Powerlifting Rules: Squat, Bench and Deadlift, Attempts, Judging and Gear

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The bar is loaded, the speaker calls your name, and the clock starts: one minute. You chalk your hands, duck under the bar, walk it out and stand still. The head referee drops his arm and says “Squat”. Two seconds later you’re standing again, he says “Rack”, and everybody in the room looks at the same spot: the three lights. White, white, red. Good lift. From a local meet to the IPF World Championships, short written rules decide what counts. Here are the powerlifting rules in plain language, plus the safety rules every gym lives by.

Who writes the rules

The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) publishes a Technical Rulebook (the current one took effect March 1, 2026), which its US member, Powerlifting America, follows. USA Powerlifting (USAPL) and the USPA publish their own. They agree on the basics of the lifts and differ on weight classes, divisions, equipment brands and drug testing. This page uses the IPF rules and notes where USAPL and USPA differ. Always read the current rulebook of the federation you’re entering; our federations page explains who’s who.

The squat

• Set up: the bar sits across your shoulders no lower than the rear of the shoulder muscle, with your hands on the bar. Spotters may help you lift it out of the rack; you then step back and stand still, upright, knees locked.
• “Squat”: on the head referee’s signal (arm down, spoken command), you bend your knees and lower until the top surface of your legs at the hip joint is lower than the top of your knees. One descent only.
• Stand up to knees locked, without bouncing twice at the bottom or any downward movement on the way up, and hold still for “Rack”.
• No lift if: you move before a command, don’t hit depth, double-bounce, step forward, back or sideways (rocking heel to toe is fine), your elbows or upper arms rest on your legs, the spotters touch the bar during the lift, or you drop the bar after finishing.

If you aren’t in position within five seconds, the referee will say “Replace”. Two to five spotter-loaders stand on the platform for every attempt.

The bench press

• Position: head, shoulders and buttocks on the bench; feet flat on the floor (you may stand on plates or blocks up to 30 cm high to reach). Your hands grip with thumbs around the bar, no reverse grip, and no more than 81 cm between your forefingers.
• “Start”: with the bar at locked arms (a spotter may hand it out), wait for the signal, then lower the bar to your chest or upper abdomen until your elbows are level with or below your shoulders. The bar must not touch your belt.
• “Press”: hold the bar motionless on your chest until the command, press to locked elbows, and wait for “Rack”.
• No lift if: your head, shoulders or hips lift off the bench, your feet come up or touch the bench, you heave or sink the bar into your chest after the pause, the bar moves down during the press, you don’t lock out, or the bar touches the rack supports on purpose.

The deadlift

• The pull: any grip (mixed and hook grips are fine); there’s no start command. Any attempt to raise the bar counts as an attempt.
• Lockout: stand erect with knees locked and shoulders back, then wait for “Down” and return the bar to the platform with both hands on it.
• No lift if: the bar moves down before you finish, you support it on your thighs to “hitch” it up (the bar sliding up your thighs without support is fine), you don’t lock your knees or stand fully erect, you step, you lower it before the signal, or you let it drop out of your hands.

Attempts, the round system and the clock

You get three attempts at each lift, and your best good squat, bench and deadlift add up to your total. If two lifters tie, the lighter one wins. Meets use a round system:

• Openers at weigh-in: you (or your coach) declare first attempts for all three lifts when you weigh in. You may change each opener once, before a deadline the speaker announces.
• Rising bar: everyone takes their first attempt in round one, second in round two, third in round three. Within a round the bar only goes up, so the lightest attempts go first; equal weights go in lot-number order.
• One minute, twice: after each attempt you have one minute to hand in your next weight; if you don’t, the bar goes up 2.5 kg after a good lift (or stays at the same weight after a miss). Once the bar is announced as loaded, you have one minute to start the lift.
• No take-backs: second attempts can’t be changed, and neither can third squats and benches. Third deadlifts can be changed twice, as long as you haven’t been called to the bar yet.
• After a miss you can repeat the weight, but in the next round, not right away. If you fail because of a loading or spotting error, you get another attempt.
• Loading: under IPF rules the bar is always a multiple of 2.5 kg (bar and collars weigh 25 kg); record attempts can be as little as 0.5 kg over the record.

Judging: three referees, white and red lights

Three referees judge every attempt: the head referee, who gives the commands, and two side referees. When the lift is finished, each turns on a white (“good lift”) or red (“no lift”) light, and the lights come on together. A majority decides, so two whites and one red is a good lift. If a referee gives a red, they show a colored card or light for the reason (red, blue or yellow, each tied to a group of faults for that lift), so you know what to fix. Before the squat and bench, side referees keep their arms up until you’re in a legal starting position, and if a majority sees a fault, the head referee won’t give the start command.

Weigh-in, weight classes and age divisions

Under IPF rules, weigh-in starts no earlier than two hours before your session and lasts an hour and a half; you’re weighed in private with officials of your own sex, and if you’re over or under your class you can return to the scale until time runs out. USAPL also starts weigh-in two hours before lifting.

	IPF / Powerlifting America (kg)	USA Powerlifting (kg)
Men	59, 66, 74, 83, 93, 105, 120, 120+ (plus 53 for sub-juniors and juniors)	52, 56, 60, 67.5, 75, 82.5, 90, 100, 110, 125, 140, 140+ (youth-only 30, 35, 40, 44, 48)
Women	47, 52, 57, 63, 69, 76, 84, 84+ (plus 43 for sub-juniors and juniors)	44, 48, 52, 56, 60, 65, 70, 75, 82.5, 90, 100, 100+ (youth-only 30, 35, 40)
Ages	Sub-Junior 14–18, Junior 19–23, Open, Masters 1–4 (40–49 up to 70+)	Youth 8–13, Teen 14–19, Junior 20–23, Open (14+), Masters 1–7 (40–49 up to 100+)

Classic (raw) vs Equipped

Classic lifters (USAPL says “Raw”) wear a non-supportive singlet over a t-shirt, with shoes, socks and, if they want them, a belt, knee sleeves and wrist wraps. Equipped lifters may add a supportive squat suit or deadlift suit, a bench shirt and knee wraps. The two are separate competitions with separate records. The USPA splits things further into Raw, Classic Raw (where knee wraps up to 2.5 m replace knee sleeves), Single Ply and Multi Ply.

What you can wear (IPF limits)

• Singlet: one piece, form-fitting, straps over the shoulders on every lift, legs 3 to 25 cm long; long-legged singlets are allowed. Wear the same singlet for all three lifts.
• T-shirt: required under the singlet for all three lifts; plain fabric, round neck, sleeves ending between the shoulder muscle and the elbow.
• Belt: worn outside the singlet; leather, vinyl or similar, no padding; at most 10 cm wide and 13 mm thick; one- or two-prong or lever (“quick release”) buckle.
• Knee sleeves: a plain neoprene cylinder, at most 7 mm thick and 30 cm long, no straps or Velcro, centered over the knee, never together with knee wraps.
• Wrist wraps: at most 1 m long and 8 cm wide; the thumb loop must be off your thumb while you lift. Knee wraps (Equipped only): at most 2 m by 8 cm.
• Socks and shoes: shin-length socks must cover your shins for the deadlift, and they can’t touch your sleeves or wraps. Shoes must be indoor sports shoes, weightlifting or powerlifting shoes or deadlift slippers, with a flat sole no thicker than 5 cm, laces tied.
• Substances: chalk (magnesium carbonate), resin, talc or baby powder on your body and clothing only; nothing sticky on your shoes, and no oil or grease anywhere.
• Approved List: at IPF and Powerlifting America meets, singlets, belts, knee sleeves, wraps, suits and shirts must come from makers on the IPF’s Approved List of Apparel and Equipment, from local meets to Worlds. USAPL only requires listed brands for supportive suits and bench shirts; everything else just has to meet the size rules.

Our powerlifting gear page compares belts, sleeves, wraps, singlets and shoes with these limits in mind.

Para powerlifting in brief

Para powerlifting, the Paralympic sport run by World Para Powerlifting, is bench press only, for athletes with one of eight eligible physical impairments: lower the bar to the chest, hold it motionless and press to locked elbows, with three attempts. In IPF bench press championships, lifters with disabilities compete under the same rules as everyone else and may be helped to and from the bench.

The unwritten rules: safety in the gym

• Thumbs around the bar on the bench. It’s a meet rule for a reason: a thumbless grip can let the bar roll onto your chest or neck.
• Safeties or a spotter, every heavy set. Set the rack’s safety arms just below the bottom of your squat or bench, and never bench heavy alone.
• Collars on. Plates sliding off one side can tip the bar.
• Learn to miss. Practice dumping a squat onto the safeties and racking a failed bench with your spotter before the weights get heavy.
• Stop when it hurts. Sharp pain, numbness or a joint giving way ends the session; see a sports medicine doctor, physical therapist or athletic trainer. More on our powerlifting injuries page.

Gear that’s legal on the platform

Three meet-bag basics: Gymreapers 18-inch wrist wraps (about $20, well inside the 1 m limit), Gymreapers 7mm knee sleeves (about $60 a pair, at the 7 mm maximum), both from a brand on the IPF Approved List, and Cannon Sports chalk (eight 2 oz blocks, about $18). More sleeves in our best knee sleeves guide; check the current list before a meet.

Back to the powerlifting hub, or see the meet day and training pages. The snatch and clean & jerk have their own rulebook; see Olympic weightlifting.

Powerlifting rules questions

How deep do you have to squat in powerlifting?

The top surface of your legs at the hip joint has to go lower than the top of your knees. In plain words, the crease of your hip below the top of your kneecap. The IPF, USAPL and USPA all use this standard.

How long do you have to pause on the bench?

There’s no set number of seconds. You hold the bar motionless on your chest until the head referee says “Press”. How long that takes depends on how quickly the bar settles, so practice pauses in training.

Can you use straps in a powerlifting meet?

No. Lifting straps aren’t on the IPF’s list of allowed personal equipment, and even the medical tape you may wear on your thumbs (two layers) can’t be used to help hold the bar. Chalk is your grip aid, and many lifters use a mixed grip or a hook grip for heavy deadlifts.

What happens if I miss all three attempts?

You “bomb out”: no total, so no placing in the full meet. That’s why lifters pick an opener they could make on a bad day.

Do I need IPF-approved gear?

Only if you lift in the IPF or one of its members, such as Powerlifting America. There, your singlet, belt, sleeves and wraps must come from makers on the IPF Approved List. USAPL only requires listed brands for supportive suits and bench shirts; other federations set size limits instead.