight you’ve predetermined is wrong, respond accordingly.
These are two very different scenarios and will change your plan differently. While you do set openers on weigh-in day, if something terrible comes up on meet day that impacts your strength- you can change them until 5-10 minutes before the flight begins. Once the bar is loaded, you can’t ask to switch things last minute, and must complete whatever weight you submitted yesterday, for better or worse.
When initially testing them in the gym, if a weight feels off, looks excruciatingly heavy, or grindy, your best bet is to lower it by a few kilos. You may adjust your following attempts- or may not need to, depending on how the taper impacts you. Follow your gut on meet day.
On a meet day, many circumstances could impact your performance-
the strictness of the judging,
whether you cut weight (don’t),
how much sleep you got,
your anxiety levels,
potential life events,
injury, or pain.
It’s important to acknowledge which conditions you may be dealing with and create a game plan with your coach. Discuss potential alterations (if needed) to help you adapt and end with a successful meet. If your warm-ups look heavier than they should, and you don’t feel confident in the predetermined number you listed, lower your opener immediately. Often, the weights move better on the platform than in the warm-up room, so you may be able to take the same jumps, but you don’t want to risk bombing out. Respond to what the barbell is telling you. Even though it’s discouraging to lower your first attempts- and maybe not get that PR you wanted, it’s far more discouraging to miss them all and get disqualified. So, assess the situation objectively, gain insight from those around you, and make the smartest choice for you.
Based on the opening rep, you’ll know where your next attempts lie.
Now, let’s say you had to lower an opener in days previous, and things are looking extremely easy during warm-up sets. You have the option to raise your opener if you’d like to. You could also take bigger jumps for your seconds and thirds, but if the gap is significant- it may be a worthwhile change.
5. Maintaining Comp standard & Replicating the Platform
Openers should replicate the meet-day conditions in every possible facet. It is a dress rehearsal, “mock meet” day, essentially. Your goal is to ensure you are ready to take the platform, not just in strength- but technicality, mentality, and standard. Here’s how to do that:
Wear everything you’ll wear on the platform: singlet, shoes, socks, t-shirt, etc. Replicate your exact outfit.
Lift on a combo rack with kilo plates, if possible. Keep the equipment the same.
Lift to comp standards, always, but especially on this day. Have at least one (ideally two) people watch your openers for judgment calls. Depth should be unquestionable. Lockouts should be smooth and clean. Your butt better stay on that damn bench. Etc.
Have commands given for all of your openers and maybe even your last warm-ups. If you miss a lift due to commands, repeat it. Engrain them into your brain.
Set up for each lift like you were setting up for a PR attempt on the platform. Visualize meet day in every warm-up, setup, and lift you perform. Stay present and think about the next time you’ll execute these movements.
Let each lift raise your confidence. Show your best in every rep you do, and pretend they’re the heavy ones. Remain in control and aim to make each one look clean.
Essentially, you take the meet-day mentality; applying it to these lifts with the same standard of commands and technique, in the same outfit, order, and everything. Copy the platform experience to the best of your abilities.
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Openers can be, arguably- the most important event of meet day. They set the standard for what’s ahead, providing either a confidence boost or a slamming shock of extra nerves. While they don’t entirely determine how you’ll finish the meet, they impact your attempts to follow. You must submit and practice these numbers before you approach the platform. Program a day dedicated to them entirely, to practice everything for meet day, down to the clothes you wear and the commands you listen to. If it seems reasonable to make a change, do so immediately. Don't ever tie your openers to ego, but rather, logic and objectivity. Set yourself up for success with all of the tools at your disposal.
