October Iron Fest Announcement

[John Watson]

This sounds like a lot of fun.
I would definitely go if there was one in NYC.
Even if it cost more than the one in Maryland, 4 hours away.

[Mark Rippetoe]

The map will be updated today. There is a meet location in Long Island City. Now, let's see if you show up.

[Sean Herbison]

Anyone care to lay out some basic rules on how to go about picking openers/second/final attempts? It'll be our first meet, so any general advice would be appreciated.

Short version

1st attempt: Pick something you can roll out of bed on a bad day and make it through. I've bombed out on squats twice (unofficial meets, still did the other lifts). First one was due to inexperience and not understanding the rules, second due to psychological factors (dead silence, for one). Ultimately though, I just picked a weight that was too heavy for bad conditions.

2nd attempt: Choose a weight you should be able to nail on a good day, or grind through on a normal day.

3rd attempt: Go for a PR or near-PR. Depending on how your training's going, this may be your best ever, or it may just be the most you think you can get that day.

The main difference in opinion you'll find will be the 3rd attempt. Some people prefer going 9/9, while other people place more emphasis on really grinding out the most possible poundage on each lift, which will obviously cause you to miss more often. Just keep in mind the lifts still to come (i.e. bench and deadlift, or press and deadlift here). Do your best on the squat, but don't kill yourself and have nothing left for the rest of the competition.

[John Watson]

The map will be updated today. There is a meet location in Long Island City. Now, let's see if you show up.

Yay! I am so there! Totally put a smile on my face just now.
Now I've got some work to do to avoid demonstrating myself as a complete weakling.
Will be great to interact with like minded lifters.
I'm stoked! Thanks!

[Michael Park]

Anyone care to lay out some basic rules on how to go about picking openers/second/final attempts? It'll be our first meet, so any general advice would be appreciated.

Andy Baker wrote a good article about Prepping for Your First Powerlifting Meet.

http://startingstrength.com/articles...meet_baker.pdf

Here is the method I use for picking my attempts. It seems to work for me. It may or may not work for you.

1st attempt: The heaviest triple you've ever completed in training. This is not the heaviest weight that you think you could do for a triple. Use a weight that you have actually lifted three times. If you have never performed a heavy triple, use the weight you used for your heaviest set of five instead.

2nd attempt: Halfway between your 1st attempt and your "planned" third attempt.

3rd attempt: Heaviest triple x 3 x .0333 + heaviest triple.

For example:

If your heaviest set of three squats is 365, then open with 365. On your second attempt, try for 385. On your third attempt, try for 405, because 401.4635 isn't nearly as cool as 405.

[John Watson]

I've been refreshing the map page all day like a crack monkey.
I intend to be among the first to sign up.

[Tom Campitelli]

I've been refreshing the map page all day like a crack monkey.
I intend to be among the first to sign up.

As soon as I get the sign up info from the organizers, I will post it on the map and announce things here.

[KurtN]

Heaviest triple x 3 x .0333 + heaviest triple.

???
How 'bout you just say heaviest triple + 10%, or heaviest triple X 1.1

[Bluntschli]

3rd attempt: Heaviest triple x 3 x .0333 + heaviest triple.

Heaviest triple*1.1 looks to produce the same results.

[Sean Herbison]

3rd attempt: Heaviest triple x 3 x .0333 + heaviest triple.

Seems like you could just simplify that to: Heaviest triple x 1.1
(x1.0999, technically)


Aaaand now I see KurtN and Bluntschli already posted this. This is what happens when I write my response before reading all the way through. Oh well.