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Powerlifting Game Day Strategy (Part 2): Advanced Powerlifting Game Day Strategies for Coaches & Competitors at Regional, Pro, National & International Meets
In this episode of Progressive Rehab & Strength Podcast we continue our discussion on Powerlifting Game Day Strategy. We focus on the nuances of managing and competing at the highest levels of powerlifting, with a particular emphasis on coaching advanced athletes through regional, pro, national, and international powerlifting competitions. This episode is designed for advanced lifters and new lifters entering the higher competition circuit, and their coaches who are preparing for national and international competitions, offering actionable strategies to optimize performance when every detail matters.
Coach Alyssa breaks down the critical differences between advanced lifters and those at the beginner or intermediate levels, exploring how a lifter’s game day strategy evolves as they progress in the sport. From refining the technical aspects of attempt selection to the mental fortitude required for high-stakes competition, we cover everything you need to know about navigating the challenges that come with elite-level powerlifting meets.
Key topics include:
Building a Competitive Powerlifting Total: How to strategically plan attempts to build a winning total, including handling the psychology of openers, progressions, and third attempts.
Handling Red Lights in a Meet: What to do when an attempt doesn’t go as planned—how to stay calm, reset, and come back stronger, and when it’s time for the coach to step in.
The Role of the Meet-Day Handler: Why a handler becomes essential at this level or powerlifting , how to optimize their role in assisting with warm-ups, attempt selection, and managing last-minute decisions.
Advanced Deadlift Strategy: Why the deadlift can make or break your competition, and how to approach it strategically—especially when the bar is heavy and every kilo counts.
Competition Day Logistics: Navigating the complexities of lot numbers, squat to bench to deadlift transitions, and managing potential delays or distractions in the warm-up area.
DOTS Scoring and Pro-Level Strategy: Understanding the impact of DOTS scores on rankings and how this affects attempt planning at national and world-level events.
We’ll also discuss how to fine-tune your lifter’s mindset, optimize performance under pressure, and deal with the unique challenges that arise at high-level meets. Whether you’re a coach guiding a lifter to their first national competition or managing a seasoned pro at the world level, this episode is packed with strategies to elevate both your athlete’s performance and your coaching game.
Tune in for expert advice on mastering the finer points of game day and ensuring that your athlete executes with precision, confidence, and focus on the biggest stages in powerlifting.
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Free Resources!
Be sure to check out our FREE, brand-spankin’-new Powerlifting Meet Day Guide and Meet Day Checklist!
Our PRS Powerlifting Meet Guide is a comprehensive guide that walks you through every aspect of your meet day from start to finish so you feel confident, knowledgeable, and supported throughout your meet.
This guide covers federation rules, packing the perfect meet bag, and navigating weigh-ins, equipment checks, and the warm-up area.
Detailed tips on timing warm-ups, managing flights and lifting order, and commands will ensure you are prepared for every phase of the competition. Additional insights include nutrition timing, strategies for staying focused, and how handlers can best support you if you’re using one.
Our practical, step-by-step checklist is the ultimate powerlifting meet preparation tool. From packing your meet bag to tracking warm-up and attempt timing, this printable checklist ensures you don’t forget any of the details. Simply check off each task to reduce stress so you can focus on lifting your best. Our Meet Day Checklist is the perfect way to ensure you stay organized and confident without forgetting anything.
Whether you're a beginner or an experienced competitor, these resources provide everything you need for a smooth and successful meet day. Download them here to take the guess work out of meet-day logistics!
Need help with an injury or programming? Book a free consultation call with one of the PRS Clinical Coaches here!
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GET IN TOUCH WITH THE SHOW!
Email: podcast@progressiverehabandstrength.com
Rori IG: @rorimegan_prs
Alyssa IG: @alyssahope_prs
Bre IG: @breannejulia_prs
[00:00:00] Dr. Rori Alter, PT, PRSCC: Welcome back to the Progressive Rehab & Strength podcast. I'm your host, Dr. Rori Alter, head clinical coach here at Progressive Rehab & Strength with Dr. Alyssa Haveson, another clinical coach here at Progressive Rehab & Strength. We are continuing our conversation on powerlifting competitions. In our last episode, we really talked about putting together your meet plan and how to take attempts on meet day for really the first time or novice or noncompetitive lifter. In this episode, we're following up those concepts and ideas, but really moving into talking about strategy and handling for the competitive powerlifter. Competitive powerlifter does not mean advanced powerlifter because it takes a long time to become an advanced powerlifter. Someone can become competitive in their early years of powerlifting, so they can still be a beginner lifter and be quite competitive because they're strong and they have a desire to be competitive and get to the next level and keep climbing the competition ladder, so to speak. But at some point, those lifters will become intermediate and advanced lifters. And at some point, the more competitions you've done, you are an advanced competitor, meaning you've had experience on the platform. You know how to handle your nerves you get because you become very comfortable with what jumps you take on from attempt to attempt. On each lift, you have your competition routine so there's a level of advancement in terms of your strength, abilities, and how easy it is for you to keep getting stronger or how hard it is. But then you can become an advanced competitor in that you've just had a lot of competitions under your belt and you know the ropes. So, in any event, Alyssa is still our master of competition here at PRS. So, let's talk a little bit about what sort of things as a lifter who's handling themselves in a competition or as a coach who's handling a lifter, who has a very specific goal for competing both at that competition to get them to another competition and the long game competition. So, we need a qualifier for the the last competition kind of thing. So, let's talk about strategizing for the competition.
[00:03:39] Dr. Alyssa Haveson, PT, PRSCC: Yeah, and you know, when we're talking about a competitive powerlifter who's really, competing against the the top lifters in their weight class or division, even if you don't have a coach that can be there at a meet, I highly recommend having some form of a handler to help lead the way through the competition because there are a lot of details to pay attention to when you're not just thinking about, okay, what's my next attempt? I'm competing against myself. You know, that's one aspect of this is the attempt. Selection still exists when it comes to a more competitive powerlifter, but we now have to consider the other competitors and and how we're going to stack up, which is a lot to think about personally. And as a coach, I always recommend not thinking about those things when you're lifting because you should have a handler or a coach paying attention to that, putting in the next attempt, and you need to be focusing on yourself because at the end of the day, if you walk up to the bar, have successful lifts, you're going to have a better outcome than if you're distracted or or worrying about everybody else.
[00:04:56] Dr. Rori Alter, PT, PRSCC: So, let's talk a little bit about what that worrying about everybody else thing is because it is a game and it is a sport. So, when we're looking at it from a competitive standpoint, what are those things that we're looking out for as the handler or the coach that we don't want the lifter to be worrying about in order to win or place as high as possible or achieve a certain total or whatnot?