General Information
In a powerlifting competition, lifters are classified by weight, sex, and age. There are three standard lifts, the squat, the bench press, and the deadlift.
Each competitor is allowed three attempts at each of the lifts. The best valid attempt at each lift counts toward the total, and the winner in a weight class is the lifter with the highest total. If two or more lifters in a class have the same total, the winner is the one with the lightest body weight.
Costume
The lifter must wear a one-piece, form-fitting lifting suit of one-ply stretch material. An undershirt or T-shirt must be worn under the lifting suit except in the men's deadlift, where it is optional. In the bench press, a special, approved bench shirt may be worn as the undershirt.
Lifting shoes or boots must also be worn. Metal spikes or cleats are prohibited.
A belt may be worn over the lifting suit, provided it is made of leather or vinyl. Maximum width is 10 centimeters.
Lifters are allowed to use chalk, talc, resin, or baby powder, but lubricants are prohibited.
Area & Equipment
Competition is conducted on a platform between 1.8 and 4.0 meters square and no more than 10 centimeters above the stage or floor.
The weight to be lifted is a barbell, made up of a bar, collars, and removable discs.
The bar has to be straight, no more than 2.4 meters long, and between 27 and 32 millimeters in diameter. The bar and collars together must weigh no more than 30 kilograms.
Discs come in nine weights: 1.25 kilograms, 2.5 kilograms, 5 kilograms, 10 kilograms, 15 kilograms, 20 kilograms, 25 kilograms, 45 kilograms and 50 kilograms.
Weigh-In
About two hours before competition begins for a weight class, entrants in that class must attend a weigh-in. Costumes are also inspected at that time.
Lifters who fail to make the weight for a class on the first weighing are allowed to return to the scales for another attempt, but only after all lifters in that class have been weighed once.
The U. S. Powerlifting Federation recognizes 12 weight class for men and 10 for women.
| Men | Women |
|---|---|
| 52.0 kg | 44.0 kg |
| 56.0 kg | 48.0 kg |
| 60.0 kg | 52.0 kg |
| 67.5 kg | 56.0 kg |
| 75.0 kg | 60.0 kg |
| 82.5 kg | 67.5 kg |
| 90.0 kg | 75.0 kg |
| 100.0 kg | 82.5 kg |
| 110.0 kg | 90.0 kg |
| 125.0 kg | 90.0+ kg |
| 140.0 kg | |
| 140.0+ kg |
Officials
There are three referees for each category of competition: a chief, or center, referee, and two side referees.
The chief referee gives the appropriate signals for all three lifts. Each referee controls a white and a red light, white signifying a good lift and red signifying no lift.
Each of the three referees judges each lift. Two or more white lights indicate a good lift, two or more red lights no lift.
Other officials include a technical secretary, time keeper, announcer, scorers, marshals, and spotters/loaders.
The technical secretary is responsible for preparing the referees's scheduled and coordinating all paperwork required for the meet.
The time keeper's main job is to time each attempt. A lifter is given one minute to start an attempt. The clock starts with the announcement that the bar is ready. If the attempt doesn't begin within one minute, the time keeper calls "Time" and the lift is declared "No lift" by the chief referee.
The announcer, also known as the speaker, is master of ceremonies for the competition. The chief duty of the announcer is to keep the competition flowing by arranging the planned attempts, announcing the name and weight to be attempted before each lift, and calling the lifter to the platform when the chief referee indicates that the bar is ready.
Scorers keep track of the progress of the competition and prepare official scoresheets, record certificates, and other documents to be signed by the referees when competiton is completed.
The marshals, or expeditors, get the weights for required attempts from lifters or coaches and relay the information to the announcer. One minute after completing an attempt, a lifter must inform the marshal of the weight required for the next attempt.
Loaders/spotters adjust benches and squat racks as required, load and unload the bars, and clean the platform and bars when requested by the chief referee. A loader/spotter may also assist a lifter in removing the bar from the racks before an attempt and replacing it after an attempt.
A loader/spotter may not touch the lifter or the bar during the attempt itself. However, if the lifter is in trouble and injury may result, the loader/spotter may relieve the lifter of the bar at the request of the lifter or the chief referee.
Squat
A squat rack may be a one-piece unit or it may consist of two stands that will hold the bar horizontally. It should adjust from a minimum of 1 meter to at least 1.7 meters, in increments of 5 centimeters.
The lifter must approach the bar while facing the judges, take the bar on the back of the shoulders, and move backwards, away from the rack, in an upright position.
Once the lifter is in a stable position with knees locked, the head referee makes a downward signal with his arm and calls "Squat." The lifter must then sit down by bending the knees and lowering the body until the top surface of both legs, at the hip joint, is lower than the top of the knees.
Then the lifter must return to the upright position, with knees locked. When again in a motionless, stable position, the lifter is given the command "Rack" by the chief referee, accompanied by a backward arm motion. At the command, the lifter must move forward and replace the bar on the rack.
Causes for disqualification, resulting in no lift, are:
- Failure to obey the head referee's signals
- Double bouncing at the bottom of the lift
- Any downward movement during the ascent
- Failure to assume an upright position, with knees locked, at the start or end of the lift
- Movement of the feet in any direction during the lift (slight lateral movement is allowed; the lifter's toes and/or heels may momentarily come up off the platform, but must immediately return to the original position)
- Failure to reach the proper depth at the bottom of the lift
- Moving the position of the hands or the bar (the bar may move no more than its diameter on the lifter's back)
- Contacting the legs with the elbows or upper arms (slight contact is allowed, provided it offers no support that might aid in the lift)
- Failure to make a genuine attempt to return the bar to the racks
- Intentional dumping or dropping of the bar
- Contact by spotter/loaders with the bar or lifter between the chief referee's signals
Bench Press
The bench must be flat and level, at least 1.22 meters in length, between 29 and 32 centimeters in width, and between 42 and 45 centimeters in height, as measured from the floor to the top of the bench's padded surface.
The height of the uprights must be no less than 82 centimeters and no more than 100 centimeters, as measured from the floor to the bar rest position. The minimum width between the insides of the bar rests is 1.1 meters.
The lifter may use flat surfaced plates or blocks, no more than 30 centimeters in height, on the platform surface for firm footing.
The head of the bench must face the front or be angled at up to 45 degrees in either direction. The lifter must lie on the back with shoulders and buttocks in contact with the bench surface, soles and heels of shoes in contact with the floor or blocks, and hands and fingers gripping the bar with the thumbs around the grip. A reverse grip is prohibited. The hands must no more than 81 centimeters apart as measured between the outsides of the forefingers.
Once the lifter has established a body position, it must be maintained throughout the lift.
The lifter must then remove the bar from the racks, with or without the help of spotter/loaders, and wait with elbows locked for the chief referee's signal.
The referee makes a downward signal with his arm and calls "Start." The lifter must then lower the bar to the chest and hold it motionless. There must be a definite and visible pause before the lifter returns the bar to arm's length. After the bar is held motionless in this finish position, the lifter is given the command "Rack" by the chief referee, accompanied by a backward motion of the arm, and the bar is returned to the racks.
Causes for disqualification, resulting in no lift, are:
- Failure to obey the head referee's signals
- Any change in the position of the shoulders or head, raising of buttocks, lateral movement of hands, or excessive movement of the feet during the lift itself
- An inadequate pause of the bar on the chest
- Heaving, bouncing, or allowing the bar to sink into the chest after it has become motionless
- Uneven extension of the arms during the lift
- Allowing the bar to sink into the chest on the upward press
- Downward motion of the bar on the upward press
- Failing to press the bar to simultaneous full extension of the arms at completion of the lift
- Deliberate contact between the bar and the uprests of the bench in order to assist the lift
- Contact of the lifter's feet with the bench or its supports
- Contact by spotter/loaders with the bar or lifter between the chief referee's signals
Dead Lift
The bar is laid on the platform facing the judges. The lifter picks it up in one continuous movement until reaching an upright position with shoulders locked.
On the signal "Down" from the chief referee, accompanied by a downward movement of the hand and arm, the lifter must return the bar to the platform.
Causes for disqualification, resulting in no lift, are:
- Any downward movement of the bar before the lifter reaches the upright position
- Failure to stand erect, with shoulders back and knees locked
- Supporting the bar on the thighs during the lift
- Movement of the feet in any direction during the lift (rocking on the heels is permitted)
- Lowering the bar before the head judge's signal
- Allowing the bar to return to the platform without maintaining control with both hands