Resources

Learn the sport

Everything you need to know about powerlifting, from how the lifts are judged to what to pack for your first meet.

IPF Technical Rulebook IPF Approved Equipment List

Powerlifting 101

Squat. Bench. Deadlift.

Powerlifting is a strength sport built on three lifts. At a meet you get three attempts at each, judged by three referees. Here's how each lift is judged under the IPF Technical Rules.

Lights and cards

Each of the three referees shows a white light for a good lift or a red light for no lift. You need at least two white lights. A referee who gives a red light also raises a coloured card to show why.

1 · Red card 2 · Blue card 3 · Yellow card
01

Squat

Bend your knees and lower your body until the top surface of your legs at the hip joint is below the top of your knees, then stand back up.

Referee commands

“Squat”Given once you've walked out and are standing still with your knees locked.
“Rack”Given once you've stood back up and are motionless. Walk the bar back into the rack.

Why a lift fails

1 · Red card
  • Not deep enough: the top of your legs at the hip joint doesn't drop below the top of your knees.
2 · Blue card
  • Not standing upright with knees locked at the start or finish.
  • Double bouncing, more than one recovery attempt at the bottom, or any downward movement on the way up.
3 · Yellow card
  • Stepping or moving your feet (rocking between ball and heel is allowed).
  • Not following the Chief Referee's signals.
  • Spotters touching you or the bar between signals, or your elbows or upper arms supporting you on your legs.
  • Dropping or dumping the bar after the lift, or an incomplete lift.
02

Bench Press

Lower the bar to your chest or abdomen, hold it still until the press command, then press to full lockout. Head, shoulders, and glutes stay on the bench, and feet stay flat on the floor.

Referee commands

“Start”Given once you're set on the bench with your arms locked.
“Press”Given once the bar is motionless on your chest or abdomen.
“Rack”Given once you've locked the bar out.

Why a lift fails

1 · Red card
  • Bar not lowered to the chest or abdomen, or touching the belt.
  • Elbows not lowered level with or below the top of the shoulder joints.
2 · Blue card
  • Any downward movement of the whole bar during the press.
  • Not pressing to full lockout, or arms not locked before the start command.
3 · Yellow card
  • Heaving or sinking the bar after it's motionless, or using upper-body thrust to start the press.
  • Not following the Chief Referee's signals.
  • Changing position: head, shoulders, or glutes lifting off the bench, or hands moving on the bar.
  • Feet touching the bench or its supports, spotter contact, or an incomplete lift.
03

Deadlift

Pull the bar from the floor until you're standing erect with knees locked and shoulders back, then lower it to the platform under control after the down command.

Referee commands

“Down”Given once you're standing erect, knees locked, with the bar motionless. There's no start command: pull when you're ready.

Why a lift fails

1 · Red card
  • Knees not locked at the finish.
  • Not standing erect: the front of your shoulders should finish behind the bar.
2 · Blue card
  • Any downward movement of the bar before the finish (the bar settling as your shoulders come back is fine).
  • Supporting the bar on your thighs (“hitching”). The bar edging up your thighs without being supported is fine.
3 · Yellow card
  • Lowering the bar before the down command.
  • Not controlling the bar back to the platform with both hands.
  • Stepping or moving your feet (rocking is allowed, and moving after “Down” is fine), or an incomplete lift.

How a Total works

Example meet, in kg
Squat
180 kg, good lift190 kg, good lift197.5 kg, no lift
Best: 190
Bench
110 kg, good lift117.5 kg, good lift122.5 kg, good lift
Best: 122.5
Deadlift
220 kg, good lift232.5 kg, no lift232.5 kg, good lift
Best: 232.5
Total
190 + 122.5 + 232.5
545
✓ Good lift✕ No lift

Weight classes

You compete against lifters in your weight class, based on your weigh-in.

Men

59 kg66 kg74 kg83 kg93 kg105 kg120 kg120+ kg

Sub-Juniors and Juniors also have a 53 kg class.

Women

47 kg52 kg57 kg63 kg69 kg76 kg84 kg84+ kg

Sub-Juniors and Juniors also have a 43 kg class.

Age divisions

Divisions follow the calendar year: you move up on January 1 of the year you reach the next age.

Sub-Junior
14–18
Junior
19–23
Open
19+
Masters 1
40–49
Masters 2
50–59
Masters 3
60–69
Masters 4
70+
Classic vs. Equipped

Most lifters compete Classic (also called raw): a singlet and t-shirt, with a belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps allowed. Equipped lifters also wear supportive squat and deadlift suits, bench shirts, and knee wraps. Either way, your gear must come from manufacturers on the IPF Approved List.

How attempts and scoring work

The bar is always loaded in multiples of 2.5 kg, and each attempt must go up by at least 2.5 kg (or repeat a missed weight). You have one minute after the lights to submit your next attempt, and once a second attempt is submitted it can't be changed. Best-lifter awards are decided with IPF GL Points, which compare lifters across bodyweights.

Your first meet

Show up ready

A great first meet starts weeks before meet day. Get your membership, anti-doping course, registration, and gear sorted early, and pack the night before, so you're not scrambling on meet day. All you should have to think about is lifting.

1. Become a CANPL member

You need an active Canada Powerlifting (CANPL) membership to compete. Elite lets you compete at provincial, regional, national, and IPF events and set national records. Performance is for provincial meets only.

Saskatchewan sign-up Membership details

2. Complete your anti-doping course

Every athlete must complete Sport Integrity Canada's online anti-doping course (Clean Sport) every year before competing. Your membership won't be activated until it's done. Returning members take the shorter Clean Sport Review.

Take the course

3. Register for a meet

Find upcoming meets on the SPA and CANPL websites. Register early, since meets often fill up, and pick one that gives you enough time to prepare.

SPA upcoming events CANPL events

4. Check your gear

Your singlet, belt, and knee sleeves must come from a manufacturer on the IPF Approved List. See the Equipment section below for what's allowed.

See equipment rules

What to pack

Documentation

  • CANPL membership (screenshot or printout)
  • Clean Sport course completion certificate
  • Photo ID

Competition kit

  • IPF-approved singlet
  • T-shirt to wear under your singlet (required)
  • Shin-length socks for deadlift (required)
  • Approved belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps, if you use them
  • Indoor sports shoes, properly laced

Meet-day fuel

  • Easy-to-digest snacks you've trained with
  • Water and electrolytes
  • Something to eat right after weigh-ins

Comfort

  • Warm layers or a hoodie for the warm-up room
  • Towel, headphones, and a phone charger

Meet-day timeline

  1. 2 hours out

    Weigh-ins open

    Weigh-ins start no earlier than two hours before your session and run for 1.5 hours. You'll declare your rack heights and opening attempts.

  2. After weigh-ins

    Eat and settle in

    Refuel with food you know sits well. Find your flight and know roughly when you lift.

  3. ~30–45 min before

    Warm up

    Time your warm-ups to your flight with your coach so your last warm-up lands a few lifters before your opener.

  4. On the platform

    Squat → Bench → Deadlift

    Three attempts each. You have one minute after the lights to submit your next attempt.

  5. After your last pull

    Total and awards

    Your best squat, bench, and deadlift add up to your Total. Celebrate it — you earned it.

Equipment

Meet Day Kit

Every piece of personal gear must meet the IPF Technical Rules, and singlets, belts, and knee sleeves must come from manufacturers on the IPF Approved List. Here's what Classic lifters need to know.

SBD singlet

Singlet

Required

Must be from a manufacturer on the IPF Approved List. Long-legged singlets are allowed.

TYR squat shoe
Squat shoe
Notorious Lift deadlift shoe
Deadlift shoe

Shoes

Required

Indoor sports shoes or boots, laces tied or straps secured. Nothing sticky on the soles. Many lifters use a raised-heel shoe for squat and a flat shoe for deadlift.

Inzer single-prong belt
Single prong
Iron Bull double-prong belt
Double prong
Inzer lever belt
Lever

Belt

Optional

Must be from an approved manufacturer and worn outside your singlet. Single-prong, double-prong, and lever buckles are all allowed.

SBD knee sleeves

Knee sleeves

Optional

Only IPF-approved knee sleeves. They can't be combined with knee wraps.

A7 wrist wraps

Wrist wraps

Optional

Up to 1 m long and 8 cm wide. Not allowed together with sweatbands.

SBD knee wraps

Knee wraps

Not in Classic

Knee wraps are for Equipped competition only. In Classic, you wear knee sleeves instead.

T-shirt

Required

Worn under your singlet for all three lifts.

Deadlift socks

Required

Shin-length socks must cover your shins for the deadlift. Full-length tights are not allowed.

Brands shown are examples only. Always check that your exact gear is on the IPF Approved List before you buy.

Not allowed

  • Knee wraps, supportive suits, and bench shirts in Classic competitions
  • Hats on the platform
  • Oil, grease, or lubricants on your body or gear
  • Adhesive or chalk on the soles of your shoes (a spray of water is fine)
  • Full-length tights or stockings
  • Wrist wraps and sweatbands worn together

Check before you buy

Not every singlet, belt, or sleeve is approved, even from big brands. Check the IPF Approved List before you buy, and bring your gear to the equipment check at the meet.

Chalk and baby powder may be used on your body and clothing, but not on wraps.

IPF Approved Equipment List Rulebook: personal equipment

Training concepts

The ideas behind your program

A few of the core concepts we use with every athlete, from our BCB Foundations series.

Percentage-based training

Weights are prescribed as a percentage of your one-rep max (1RM), so every set has a clear, objective target. It makes planning simple and progress easy to track.

Example4 × 5 @ 75% of a 200 kg squat = 150 kg

We often pair percentages with RPE, so the plan adjusts on days you feel stronger or more tired.

RPE (Rate of Perceived Exertion)

A 1–10 scale for how hard a set felt, based on how many reps you had left. It lets your coach adjust your training to how you're actually performing that day.

10RPEMax effort, no reps left
9RPE1 rep left
8RPE2 reps left
7RPE3 reps left
6RPE4+ reps left

Recovery

Your training only works if you can recover from it. Sleep, food, and managing stress outside the gym drive how strong and ready you feel.

  • Sleep 7–9 hours as often as you can
  • Eat enough protein and total food to support training
  • Plan lighter weeks (deloads) when fatigue builds

Progressive overload

To keep getting stronger, training has to get gradually harder over time — more weight, more reps, or more quality work.

Periodization and peaking

Training is planned in blocks that build toward a goal. Before a meet, volume comes down and intensity goes up so you show up fresh and strong.

Glossary

Talk like a powerlifter

The terms you'll hear in the warm-up room and on the platform.

Attempt
One try at a lift. You get three per lift.
Bomb out
Missing all three attempts on one lift, which means no Total.
CANPL
Canada Powerlifting, the national federation and Canada's member of the IPF.
Classic (Raw)
Competing in a singlet with only a belt, knee sleeves, and wrist wraps allowed.
Clean Sport
Sport Integrity Canada's anti-doping course, required every year to compete.
Commands
The Chief Referee's calls that start and finish each lift.
Deload
A planned lighter week that lets your body recover and adapt.
Equipped
Competing in supportive suits, bench shirts, and knee wraps.
Flight
A group of lifters who take their attempts together, round by round.
IPF GL Points
A score that compares lifters across bodyweights, used for best-lifter awards.
Kit
Your competition gear: singlet, belt, sleeves, wraps, and shoes.
Opener
Your first attempt. Pick a weight you could hit on your worst day.
PR
Personal record: the most you've ever lifted.
Rack heights
Your squat and bench rack settings, declared at weigh-in.
Referee cards
Red, blue, or yellow cards a referee raises to show why a lift failed.
Total
Your best squat, bench, and deadlift added together.
White / red lights
Each referee's signal: white for a good lift, red for no lift. You need two whites.

Ready for your first meet?

We'll plan your training, pick your attempts, and coach you through meet day.