Your First Powerlifting Meet

Meet Day Timeline

When	What to Do
Night Before	Pack gear bag, prep meals, set two alarms. Lay out singlet + t-shirt. Confirm weigh-in time.
3 hrs before	Eat a familiar meal — nothing new. Carbs + moderate protein. Hydrate with electrolytes.
Weigh-in	Bring federation card/ID. Step on scale, confirm weight class. Rack height cards if applicable.
Post weigh-in	Eat immediately — banana, rice cakes, PB, Gatorade. Sip fluids. Relax, don't pace.
45 min out	Begin general warm-up: 5 min cardio, hip circles, band pull-aparts, goblet squats.
20 min out	Start barbell warm-up for your first lift. Build to ~85-90% of opener over 4-5 sets.
2 lifters out	Take your final warm-up (heaviest). Stay loose. Chalk up. Wait for your name.

When

What to Do

Night Before

Pack gear bag, prep meals, set two alarms. Lay out singlet + t-shirt. Confirm weigh-in time.

3 hrs before

Eat a familiar meal — nothing new. Carbs + moderate protein. Hydrate with electrolytes.

Weigh-in

Bring federation card/ID. Step on scale, confirm weight class. Rack height cards if applicable.

Post weigh-in

Eat immediately — banana, rice cakes, PB, Gatorade. Sip fluids. Relax, don't pace.

45 min out

Begin general warm-up: 5 min cardio, hip circles, band pull-aparts, goblet squats.

20 min out

Start barbell warm-up for your first lift. Build to ~85-90% of opener over 4-5 sets.

2 lifters out

Take your final warm-up (heaviest). Stay loose. Chalk up. Wait for your name.

Attempt Selection Strategy

Attempt 1 Something you can triple any day. ~88-90% of gym max. Goal: go 1-for-1. Build confidence. Get on the board.

Attempt 2 A solid single — challenging but certain. ~95-97%. This is your real working attempt. Most of your total is built here.

Attempt 3 A PR attempt or a smart jump based on how 2nd moved. ~100-103%. Only go big if attempt 2 was smooth.

Equipment Checklist