Determining Your Powerlifting Weight Class
Weight is one of the most common topics in the sport of Powerlifting, and there is a lot of misinformation about it. In weight-controlled sports, there’s a potential for extreme measures and disordered mentalities, which certainly affect you as an athlete. Many different factors go into one’s body weight. It’s a very complex topic, especially in a competitive setting. With the right tools, information, and guidance by your side, you can navigate this world with success.
The goal of weight classes is not to diet and shrink you to your leanest- or bulk you up to your largest- but to allow you to find your healthiest, happiest, strongest state. Weight classes have nothing to do with aesthetics- it’s just part of the sport.
This article will dive deeper into the reasoning behind weight classes in the first place, when athletes should begin to consider them, and how to find your ideal range.
Powerlifting Weight Classes
One may think, “Well, if Powerlifting isn’t about aesthetics, why are there weight classes in the first place?” While it’s true that this is a performance-based sport, bodyweight still plays a significant factor.
Strength can be both absolute and relative.
Absolute strength is just the weight that an individual lifts. 300 lbs is 300 lbs.
Relative strength takes into account other factors, such as body weight. Mass moves mass. A 99 lb competitor benching 135 is different from a 300 lb competitor pressing the same weight. Bodyweight ratios don’t always perfectly align depending on one’s size, but it is one way to measure strength.
Other tools such as DOTS or WILKS calculators take into account body weight & sex to determine an individual’s strength level.
Qualifying Totals for Nationals are different depending on the weight class.
All of this is to say that it makes the playing field fairer when you’re competing against those relatively the same size as you. A 100-lb lifter wouldn’t stand a chance against a 200-lb lifter, so it wouldn’t be fair to put them against each other or have the same qualifying totals. That’s all it is.
All Weight Classes by Gender
Weight classes in powerlifting are always the same, regardless of federation. So if you’re competing in the USPA, WRPF, or any other federation, the weight classes below will apply. There are 12 weight classes for men and another 12 for women. Note that each number is the MAXIMUM you can weigh in that class, so for example, 56 and below, 52 and below, etc).
Women’s (kg/lb):
44kg / 97lb
48kg / 106lb
52kg / 114lb
56kg / 123lb
60kg / 132lb
67.5kg / 148lb
75kg / 165lb
82.5kg / 182lb
90kg / 198lb
100kg / 220lb
110kg / 242lb
110+ kg / SHW - 242lb and above
Men’s (kg/lb):
52kg / 114lb
56kg / 123lb
60kg / 132lb
67.5kg / 148lb
75kg / 165lb
82.5kg / 182lb
90kg / 198lb
100kg / 220lb
110kg / 242lb
125kg / 275lb
140kg / 308lb
140+ kg / SHW - 308lb and above
2. Should you worry about it?
A common mistake made by many new Powerlifters is concerning themselves with specific weight classes too early on. When you’re just getting started in the sport, cutting weight and manipulating the scale is the least of your worries. Instead, your goal during this time is to develop technical proficiency, barbell confidence, build strength and muscle mass, prioritize healthy nutrition, gain experience, and have fun. Let everything fall into place from there.
Unless you’re setting National records for your first meet or are maybe 1 lb within a class, you probably shouldn’t cut for it.
You’re a complete baby to the sport! Your body is still adjusting & you don’t know how you’ll react to everything: it’s an experimental phase.
Your first six months- a year are the crucial periods of growth. Extreme dieting or overfeeding can hinder that. Focus on good habits rather than trying to direct everything toward a weight class, and it will stabilize. You’ll find your happy medium.
If you’re already pursuing nutrition goals for other reasons when you start Powerlifting- that’s one thing. The main takeaway is don't get neurotic about weight classes when you’re a newbie.
However, at some point, it is something worth considering. Once you get higher up, have some platform experience, are stronger & have gained some data, you might go down that road. At that level, you are both competitive and experienced enough for your weight class to have an impact.
Start Thinking About Weight Class If
You are potentially qualifying for Nationals/Worlds, or want to,
You could break state/National/International records in your desired class,
Your new weight class would be a realistic goal for you to attain,
You feel okay mentally/physically with manipulating your weight,
You have been on the platform and want to be more competitive, take the next level as an athlete,
3. Find a Balance and Go by Feel
Contrary to diet culture & even some co-opted powerlifting spaces, Smaller/Leaner/Less isn’t better, especially not in the sport of Powerlifting.
Weight classes are not about being skinny: another way to diet and starve yourself. That is not what this sport is about- and if you pursue it that way, you’ll never reap the full benefits of it or feel fulfillment.
On the flip side, “GFH” (get fuckin’ huge) was a very popular term in mainstream Powerlifting during its origin. This sentiment is also unhelpful for most people - as nutrition quality matters, too, and some may feel better at a lower body weight.
What it’s REALLY about is finding the class that is:
Sustainable,
Healthy,
Competitive & strong
For you.
That often doesn’t fall into extremes and may not be where you “think” your weight should be.
Your body has a set-point weight that it naturally likes to stay at - when your habits are all in a row, and you overall feel good, a weight you can maintain with ease, and your ideal weight class is probably pretty close to your set point.
While you may be more “competitive” at a lower body weight, and it may lead to a higher DOTS score, if it causes health complications and is unsustainable for you, it’s probably not your best bet. Powerlifting is a marathon, not a sprint, and gradually building strength more sustainably will lead to greater gains down the road.
While this is completely individualized, some signs that your weight class is the right one for you are:
-You’re consistently seeing strength progress over time (weeks, months, years) and feel you have potential and can continue to grow in your class.
-Your sleep, recovery, energy levels, digestion, hormone levels, etc. are all stable.
-While it may take some sacrifice, getting to your desired weight class doesn’t require extreme measures (except, maybe, a water cut) (example: in a meet prep, maybe you have to limit alcohol/eating out/etc., or on the flip side, maybe you have to force-feed sometimes, but it’s manageable & nothing is too crazy.)
-Mentally, you feel comfortable in your body & your relationship with food
-During your off-season, you’re able to be more flexible & aren’t far too stressed about your weight.
If you check off all of these boxes, congrats! This weight is likely a good spot for you to be. It’s all about finding that balance- which requires trial & error and guidance from your coach.
4. Should you cut/bulk to a different weight class? Why might one do that?
Maybe your current weight class isn’t the one you should stay at.
Once you’ve gained some experience in the sport, moving up or down a weight class may be a path to consider. Remember, weight classes aren’t stagnant. This is your strength journey, and you can change things at any time.
Consider Going Up or Down in Weight Class If
You aren’t as competitive as you could be and have more potential in another weight class.
Your strength progress has stagnated- you aren't eating enough and need to build muscle mass.
You want to lose body fat and lean out while maintaining strength.
Your current weight class is unsustainable, causing you to go to extreme measures.
Whatever that reason- choose the road that makes sense for you. Talk to a coach or friend about your situation, consider it, and make the decision that will allow you to be your best in the long run.
After all, isn’t that what this sport is all about?
Being your strongest, best possible self?
While these decisions are difficult; and many of us can get tied to the number on the scale, especially when it’s a habit- it can be the best choice you make in your career. Speaking from experience, being married to an arbitrary weight class doesn’t serve you. It can hold you back & keep you stuck in the same cycles and plateaus, spinning your wheels. You’re not meant to stay the same forever- as athletes, we need to be able to adapt and flow with circumstances along the way. So if the best decision is to cut or bulk, do it for yourself, create a plan, and play the long game. And if that choice turns out differently than you thought? You can always change things again.
5. Trial, Error, and experimentation are essential
The only way to know your ideal weight class is to test it out. Bodies are all different, and all of us respond in our unique ways. While you may create a goal number in your brain, you might end up in another spot. The goal is not to yo-yo every meet, trying something new all of the time, but throughout the years of your career, you can experiment with yourself a little bit to see what works best. What provides success for you in the beginning likely won’t be the same years later.
Know that going forward, and make decisions based on what’s currently working & will benefit you for time to come. Everything is just data- you’re simply learning and growing- and that will always lead to growth.
Weight classes. A very prevalent yet mistaken topic in Powerlifting. In society, weight is already a stigmatized conversation, and diet culture can easily co-opt the strength space, too. At its core, weight classes are simply a way to make things fairer, and your goal is to find your sweet spot, not fit into an arbitrary box. As a beginner, don’t concern yourself too much with the numbers, but as you gain experience, you may want to experiment further. You have to trial and error it to find your strongest, healthiest, and most competitive state- which is the goal. This sport isn’t about the number on the scale, it’s about the number on the bar. Focus on that first and foremost.
