Federation rules
Powerlifting United Rules
Powerlifting United is a US federation founded in September 2024 and led by president Ana Perez. It contests five equipment categories (Raw, Raw With Wraps, Single-Ply, Multi-Ply, and Unlimited) across the traditional kg weight classes, and every meet is sanctioned as Drug Tested, Non-Tested, or Both, with fully separate record ladders. The federation also runs Gender Neutral and Parasports divisions with their own records, and state records follow the lifter's state of residence rather than the meet location.
- Independent US federation, founded in September 2024
- Results are published through OpenPowerlifting
See the current Powerlifting United records →
Weight classes
Bodyweight categories the federation contests separately for record purposes.
Men
| Class (kg) | Class (lb) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 52 | 115 | |
| 56 | 123 | |
| 60 | 132 | |
| 67.5 | 149 | |
| 75 | 165 | |
| 82.5 | 182 | |
| 90 | 198 | |
| 100 | 220 | |
| 110 | 243 | |
| 125 | 276 | |
| 140 | 309 | |
| 140+ | 309+ |
Women
| Class (kg) | Class (lb) | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| 44 | 97 | |
| 48 | 106 | |
| 52 | 115 | |
| 56 | 123 | |
| 60 | 132 | |
| 67.5 | 149 | |
| 75 | 165 | |
| 82.5 | 182 | |
| 90 | 198 | |
| 100 | 220 | |
| 110 | 243 | |
| 125 | 276 | |
| 140 | 309 | |
| 140+ | 309+ |
Age divisions
Each division is its own record category at the federation level.
| Division | Age range | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| Youth | 10 through 12 | Minimum competition age is 10; younger athletes may lift as guests only, without records or placing. |
| Junior | 13 through 23 | Contested in 13-15, 16-17, 18-19, and 20-23 brackets. |
| Open | 10 and upwards | |
| Sub-Masters | 35 through 39 | |
| Masters | 40 and upwards | Five-year brackets from 40-44 through 75-79, then 80+. Lifters may cross over between age categories and set records in each category entered. |
Equipment categories
Separate record lines are kept for each equipment category the federation tracks.
-
Raw · records tracked
Non-supportive singlet with belt, wrist wraps, and knee sleeves.
-
Raw With Wraps · records tracked
As Raw, with knee wraps permitted.
-
Single-Ply · records tracked
Single-ply polyester suits and closed-back bench shirts; no Velcro on straps.
-
Multi-Ply · records tracked
Multi-ply suits of polyester, denim, or canvas; Velcro permitted, and erector shirts allowed for squat and deadlift.
-
Unlimited · records tracked
Bench shirts of elastic, knee-wrap-like material with band inserts and no limit on layers. A full-power total lifted with an unlimited band shirt is recorded as an unlimited total.
Drug-testing policy
Every PLU meet is sanctioned as Drug Tested, Non-Tested, or Both. At tested meets the top 10% of lifters per gender category by coefficient are tested by urinalysis immediately after the meet, plus any additional lifters the meet director selects. The federation uses its own published banned-substance list rather than the WADA Prohibited List and offers no therapeutic use exemptions.
Records distinguish tested from untested: Yes.
Tested and non-tested records are fully separate ladders, and a tested record can only be set at a meet where testing is available. Failing, refusing, or evading a test voids the lifter's results and records from the event and brings a lifetime ban from drug-tested competition; a $500 fee reinstates the lifter in the non-tested division only.
Notable recent changes
Rule changes from the last decade across weight classes, age divisions, equipment, scoring, and eligibility.
- 2026 Other
Rulebook Version 26.1 added Squat Only as an event with its own records, plus video review and lifter challenges of split decisions.
Source: PLU Standards of Competition, Version 26.1, update summary
Reference materials
The federation's own published documents this page is sourced from.