Recognized Classes And Division

Home  /  Rules  /  Current Page
    1. The Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate (RPS) recognizes the following lifts and/or totals performed in accordance with RPS rules at an officially sanctioned event:
      1. Lifts
        1. Squat
        2. Bench Press
        3. Deadlift
        4. Total
      2. The total score for each lifter is derived by adding the three heaviest lifts (squat, bench and deadlift) successfully completed and passed by the judges.
      3. Lifters are given three attempts for each event to achieve their heaviest lift in one division. If the lifter choses to lift equipped and raw on the same day, the lifter will be granted two attempts to achieve their heaviest lift in each Equipment Division. If the divisions are scheduled for different days the lifter will receive their respective three attempts with possible world record 4th on each day.
      4. The three lifts should follow the sequence of Squat, Bench Press, Deadlift during competitions conducted under RPS rules, however consideration will be taken for events that wish to follow the pre-1972 change to this sequence. The “Old School” sequence of events; Bench, Squat then Deadlift is acceptable with permission of the RPS board of advisors and full disclosure of the sequence on all advertised materials, event listings and entry form.
    2. RPS recognizes and registers RPS World records within the following Categories (see chart below for Pro/Elite totals):
      1. Pro: Anyone who has totaled or has single lifts that qualify for Professional (Pro) must enter this division unless they wish to enter Elite which requires a lifter paid urinalysis. Professional can be entered by everyone but teens regardless of what their lift numbers are. There is no drug testing in this division.
      2. Amateur (AM): This division is a a drug-free division. Any lifter under suspicion of drug use will be required to undergo a urinalysis test. All Amateur lifters must be prepared to provide a sample of their urine after competing if randomly chosen. If the test results are negative, the meet director will absorb the cost of the drug test. If the test results are positive, the lifter will be responsible for all expenses associated with the drug test, and their lifts for the competition will be disqualified. A lifter testing positive will be permanently banned from lifting in the AM Division.
        If the lifter enters AM and achieves a Pro qualifying lift, the lifter will either automatically be transferred to the Pro Division in the same meet (same weight class and sub-division), or have the option to pay for the urinalysis required to attain Elite status.
      3. Elite: Those whose lifts qualify as Pro yet want to provide proof that they are not using any performance enhancements on the tested list. Elite lifts are only available in the Open division and will be scored in competition with the Pros. Elite Amateur lifters are responsible for the cost of testing. Payment for Elite Amateur drug testing will be collected prior to competing. To protect the integrity of the drug test, the urine sample must be processed by the appropriate official. It is also the responsibility of the Elite AM lifter to let it be know to the meet director during their last event that they can and are ready to produce the urine sample for analysis.
      4. Police/Fire: This division is reserved for individuals who serve the community as Police Officers, Correction Officers or Firefighters, civilly employed or volunteer. The age divisions are limited to Open and Master 50+.
      5. Military/Armed Forces: This division is reserved for individuals who serve(d) their country in a branch of the armed forces. The age divisions are limited to Junior (23 + under), Open and Master 50+.
      6. Adaptive Athlete: This division is reserved for individuals who require additional assistance to compete that would normally be deemed illegal. Please contact the meet direct of the event to discuss eligibility.
      7. (Optional) – Crossfit: This division is reserved for individuals who are new to powerlifting and have entered a competition through the encouragement of crossfit. It is restricted to those competing for the first, second or third time, at an amateur level and in the raw classic or modern equipment division. Scoring for this division may be set by light/heavyweight and ranked by coefficient for the top five in each. Records will not be maintained for the crossfit division, however AM Raw Open records will be recognized if set by those entered in the this division. Breaking a world record will require next entry to be in general powerlifting.
MEN’S DIVISIONS WOMEN’S DIVISIONS
MEN’S Equipped Raw WOMEN’S Equipped Raw
WEIGHT Totals Totals WEIGHT Totals Totals
CLASSES PRO Master PRO Master CLASSES PRO Master PRO Master
114 1080 975 905 850 97 670 605 540 490
123 1180 1060 985 910 105 720 650 580 530
132 1330 1195 1060 975 114 770 700 620 570
148 1480 1330 1185 1090 123 825 740 665 605
165 1610 1450 1300 1190 132 870 785 700 640
181 1680 1510 1400 1280 148 955 860 770 700
198 1790 1610 1475 1355 165 1030 930 850 760
220 1870 1680 1550 1475 181 1105 995 895 815
242 1900 1710 1605 1500 198 1170 1055 960 870
275 1940 1745 1655 1520 220 1250 1125 1010 918
308 1960 1765 1730 1600 242 1300 1175 1040 918
SHW 1980 1785 1750 1615 SHW 1300 1175 1040 918
    1. RPS recognizes and registers RPS World records within the following Equipment Divisions:
      1. Multi-Ply: Amateur will be limited to two (2) plies per garment. Professionals are allowed unlimited layers in a garment. Squat suit and one pair of briefs are allowed for squat and deadlift. Bench shirts must be of single construction. Knee wraps of up to 3m in length and wrist wraps of up to 48″ are allowed at no more than 4″ wide.
      2. Single-Ply: Garments will be inspected to insure true single-ply compliance. Garments constructed of laminated layers will not be allowed in the single ply, only fabric woven or knit as one layer are accepted. Squat suit and one pair of briefs are allowed for squat and de a lift. Bench shirts must be of single construction. Knee wraps of up to 3m in length and wrist wraps of up to 48″ are allowed at no more than 4″ wide.
      3. Raw Classic: The only support allowed in Raw Classic is the support of a belt and wrist wraps. Knee sleeves may be worn during warm ups and between attempts, but must be pulled down over the shin during the squat and/or deadlift.* A single layer knee sleeve may be worn during the bench.
      4. Raw Modern: Raw Modern combines the support of a belt and wrist wraps, as in classic, with knee wraps/sleeves for the squat and/or deadlift. Bench only is not elgible for Raw Modern, they must compete as Raw Classic. Lifters may choose to take token lifts with knee support (wraps or sleeves) in Squat and/or Deadlift to be eligible for Raw Modern because they would meet the division’s criteria. A Bench Only lift may be listed as Raw Modern for lifters who are entered in multple events, i.e. Full Power and Bench Only.*Knee Sleeves will still classify lifters in RPS as Raw Modern, however for national rankings, those who wear a single layer knee sleeve during the squat will be identified in the results to be eligible for the “Raw Without Knee Wraps” division. It is the responsibility of the lifter to inform the Scoring Table of their intent to be classified for the sans wrap rankings. At the completion of each successful squat the lifter will demonstrate to the head referee by peeling down their knee sleeve with minimal effort to establish that they are wearing the appropriate knee sleeve. The head judge will signify to the scoring table that the equipment has passed inspection.
      5. Unlimited (Please see additional conditions for this division): The Unlimited Equipment Division has been established to allow inclusion of new designs, materials and experimental powerlifting personal equipment in Revolution Powerlifting Syndicate. The equipment used must be constructed to the definition of suits and briefs for squat and the definition of shirt for bench. All items, regardless of material, must be constructed to be a unified garment that is in contact with the lifter throughout the performance of the lift. All item dimensions must meet the established multi ply personal equipment measurements. Construction material is unlimited and maximum Number of Layers for this Division is 3 in total. The maximum thickness of seams, hems, collars  and binding is 1 inch. The Unlimited Equipment Division will be scored at the meet directors discretion and recorded only in Professional classes and segregated further by gender, weight and age divisions. Teens wishing to enter this division must do so under Junior as Professionals are not allowed in the Teen age divisions. Records and rankings will be kept for each of the eligible divisions.
    2. RPS recognizes and registers RPS World records within the following Weight Divisions (pounds have been updated to be a more accurate reflection of their kilogram designation):
Men’s  Women’s
Kilograms Pounds Kilograms Pounds
0-52 114.64 0-44 97
52.01 –56 123.45 44.01 – 48 105.82
56.01 –60 132.27 48.01 – 52 114.64
60.01 – 67.5 148.81 52.01 – 56 123.45
67.51 –75 165.35 56.01 – 60 132.27
75.01 -82.5 181.88 60.01 – 67.5 148.81
82.51 – 90 198.41 67.51 –75 165.35
90.01 –100 220.46 75.01 – 82.5 181.88
100.01-110 242.5 82.51 – 90 198.42
110.01 –125 275.57 90.01 –100 220.46
125.01 –140 308.65 100.01 –110 242.5
140.01-unlimited SHW  100.01 –unlimited  SHW
  1. RPS recognizes and registers RPS World records within the following Age Divisions: Open (any age), Teens (limited to Amateur) 14-15, 16-17, 18-19, Junior 20-23, Submaster 33-39, Masters 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80-84, 85-89, 90-94, 95-99, 100+. Police/Fire and Military age divisions are Junior 20-23, Open (any age), Master 50+.
  2. Weight System
    1. RPS recognizes records in pounds. Calibrated or state certified plates may be used in pounds or kilograms. RPS uses the kilogram to pound conversion of 1kg = 2.2046226lb.
    2. Lifter should be weighed in in the same weight system as the plates.
    3. Lifter weights and plate weights are to be taken with a verified calibrated scale.
    4. A plate’s weight tolerance of up to 1% over weight is acceptable.
  3. FORMULA USED TO SCORE BEST LIFTERS COMPETITION
    The official formula utilized to determine overall best lifter awards at any RPS sanctioned competition shall be the Schwartz Formula for men and the Malone Formula for women.
  4. The RPS Master’s Formula may be used to designate best MASTER lifters for lifters 40 years of age and older. The RPS Master formula is to add 1% for each year over 40 to a lifters total.
  5. Alternate Divisions
    Meet directors may choose to add additional categories offered at their meets for competition scoring. Examples: Crossfit, Football, High School, Collegiate. These division will be recognized only in these individual meets. Lifts will count for records in compliance with the offered record divisions and the results for these divisions must be provided by the meet director for records in compliance with standard division. Meet directors may choose to keep track of their own meet records that include these alternate divisions, but these will not be maintained by RPS.
  6. Composition of a Team – Download Team Entry Form
    If advertised to be awarded per competition entry, Teams must submit a request for team competition with payment and preliminary roster prior to the entry deadline of a meet. Each registered RPS Team is typically made of groups of five (5) however a group may submit a minimum of four (4) and a maximum of seven (7) lifters to be in contention for team points. These lifters can be spread throughout the range of weight classes for men and women. Each team will be allowed a maximum of three (3) alternates or reserve lifters. Final team rosters must be turned in to or verified with the scoring table no less than one-half hour prior to the beginning of the competition.
  7. Team Scoring
    Due to an a possible unequal number of lifters per team and the varying equipment categories an average of lifter coefficients will be used to determine the winning team. Should a team of raw lifters be competing against a team of geared lifters, the raw lifters’ coefficients will be multiplied by 1.3 to achieve a similarly equating coefficient. The same will occur for women’s coefficients which will be multiplied by 1.4.
  8. Team Awards
    If team competition is requested a minimum of one (1) and up to three (3) places should be awarded, however the number awarded is at the meet director’s discretion.