Sports Cockpit · Combat & Strength · IPF Technical Rulebook (effective 1 March 2026)

Powerlifting — the three lifts, weight classes, kit & jobs

Q: Powerlifting or weightlifting — which one is in the Olympics?

Weightlifting (snatch and clean & jerk) is the Olympic sport. Powerlifting (squat, bench press, deadlift) is at The World Games, and para powerlifting is in the Paralympics. Both are on the DoPT list for sports-quota jobs.

Q: Which certificates will Railways accept for powerlifting?

Railways do not count results from events run by the Indian Powerlifting Federation or its units after 3 October 2017. Certificates issued by the Association of Indian Universities and the international federation are accepted.

Governed by International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) · national federation in India ·Official rule books & government schemes only ·Last checked 18 Oct 2026

Education Margdarshan's powerlifting map in simple words: how a meet works, what the referees check in the squat, bench press and deadlift, the weight classes and age groups, the weigh-in, the belt, sleeves and wraps you may wear, the World Games, and the sports-quota posts that Railways advertised in 2026.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap IPF Technical Rulebook 2026 (PDF) powerlifting.sport

Lifts: Squat · bench press · deadlift, 3 attempts each [1]
Open weight classes: 8 men · 8 women [1]
Weigh-in: Starts 2 hours before, lasts 1.5 hours [1]
Youngest IPF age group: Sub-junior — from 14 [1]

01 Core rules & weight class divisions

How a powerlifting meet works

You get three attempts on each lift: squat, then bench press, then deadlift. Your best good lift in each counts, and the three add up to your total.
Three referees judge each attempt with a white light (good lift) or a red light (no lift).
Weights on the bar must be a multiple of 2.5 kg and go up by at least 2.5 kg between attempts.
You must submit your next attempt within one minute of finishing the last one. [1]

What the referees check [1]

What the referees check
Lift	Commands	Must do
Squat	'Squat' … 'Rack'	Bar on the shoulders, knees locked to start; go down until the top of the thigh at the hip joint is below the top of the knee; one descent only; stand up with knees locked
Bench press	'Start' … 'Press' … 'Rack'	Thumbs around the bar, hands max 81 cm apart; lower the bar to the chest or belly, hold it still, press to straight arms; head, shoulders and buttocks stay on the bench, feet flat on the floor
Deadlift	'Down'	Lift until you stand erect with knees locked and shoulders back; any downward movement before the end fails the lift

IPF weight classes (kg) [1]

IPF weight classes (kg)
Group	Classes
Men	59 · 66 · 74 · 83 · 93 · 105 · 120 · 120+ (and 53 for sub-juniors and juniors only)
Women	47 · 52 · 57 · 63 · 69 · 76 · 84 · 84+ (and 43 for sub-juniors and juniors only)

IPF age groups [1]

IPF age groups
Group	Age
Sub-junior	From the day you turn 14 to the end of the year you turn 18
Junior	The years you turn 19 to 23
Master 1 · 2 · 3 · 4	40–49 · 50–59 · 60–69 · 70 and over

Lifting below the age of 14 is allowed only at national competitions. Medals are given in each weight class. [1]

There are two kinds of meets: Classic (a non-supportive singlet; knee sleeves allowed) and Equipped (a supportive suit and bench shirt, and knee wraps, are allowed). There are also separate bench-press-only championships. [1]

02 Institutional & global recognition

World Games, world championships — and India's lists

Powerlifting is a World Games sport (Chengdu 2025). It is not in the LA28 Olympic list or the 2026 Asian Games. Para powerlifting (bench press only) is a separate Paralympic sport. [2][3][4]

IPF holds separate world championships for Classic and Equipped lifting — open, sub-junior and junior, masters, and bench press. [1]

Powerlifting is on the DoPT list of 65 sports for central sports-quota posts.
But powerlifting (non-para) is not on the Sports Ministry's cash-award list; only para powerlifting's World Championship is. [10][5]

03 Physical benchmarks & anti-doping

Weigh-in and anti-doping

Weigh-in starts no earlier than 2 hours before your session and lasts 1.5 hours. Bring an ID or passport.
You may be weighed nude or in approved underwear; at most a singlet, one T-shirt and standard underwear, no shoes.
You are weighed once. Only a lifter outside the class limits may go back to the scale — and must make weight within the 1.5 hours, or is out.
You can only weigh in for the class you were nominated in 21 days before the meet.
At weigh-in you declare your first attempt for all three lifts. Check your squat and bench rack heights before the start. [1]

IPF lifters must follow the IPF Anti-Doping Rules. A lifter under IPF suspension cannot post a qualifying total for world or continental championships, and a violation wipes that lifter's points from the team score. [1]

In India you must be available for testing, check every medicine against the Prohibited List, and apply to NADA for a TUE if you need a banned medicine. [6]

Gym supplements are a real risk: no supplement is 100% safe and strict liability applies — you are responsible for anything in your sample. [7]

04 Grassroots-to-elite pipeline

From the gym to the world championships

1Grassroots & local entry Under 14
2State to national breakthrough 14–18 · 19–23 · open
3Asian & World Championships All ages
4World Games Senior

The full Powerlifting roadmap has its own page

Every stage from first club to the international level, the detailed route, the age-by-age ladder and what to eat from stage 1, with sources.

📍 See The Journey / Full Roadmap

05 Training centres & cities

Where powerlifters train

SAI's Gandhinagar NCOE (Gujarat) lists powerlifting among its sports for para athletes. There is no NCOE for able-bodied powerlifting. [8]

Most lifters train in gyms. For competition, the bar and plates must be IPF-approved: discs from 1.25 kg to 25 kg, and collars of 2.5 kg each. [1]

06 Costume overheads, equipment & who pays

Belt, singlet, sleeves — and who pays

Personal kit — IPF rules [1]

Personal kit — IPF rules
Item	Rule
Singlet	One-piece, form-fitting, legs 3–25 cm long; straps over the shoulders in every lift; from an IPF-approved maker
T-shirt	Compulsory under the singlet in all three lifts; sleeves end below the deltoid, above the elbow
Belt (optional)	Worn outside the suit; max 10 cm wide and 13 mm thick
Knee sleeves	Single-ply neoprene, max 7 mm thick and 30 cm long; IPF-approved
Wrist wraps	Max 1 m long and 8 cm wide
Knee wraps	Max 2 m × 8 cm — Equipped meets only; never with sleeves
Shoes & socks	Indoor sports or lifting shoes, sole max 5 cm; shin-length socks for the deadlift

Singlets, belts, sleeves and wraps must come from makers on IPF's approved list. Hats are banned on the platform; a hijab is allowed. Education Margdarshan does not print shop prices — IPF publishes none. [1]

Who pays [9]

Who pays
Stage	Paid by	What you get
Elite prospect	TOPS Core Group	₹50,000 a month + approved training plan
Athlete in hardship	PDU National Welfare Fund	Up to ₹2.50 lakh

07 Earning channels & central job quotas

Sports-quota posts in 2026

Western Railway sports quota 2026-27 — powerlifting posts [11]

Western Railway sports quota 2026-27 — powerlifting posts
Level	Event / weight class	Posts
Level 3/2 — women	57 kg, +84 kg	1
Level 1 — men	66 kg, 74 kg, 93 kg, 120 kg	3

Powerlifting is one of the 65 sports for central Group C posts, with up to 5 years' age relaxation (10 for SC/ST). CRPF's 2026 sports quota had no powerlifting posts. [10][12]

Sports-quota job routes open in 2026 — age, qualifying results, pay [11][12]

Sports-quota job routes open in 2026 — age, qualifying results, pay
Route	Age	Main qualifying results	Pay level
Railways Level 5/4 (graduates)	18–25 on 1 Jan 2027	Played the Olympics, or top 3 at a World Cup, World Championship, Asian Games, Commonwealth Games or Youth Olympics	Level 5/4
Railways Level 3/2 (12th, or 10th + apprenticeship)	18–25 on 1 Jan 2027	Top 3 at Senior, Youth or Junior Nationals, National Games or All India Inter-University; or Federation Cup gold	Level 3/2
Railways Level 1	18–25 on 1 Jan 2027	Played for your state and finished at least 8th at Senior Nationals; or top 3 at the Federation Cup	Level 1
CRPF Head Constable (GD) (10+2)	18–23 on 1 Aug 2026; sportspersons get +5 years (OBC +8, SC/ST +10)	Played for India; or top 3 for your state at Nationals or National Games; or gold/silver at Junior Nationals	Level 4 · ₹25,500–81,100
CRPF Constable (GD) (10th pass)	18–23 on 1 Aug 2026; sportspersons get +5 years (OBC +8, SC/ST +10)	Played for your state at Senior or Junior Nationals; or top 3 at SGFI school nationals or Khelo India Games	Level 3 · ₹21,700–69,100

Railways count results from 1 April 2024; CRPF counts the two years before 30 September 2026. Railways fee ₹500 (₹400 back if you attend the trial; ₹250, refunded in full on attending, for SC/ST, women, PwBD, minorities, ex-servicemen and EBC). CRPF fee ₹100 for UR/OBC/EWS men; free for women, SC, ST and ex-servicemen. CRPF picks sign a ₹1 lakh bond to serve at least 3 years. [11][12]

08 Disqualification traps

Mistakes that turn a good lift red

Squat: not deep enough, double bouncing, moving the feet, or racking before the 'Rack' signal.
Bench: lifting the head, shoulders or buttocks, heaving or sinking the bar, the bar touching the belt, not locking the elbows, feet touching the bench or lifting off the floor.
Deadlift: the bar dips on the way up, resting the bar on the thighs, not standing erect, lowering before 'Down', or letting go of the bar on the way down.
Missing the referee's signal at the start or end of any lift. [1]

Missing weight by the end of the 1.5-hour weigh-in, or trying to weigh in for a class you were not nominated in 21 days earlier.
Kit not on the IPF approved list — a belt, sleeve or singlet that breaks the rules is not allowed on the platform. [1]

09 Real-world player doubts

Straight answers

Powerlifting or weightlifting — which one is in the Olympics?

Weightlifting (snatch and clean & jerk) is the Olympic sport. Powerlifting (squat, bench press, deadlift) is at The World Games, and para powerlifting is in the Paralympics. Both are on the DoPT list for sports-quota jobs. [3][2][10]

Which certificates will Railways accept for powerlifting?

Railways do not count results from events run by the Indian Powerlifting Federation or its units after 3 October 2017. Certificates issued by the Association of Indian Universities and the international federation are accepted. [11]

10 Official sources & verification

Where these facts come from

Every fact on this Education Margdarshan page is taken from the governing body's own rule book or a Government of India file below, read on 18 October 2026. Federations change rules, weight classes and scheme amounts — open the current file before you act on it.

International Powerlifting Federation — Technical Rulebook 2026 (effective 1 March 2026), v3 (opens in a new tab) Lifts and attempts, age and bodyweight categories, nominations, weigh-in, lights, plates, singlet, T-shirt, belt, shoes, knee sleeves, wraps, rules of performance and causes of disqualification, anti-doping · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
International World Games Association — The World Games 2025, Chengdu (opens in a new tab) Powerlifting at the World Games 2025 · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
LA28 — 2028 Olympic Games Plan (sports list) (opens in a new tab) LA28 sports list (powerlifting not included; weightlifting included) · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
Aichi-Nagoya 2026 Asian Games — Sports (opens in a new tab) 2026 Asian Games sports (powerlifting not included) · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
MYAS — Scheme of Cash Incentive to Medal Winners (amended 1 Feb 2025) (opens in a new tab) Eligible disciplines (para powerlifting World Championship listed; powerlifting not listed) · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
NADA India — Athlete's Rights & Responsibilities (opens in a new tab) Testing availability, Prohibited List, TUE · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
NADA India — Managing the Risk of Nutritional Supplements (opens in a new tab) Supplement risk, strict liability, food-first approach · Last checked 15 Oct 2026
SAI — Brief on Sports Promotional Schemes 2024-25 (opens in a new tab) Gandhinagar NCOE — powerlifting (para) · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
PIB — Financial Support to Athletes (5 Aug 2024) (opens in a new tab) TOPS, welfare fund · Last checked 17 Oct 2026
DoPT — Instructions on Recruitment/Promotion for Sportspersons (18 Nov 2022) (opens in a new tab) 65-sport list (Powerlifting, no. 40), age relaxation · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
Western Railway RRC — Employment Notice RRC/WR/01/2026 (Sports Quota), 27 Aug 2026 (opens in a new tab) Powerlifting posts (Level 3/2 women, Level 1 men); para 3.4.9 on Indian Powerlifting Federation certificates; age, fee, levels · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
CRPF — Recruitment of Meritorious Sportspersons, HC & Constable (GD), Sports Quota 2026 (Advt. R.II-21/2026-Sports, 17 Sep 2026) (opens in a new tab) 2026 disciplines (powerlifting not included); age, fee, pay · Last checked 18 Oct 2026
ICMR-National Institute of Nutrition — Dietary Guidelines for Indians (booklet), Guideline 8 (opens in a new tab) Cereal-pulse 3:1 protein quality, vegetarian and non-vegetarian protein sources; most athletes meet protein needs from food, protein powders unnecessary · Last checked 19 Oct 2026

Spotted something out of date? Email margdarshan07support10@gmail.com with the official link and Education Margdarshan will update it.