Youth Athlete Guidelines  

Powerlifting America Welcomes Youth Athletes
Resistance training programs for both youth and teens have shown increased health benefits in addition to stronger performances in youth sports.  Our main objective for our youth lifters is to have fun and an enjoyable experience while focusing on learning proper technique and form.  This will translate to a positive experience and will help build confidence in our young athletes.   

Youth Age Divisions
An athlete must be a minimum of 8 years of age by the day of competition.

  • Youth: 8-11-year-old (Y)
  • Pre-Sub-Junior: 12-13-year-old (PS)

**A Pre-Sub-Junior athlete may use their total to qualify for a Sub-Junior National or International competition. The Pre-Sub-Junior athlete must be thirteen (13) years of age by the day of the Sub-Junior National competition and fourteen (14) years of age by the day of the International Sub-Junior competition they qualified for.** 

Youth & Pre-Sub-Junior Weight Classes 
Youth Athletes: 

  • Will not have specific weight classes to compete in, only the Youth age division. Therefore, Youth Athletes will not be required to weigh-in but must be checked in no later than the close of the standard weigh-in period for the session they will be lifting in. 

Pre-Sub-Junior Athletes:

  • Will participate in weigh-ins as all other participants, following the procedures of the IPF Technical Rules Book.   This is done for the athlete’s future benefit if they wish to use their total for qualifying purposes at another competition.  The athlete will fall under the standard weight classes outlined in the IPF Technical Rules Book, beginning with the lowest weight class listed below.

Female
43kg  – Pre-Sub-Junior / Sub Junior & Junior Only

Male
53kg – Pre-Sub-Junior / Sub Junior & Junior Only

Youth & Pre-Sub-Junior Weigh-in Guidelines 
Youth athletes will not be weighed in but must be checked in no later than the close of the standard weigh-in period for the session they will be lifting in.  

Pre-Sub-Junior athletes will participate in weigh-ins as all other participants, following the procedures of the IPF Technical Rules Book, with the following exceptions.  

  • They will be in their singlet and t-shirt that they will be wearing on the platform. 
  • They will be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian 
  • This is Highly recommended for all athletes under the age of 18 
  • There will be two (2) official Powerlifting America referees as current members in good standing in the weigh-in room  
  • If a photo ID is not available, a copy of the birth certificate is sufficient  

Pre-Sub-Junior weigh-ins are done for the athlete’s future benefit. If they wish to use their total for qualifying purposes at another competition, they will need to have recorded body weight to receive a legitimate total. The athlete will fall under the standard weight classes outlined in the IPF Technical Rules Book, beginning with the lowest weight class listed in the Youth & Pre-Sub-Junior Weight Classes section above.    

Youth & Pre-Sub-Junior Personal Equipment
These athletes will follow the same personal equipment guidelines stated in the IPF Technical Rules Book. Youth lifters will compete in the Raw category Only.  

Youth & Pre-Sub-Junior Lifting Equipment & Weight Increments 
Youth athletes:

  • Can use a lighter barbell that is to be weighed and labeled before the competition. Full-size bumper plates can be used for deadlifts to provide the consistent height needed to pull the bar from the floor. 

Pre-Sub-Junior athletes:

  • Will be required to use the equipment with the specifications outlined by the IPF Technical Rules Book. This is also for the athlete’s future benefit if they wish to use their total for qualifying purposes at another competition. They will need to have done so by the specifications of the rule book. If a Pre-Sub-Junior athlete is unable to use the standard equipment due to safety or strength reasons, then their body weight will not be recorded in the competition results, and they will be scored based on their performance and not the weight lifted same as the Youth athletes. This will also void any total they may have received for future use.  

Youth and Pre-Sub-Junior can enter a minimum attempt increment of 0.5 kg for any attempt of any lift. All other standard rules apply. 

Youth & Pre-Sub-Junior Drug Testing
These athletes are not subject to drug testing.  

Youth & Pre-Sub-Junior Scoring Guidelines
Medals will be awarded based on the athlete’s number of successful attempts, not the weight lifted. 

Full Powerlifting:

  • Gold – 8 or 9 successful attempts  
  • Silver – 6 or 7 successful attempts 
  • Bronze – 4 or 5 successful attempts

Push Pull:

  • Gold – 5-6 successful attempts
  • Silver – 4 successful attempts
  • Bronze – 2-3 successful attempts

Bench Only:

  • Gold – 3 successful attempts
  • Silver – 2 successful attempts
  • Bronze – 1 successful attempts

All weights for each attempt will be recorded in the lifting database for the athlete’s reference, however, there will not be official record placements tracked. This is to help our youth lifters focus on the quality of their lifting and not breaking or setting records.