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Federation rules

USA Powerlifting Rules

USA Powerlifting is the largest drug-tested powerlifting federation in the United States. The federation publishes its own technical rulebook with twelve weight classes per sex, an extended age structure that runs from Youth 1 (age 8) through Master 7 (age 100+), and separate competition divisions for Raw and Equipped lifting.

See the current USA Powerlifting records →

Weight classes

Bodyweight categories the federation contests separately for record purposes.

Men

Class (kg) Class (lb) Notes
52 114.60
56 123.40
60 132.20
67.5 148.80
75 165.20
82.5 181.80
90 198.40
100 220.40
110 242.40
125 275.40
140 308.60
140+ 308.60+

Women

Class (kg) Class (lb) Notes
44 97.00
48 105.80
52 114.60
56 123.40
60 132.20
65 143.20
70 154.20
75 165.20
82.5 181.80
90 198.40
100 220.40
100+ 220.40+

Age divisions

Each division is its own record category at the federation level.

Division Age range Notes
Open 14 and upwards
Youth 1 8 through the day before turning 10 Youth divisions use a separate weight class table and may use a lighter bar.
Youth 2 10 through the day before turning 12
Youth 3 12 through the day before turning 14
Teen 1 14 through the day before turning 16
Teen 2 16 through the day before turning 18
Teen 3 18 through the day before turning 20
Junior 20 through the day before turning 24
Master 1 40 through the day before turning 50 National and regional championships use these 10-year master tiers; records are also kept in 5-year A/B subdivisions (e.g. Master 1a 40-44, Master 1b 45-49).
Master 2 50 through the day before turning 60
Master 3 60 through the day before turning 70
Master 4 70 through the day before turning 80
Master 5 80 through the day before turning 90
Master 6 90 through the day before turning 100
Master 7 100 through the day before turning 110

Equipment categories

Separate record lines are kept for each equipment category the federation tracks.

Drug-testing policy

USA Powerlifting is a drug-tested federation. All athletes setting Open American Records are selected for testing, and Teen, Junior, and Masters American Records are tested at national-level events. USAPL is not a WADA signatory but generally follows the WADA Prohibited List, with stated exceptions (for example, testosterone and its derivatives are never approved by historical precedent).

Records distinguish tested from untested: No.

There is no separate untested record category. All records require tested status; records set at events where the athlete was unable to be tested through no fault of their own may still be recognized.

Banned-substance reference:  WADA Prohibited List (referenced by USAPL Anti-Doping Rules)

Notable recent changes

Rule changes from the last decade across weight classes, age divisions, equipment, scoring, and eligibility.

  1. 2024-03 Eligibility

    The Minnesota Court of Appeals affirmed the District Court ruling.

    The appellate decision left the trial-court order in place, ending USAPL's ban on transgender women in tested competition.

    Source: USA Powerlifting (Wikipedia)

  2. 2023-02 Eligibility

    A Minnesota District Court ruled that USAPL must permit transgender athletes to compete.

    The decision in the JayCee Cooper case ordered the federation to allow transgender women into the women's division, overturning the 2019 policy.

    Source: USA Powerlifting (Wikipedia)

  3. 2022-01-01 Weight classes

    Returned to the pre-IPF "original" twelve-class system per sex, including two new women's classes at 44 kg and 48 kg.

    The new system replaced the IPF's nine-class structure with the federation's prior twelve-class taxonomy, putting smaller jumps between classes for both men and women.

    Source: BarBend, "USA Powerlifting to Reinstate Original Weight Classes, Adds Two New Women's Categories"

  4. 2022-01-01 Scoring

    Replaced the IPF GL points formula with DOTS for Open Best Lifter awards.

    OpenPowerlifting and several other independent federations were already using DOTS for non-master Best Lifter scoring; USAPL adopted the same formula on the same date as the weight-class change.

    Source: BarBend, USAPL weight-class and scoring announcement

  5. 2022-01-01 Equipment

    Opened the approved-manufacturer list for supportive equipment.

    Under IPF affiliation, lifters were restricted to gear from a closed IPF Approved List. The post-2022 USAPL rulebook accepts equipment from any manufacturer that meets the federation's construction specifications.

    Source: BarBend, USAPL weight-class and scoring announcement

  6. 2021-11-07 Affiliation

    USAPL expelled from the IPF at an extraordinary congress vote in Stavanger, Norway.

    Of the 150+ member nations, 28 attended and 23 voted for removal. USAPL's stated position was that the federation was removed for exceeding the IPF's drug-testing requirements. The federation has operated independently of the IPF since.

    Source: USA Powerlifting, "USA Powerlifting Goes International after the removal from the IPF"

  7. 2019 Eligibility

    USAPL formalized a policy barring transgender women from competing in the women's category.

    The policy followed the federation's 2018 denial of JayCee Cooper's application to compete in the women's division. It was later overturned in court.

    Source: USA Powerlifting (Wikipedia)

Reference materials

The federation's own published documents this page is sourced from.

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