USAWA

In this installment of the “USAWA 101” series, I’d like to talk about what we wear at competitions—our clothing and our equipment. If you’ve competed in weightlifting, powerlifting, or strongman, some of this may be familiar, but a few of our rules might be a bit different from what you’re used to.

The “lifting uniform”

You have two options for what to wear on your body. Either a singlet, or a shirt and shorts. 

A singlet, if you’re not familiar, is a one-piece garment, usually form-fitting, that is shaped like shorts on the bottom, and continues up the torso, where it has straps that go over the shoulders. It looks like an old-timey swimsuit, or a wrestling outfit. In fact, if you need a cheap singlet quick, search for “wrestling singlet.” You can get one off Amazon for under $20. (The nice ones, from a company like Virus or SBD, cost more and may fit better. But they’re the same basic thing.) You may wear a shirt under your singlet if you like, but it’s not required.

Your other option is to wear a shirt and shorts. The shirt can be a T-shirt or a tank top. (We used to have a rule forbidding tank tops, but that was repealed at the 2024 national meeting.) 

Whether it’s one piece or two, your lifting uniform must leave your knees and elbows exposed. That means no long sleeves, and no leggings under the singlet. 

If you’re thinking “Can I wear ANYTHING that complies with these rules?” the answer is almost yes. There is a rule that states: 

Lifting attire which contains inappropriate language or images, is too revealing, sloppy in appearance, or deemed otherwise inappropriate by the weigh-in official or Meet Director is a violation of the USAWA dress code.

I’ve never seen anyone get dress-coded for sloppy, revealing, or offensive clothing. But in theory, it could happen. 

You must also wear “suitable” shoes. Most people wear sneakers of some sort, or weightlifting shoes. Deadlift slippers are also OK. You can’t lift barefoot, sorry.

Allowable equipment

Before we get into what you can’t use, I’ll just say what you can: 

• A belt, any kind, up to 12 cm (4.75 inches) in width. 
• Wrist wraps, not to exceed 1 meter in length. (They may be a maximum of 10 cm/4 inches wide, and 1 millimeter thick.) 
• Dry chalk on your hands

On three specific lifts, knee sleeves or knee wraps may be worn, up to 2 meters in length. These lifts are the Front Squat, 12” Base Squat, and Anderson Squat. You may wear knee sleeves on these lifts instead, if you like. No other lifts allow knee wraps or sleeves. 

What you cannot wear or use

I’m very sorry to anyone who is used to using these items, but they are not allowed: 

• Wraps on any other part of the body (elbows, etc) except as mentioned above.
• Headgear such as hats or headbands, unless it is for religious purposes. (Your hijab or yarmulke is fine.)
• Gloves
• Straps
• Braces or supports, including knee and elbow sleeves (except as noted above for knee sleeves). If you have a doctor’s note stating that an item is medically necessary, the officials can make an exception.
• Over-the-knee socks
• Chalk or any substances on any part of the body other than the hands (no baby powder on the thighs)
• On the hands, any substances other than chalk. No tacky, rosin, chewing gum, etc.
• Tape, unless it’s covering an open wound or an injury (in which case it needs to be OK’d by the officials.) So, no, you cannot tape your thumbs for hook grip lifts. 

Where to learn more

The full language of the rules about clothing and equipment is in the section of the Rulebook labeled VI. Equipment. 

For any specific meet, if you want to know if your T-shirt is inappropriate or if your medically-necessary knee brace will be accepted, get in touch with the meet organizer and/or ask the head official. 

For example, I recently refereed a meet where I was asked, ahead of time, whether a lifter would be able to use their doctor-prescribed compression stockings. My answer was yes. On the other hand, when I compete in USA Weightlifting events, I like to wear leggings and knee sleeves. But when I compete with USAWA I leave those items at home. 

Ultimately we want everybody to be safe and healthy and have fun lifting more or less like the old-timers did. 

A note on knee sleeves

The question of knee sleeves comes up from time to time—why doesn’t the USAWA allow them? The membership appears to be divided on the question, according to several votes and surveys over the years. 

One side argues that knee sleeves don’t seem to give much if any mechanical advantage, and most strength sports allow them, so we should allow them too. On the other hand, some members see them as too modern for an organization that is trying to respect historical tradition, and the possibility that they may aid in lifting is enough reason to be cautious. 

There was a lively debate on the topic at the 2024 National Meeting, and in the end knee sleeves remained banned (except for the three lifts that also allow knee wraps). 

It may surprise new lifters to know that it’s very easy to set a record in USAWA! In fact, the way I learned about USAWA was bumping into one of our late members, John McKean, at a local gym. He said “You could set some records!” and I thought…who, me?? But now I’m a proud member of the century club, with well over 100 records to my name.

In USAWA, we have two types of meets. In one type, the lifts are decided by the meet director, and it’s up to the lifter to be sure they know how to perform those specific lifts. But the other type is the record day, where each lifter gets to choose what lifts they would like to do, with the goal of setting a national or world record. In this article I’m going to explain record days, and walk new lifters through the process of choosing and setting their first records.

Wait, how is it so easy to set records?

I’m not saying it will be easy, exactly. But look: we have around 200 lifts in the record book (even if some of them are not going to be very popular, hello Teeth Lift). One handed lifts can count for two separate records if you do them on the right and then the left hand.

We also have weight classes and age groups. So for example, if you are a 70 kg man, there is currently no record in your weight class for the Teeth Lift! That one could be yours! If you weigh 75 kilos, there is already an open record, but if you’re over 40 or under 18, you could set an age group record even if you cannot beat the open record. See how this works?

When and where can I set records?

Take a look at the schedule of upcoming events, which you can see on the sidebar of this website, or if you’re reading on a phone, scroll to the bottom of the page. Anything labeled “record day” is a good opportunity to set records.

Other types of meets will often include a record day to finish out the day’s lifting. And if you compete in a meet with set lifts, you should still check the record book for those lifts! You may be able to set records with your regular attempts in the competition.

Competitions also typically allow a fourth attempt for the purpose of setting records–so if you’ve done your three attempts but feel like you have more in you, you can request a fourth attempt, which will not count for the competition, but will still allow you to set a record if successful. (You can even break a record on your first, second, or third attempt, and then break your own just-set record on your fourth.)

There are also two big meets each year that are high-profile record days: the Presidential Cup (USAWA) and the Gold Cup (IAWA). Both ask lifters to choose a lift where they believe they can set a record, whatever that may be, and to do all of their attempts at record-setting poundages. An award is given to whoever does the most impressive lift of the day.

How do I find out what the current records are?

We keep a list of national (US) records here. Take note of the date the list was most recently updated, since there may have been records set since then (but generally our records team does a great job of keeping it up to date).

Download the most recent Individual record list (you can import it into Google Docs if you don’t have a computer with a spreadsheet program) and take a look at the tabs at the bottom. One of the sheets is labeled Record Grid, and this is the best way to look at an individual lift. Each column is a weight class, and each row is an age group. Lifters from age 20 to 39 don’t have their own age groups, and can only compete in the “open” class, which is labeled ALL. Since we’ve been using the Teeth Lift as our example, here is the grid for men’s Teeth Lifts. (Select “F” from the sex dropdown to see the women’s records. Currently only two women have set records in the Teeth Lift, so I guess I’ll have to get to this one eventually!)

How do weight classes work?

Each weight class is named after the highest weight you can weigh and still compete in that class. So if you weigh 101 kilograms, you will compete in the 105 kg class. But if you managed to lose 1 kg of weight, you could compete in the 100 kg class.

And, yes, weight classes are in kilograms but lifts are in pounds. I’m sorry.

How do age groups work?

Age groups are named after the lowest age that you can be and still compete in that class. So if you are 41 years old, you are in the 40 year old age group with everybody else who is 40 to 44 years old. When you turn 45, you can start setting records in the 45 year old age group.

Lifters who are under age 13 compete in the same age group as 13-year-olds.

What about world records?

Our international organization, IAWA, maintains world records. You can look those up here.

Note that IAWA does not recognize all the same lifts we do. The Hackenschmidt floor press, for example, is a USAWA lift but not an IAWA lift. On the other hand, USAWA does not recognize a regular plain old deadlift, but IAWA does.

You can set world records at any USAWA or IAWA event, but please note that while USAWA only requires one official to set national records, IAWA requires three officials.

If you are from a country that does not have its own IAWA-affiliated organization, you cannot set national records, but you can still set world records. So, for example, the Canadians who lifted at True North True Strength last month were not able to set US records since they are not from the US, and they could not set Canadian records since there is no Canadian organization (yet!) but they were able to set IAWA records. We made sure that three referees were present to certify their lifts as official world records.

By Beth Skwarecki

This is the first in a series of articles about the basics of USAWA. First up: how to join.

Membership in USAWA is necessary to participate in competitions and to set records. (Officials also need to keep up their membership to keep their certification current.) Fortunately, it’s cheap! For just $35, you become a member and you get to do the postals at no additional charge. Many of the in-person competitions are also free to members.

USAWA is the IAWA-affiliated organization for the USA. If you live in or near the UK, you should join IAWA-UK. In Australia, you should join AWFA. If you live in another country, you should join your closest organization as an associate member. For example, if you live in Canada, you can join USAWA as an associate member. You can’t set US national records but you can participate in meets and you can set IAWA world records.

You only need to do two things to join:

1. Fill out the membership application form, which asks for your contact information and what club you are a member of (if any–it’s okay to be unaffiliated), and includes a waiver stating you understand that you may be subject to drug testing. If you are under 21, your parent or guardian must also sign. You can either print out this form, fill it out, and mail it; or use the new online membership application.
2. Send us $35, either by enclosing a check if you are mailing your application, or by PayPal if you are all “fancy” and “modern.”

If you’d like to learn more about the organization you are joining, the USAWA Rulebook contains the bylaws, the procedures by which competitions are run, and the rules of all the lifts.

More information on membership, including membership and meet sanctions, is on the Forms and Applications page.

That’s it–now you are all set. Membership expires at the end of the calendar year, and is not prorated. So renew every January to get your money’s worth.