Bench press standards IPF, WPC, AWPC

Powerlifting is a strength sport in which the main task of athletes is to lift the heaviest weight possible. To find out what path this sport has taken in Russia and the world, read this article.

Everyone who is a fan of the sport of powerlifting knows how spectacular powerlifting competitions are and what kind of strength the athletes embody. We will tell you how powerlifting appeared and what changes it has undergone over its history in this article.

Powerlifting competitions involve performing only three exercises (the second name of the sport is powerlifting): the bench press, squats and deadlifts.

Bench press standards - summary tables of various powerlifting federations with comments

Standards for the bench press without equipment, in single-layer (soft) and multi-layer equipment, are category standards adopted by one or another federation and fixed based on the results of official competitive events (tournaments) of the appropriate level. This means that bench press standards can only be met within the framework of competitions where representatives of one or another sports organization (federation) are present with the right to issue a rank book or certificate.

Bench press standards for masters and masters of masters can be met at regional competitions. Competitions awarding a rank up to MKMS usually have an All-Russian level, or are equivalent to it. The title of “Sports Elite” with a result corresponding to the bench press standards of a particular federation can only be obtained at international competitions (for example, the European Cup or the World Championship).

There are standards for bench presses without doping control and with passing a doping test. Of course, for objective reasons, doping standards are lower. Also, the standards for bench press without equipment are significantly lower than the standards for equipment divisions (after all, even a single-layer T-shirt adds an average of 50-80 kilograms to an athlete’s natural bench press).

However, a key point that beginner athletes often do not take into account is that different powerlifting federations have different standards for the bench press and other exercises. The difficulty here is that in order to fulfill the rank standards within the framework of an event held by a particular federation, you need to be a member of it (sometimes membership is paid). At the same time, some federations prohibit their members from performing at events of other federations (usually violation of this rule leads to the deprivation of all sports titles). All these points must be clarified with the regional representative of the organization before participating in the competition.

Exercise technique

First, let's figure out the exercise technique.

You will be able to lift the weight you choose, regardless of whether you have large pectoral muscles or not, if you try to use all muscle groups during the bench press. By conditioning your back, shoulders, and legs, you'll be able to work harder than ever before, allowing your chest muscles to develop faster.

The bench press exercise page explains in detail the role of each muscle group involved in the exercise. Next, we'll present the optimal strategy for working your muscles together to turn you into a true benching machine.

IPF Bench Press Standards

In the Russian Federation, the international organization IPF (International Powerlifting Federation) is represented by the FPR (Russian Powerlifting Federation). This organization is state-owned, participation in its competitions is always absolutely free. However, the IPF standards are considered the most serious and difficult to implement; they are significantly higher than the standards of other federations. Please note: the IPF/FPR assigns ranks and titles only in powerlifting, but not in its individual elements.

In other words, there are no standards for the IPF bench press, because this federation holds competitions only in powerlifting (bench press, squat, deadlift) and there are only general standards for the sum of results in three disciplines. However, at all tournaments, competition between participants is carried out within each discipline. That is, an athlete can, at his own discretion, perform only one exercise and take a prize in a specific discipline, but in this case he cannot count on being awarded a sports category or title.

On what basis are ranks and titles obtained?

In the official organization of the FPR, official titles are assigned from the 3rd youth category according to the ZMS. However, in alternative federations such as the NAP, the title of “Elite” appeared between the MSMK and the ZMS. As stated above, standards implemented in alternative federations will not be recognized as official.

Categories up to the Master of Masters level (inclusive) are assigned at competitions starting from the city level and above.
CMS (candidate master of sports) can be obtained at competitions, starting with city and regional competitions.
MS (Master of Sports) - the title can be obtained starting from championships at the level of federal districts, zonal competitions and ending with all-Russian competitions. However, the category is recognized as valid only if there are judges who have a category not lower than the All-Russian one and will record your result.
MSMK (master of sports of international class) - as is clear from the category, is awarded only at international level competitions.
WPC Russia ELITE title - to be assigned a rank you must pass the WPO category.
The title of ZMS (Honored Master of Sports) is counted for victory at the European and World Championships.

It can also be mentioned that all AWPC category standards, completed at the level up to CMS, are given for a certain amount of time, most often it is 1 year, after which this title must be confirmed. All standards fulfilled above the KMS are not temporary and do not require annual confirmation of results.

Also, in addition to divisions, there are age categories in which there are nuances for obtaining ranks. For example, the fulfillment of categories, starting with CMS and above, is allowed only from 14 years of age, and assignment of MS and above - from 16 years of age.

WPC and AWPC Bench Press Standards

In the Russian Federation, the WPC (World Powerlifting Congress) is represented by the Russian Powerlifting Organization (OPR), which is also the official representative of a number of alternative federations, including GPC, WPF, WPA and WPU.

Please note: the standards for the WPC bench press are the same, there is no division with or without doping control. That is, doping tests are not carried out at such competitions at all. However, there is a division into divisions without equipment, in single-layer and in multi-layer equipment, the standards for them are different. At the same time, in all federations there is a division in the norms for men and women. Of course, bench press standards for women are always lower, regardless of the presence or absence of a doping test.

Below are the ranking standards that apply to all tournaments held by the OPR as of 2022.

Sports nutrition for effective training

Taking sports supplements - proteins, vitamins, arginine, creatine, and amino acids - will help you increase your power. These sports nutrition products are specifically formulated to improve performance in sports and fitness for men and women. Just add it to your diet and go ahead to conquer new heights.

Multi-component protein	It is a source of protein of different origins, which allows you to diversify the amino acid composition and make it more unique. Building material for muscles.
Creatine	Participates in energy metabolism in muscle and nerve cells. Widely used to increase strength, muscle mass and short-term anaerobic endurance.
BCAAs	Allows muscle fibers to recover faster and provides building material for the growth of lean muscle mass.
Arginine	Flushes lactate out of muscle fiber and increases performance during training. Acts as a nitrogen donor before muscle growth.
Vitamin-mineral complex	During intense physical activity, vitamins and minerals are consumed by the body faster. They are also responsible for protein synthesis and are the engine of metabolic processes.
Dough booster	It will increase the production of your own testosterone, the male sex hormone necessary for the growth and development of muscle muscles.

Unequipped WPC Bench Press Standards

Men

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
52	150	130	112.5	97.5	87.5	77.5	67.5	55	45
56	162.5	140	122.5	105	95	85	72.5	60	47.5
60	175	150	130	115	102.5	92.5	77.5	65	52.5
67.5	195	167.5	147.5	127.5	115	102.5	87.5	72.5	57.5
75	212.5	182.5	160	140	125	112.5	95	80	65
82.5	227.5	197.5	170	147.5	132.5	120	102.5	85	67.5
90	240	207.5	180	157.5	140	125	107.5	90	72.5
100	252.5	220	190	165	147.5	132.5	115	95	75
110	265	227.5	197.5	172.5	155	140	120	100	80
125	275	240	207.5	180	162.5	145	125	105	82.5
140	285	247.5	215	187.5	167.5	150	130	107.5	85
140+	292.5	252.5	220	192.5	172.5	155	132.5	110	87.5

Women

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
44	75	65	55	47.5	42.5	40	35	27.5	22.5
48	82.5	70	62.5	55	47.5	42.5	37.5	30	25
52	90	77.5	67.5	60	52.5	47.5	40	35	27.5
56	97.5	85	72.5	65	57.5	52.5	45	37.5	30
60	105	90	77.5	67.5	62.5	55	47.5	40	32.5
67.5	117.5	100	87.5	75	67.5	60	52.5	42.5	35
75	125	110	95	82.5	75	67.5	57.5	47.5	37.5
82.5	135	115	100	87.5	77.5	70	60	50	40
90	140	122.5	105	92.5	82.5	75	62.5	52.5	42.5
90+	145	125	110	95	85	75	65	55	45

WDFPF/RDFPF (Russia)

— A doping-free federation. For the use of dope - lifelong disqualification.

Class standards WDFPF-RDFPF powerlifting

click on the picture to enlarge

Rank standards WDFPF-RDFPF powerlifting veterans

click on the picture to enlarge

Single Layer WPC Bench Press Guidelines

Men

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
52	157.5	137.5	120	102.5	92.5	82.5	72.5	60	47.5
56	172.5	150	130	112.5	102.5	90	77.5	65	52.5
60	187.5	162.5	142.5	122.5	110	100	85	70	57.5
67.5	210	180	157.5	137.5	122.5	110	95	77.5	62.5
75	232.5	200	175	152.5	137.5	122.5	105	87.5	70
82.5	252.5	220	190	165	147.5	132.5	115	95	77.5
90	272.5	235	205	177.5	160	142.5	122.5	102.5	82.5
100	292.5	252.5	220	192.5	172.5	155	132.5	110	87.5
110	310	267.5	232.5	202.5	182.5	162.5	140	117.5	92.5
125	330	285	247.5	215	192.5	172.5	147.5	125	100
140	345	297.5	260	225	202.5	180	155	130	102.5
140+	355	307.5	267.5	232.5	210	187.5	160	135	107.5

Women

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
44	80	70	60	52.5	47.5	42.5	37.5	30	25
48	90	77.5	67.5	60	52.5	47.5	40	35	27.5
52	100	85	75	65	57.5	52.5	45	37.5	30
56	107.5	92.5	80	70	62.5	57.5	47.5	40	32.5
60	115	100	87.5	75	67.5	60	52.5	42.5	35
67.5	130	112.5	97.5	85	75	67.5	57.5	47.5	40
75	140	122.5	105	92.5	82.5	75	62.5	52.5	42.5
82.5	150	130	112.5	97.5	87.5	80	67.5	57.5	45
90	160	137.5	120	105	92.5	82.5	72.5	60	47.5
90+	162.5	142.5	122.5	107.5	95	85	75	62.5	50

WPC bench press standards in multi-layer equipment

Men

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
52	165	142.5	125	107.5	97.5	87.5	75	62.5	50
56	180	155	135	117.5	105	95	82.5	67.5	55
60	195	170	147.5	127.5	115	102.5	87.5	72.5	60
67.5	225	192.5	167.5	147.5	132.5	117.5	100	85	67.5
75	250	215	187.5	162.5	145	130	112.5	92.5	75
82.5	272.5	235	205	177.5	160	142.5	122.5	102.5	82.5
90	292.5	252.5	220	190	170	152.5	132.5	110	87.5
100	312.5	270	235	205	185	165	142.5	117.5	95
110	332.5	287.5	250	217.5	195	175	150	125	100
125	352.5	305	265	230	207.5	185	160	132.5	105
140	370	320	277.5	242.5	217.5	195	167.5	137.5	110
140+	382.5	330	287.5	250	222.5	200	172.5	142.5	115

Women

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
44	87.5	77.5	67.5	57.5	52.5	47.5	40	32.5	27.5
48	97.5	85	75	65	57.5	52.5	45	37.5	30
52	107.5	95	82.5	70	62.5	57.5	50	40	32.5
56	117.5	102.5	87.5	77.5	70	62.5	52.5	45	35
60	127.5	110	95	82.5	75	67.5	57.5	47.5	37.5
67.5	142.5	122.5	107.5	92.5	82.5	75	65	52.5	42.5
75	155	132.5	115	100	90	82.5	70	57.5	47.5
82.5	165	142.5	125	107.5	97.5	87.5	75	62.5	50
90	175	150	130	115	102.5	92.5	77.5	65	52.5
90+	180	155	135	117.5	105	95	80	67.5	55

The given standards for living lying down WPC have been in effect since 2012 to the present day. There are no plans to change these standards and correspond to the category standards of international organizations, the representative of which on the territory of Russia is OPR.

The AWPC Federation (Amateur World Powerlifting Congress) is a structural division of the WPC (the prefix “amateur” indicates the amateur level of the competition). Their representative in Russia is also OPR. The peculiarity of the competitions of this organization is that the AWPC bench press standards are lower than the WPC standards (the same applies to other exercises). In addition, all participants in tournaments held under AWPC standards may be subject to mandatory doping testing.

The test is forced on 10% of participants, who are selected impartially by a committee of judges. Important note: if an athlete has fulfilled the standard for Master of Sports or higher, but has not been subject to forced testing, in order to receive the title he must pass the test and pay in full (at the moment (January 2017) this is 7,500 rubles). Otherwise, his result is recorded, according to the result he can take a prize place, but he does not receive a title until he passes a doping test. Failure of the test results in lifetime disqualification.

Russian bench press records

Russian bench press is a fairly young sport; the first competitions in it took place less than 20 years ago. But this makes it no less interesting and spectacular. He already has his own records, which modern athletes strive to break.

Achievements of female athletes

The following results are relevant for spring 2022:

Table: records among girls under 15 years old

Bar weight	Number of repetitions	Last name of the athlete
25 kg	97	Mozharovskaya D.P.
35 kg	91	Kostina I.S.
45 kg	35	Dluzhnevskaya V.S.
55 kg	35	Dluzhnevskaya V.S.

Table: records among girls under 18 years old inclusive

Bar weight	Number of repetitions	Last name of the sportswoman
35 kg	107	Doskhoeva M.B.
45 kg	35	Dluzhnevskaya V.S.
55 kg	35	Dluzhnevskaya V.S.

Table: records among women

Bar weight	Number of repetitions	Last name of the athlete
35 kg	125	Zoshchik M.V.
45 kg	83	Murashova N.E.
55 kg	52	Zoshchik M.V.
65 kg	23	Zaugolova Yu.V.
75 kg	23	Zaugolova Yu.V.

Achievements of male athletes

The following results are relevant for spring 2022:

Table: records among boys under 13 years old

Bar weight	Number of repetitions	Athlete's last name
25 kg	123	Shilin D.N.
35 kg	58	Novikov I.V.
45 kg	35	Novikov I.V.
55 kg	10	Novikov I.V.

Table: records among boys under 15 years old

Bar weight	Number of repetitions	Athlete's last name
35 kg	155	Osipov V.S.
45 kg	84	Tsvetkov A.A.
55 kg	81	Abakshin M.S.
75 kg	42	Kudaev A.A.
100 kg	20	Kudaev A.A.
125 kg	8	Kudaev A.A.

Table: records among boys under 18 years of age

Bar weight	Number of repetitions	Athlete's last name
45 kg	134	Efremenko S.N.
55 kg	125	Andreev E.I.
75 kg	59	Epikhin I.P.
100 kg	33	Terekhov M.N.
125 kg	13	Kudaev A.A.
150 kg	10	Serbin A.A.

Table: records among men

Bar weight	Number of repetitions	Athlete's last name
55 kg	191	Pleshivtsev S.M.
75 kg	117	Galtsov A.V.
100 kg	90	Galtsov A.V.
125 kg	62	Galtsov A.V.
150 kg	41	Galtsov A.V.
175 kg	22	Galtsov A.V.
200 kg	11	Larionov O.P.

AWPC Unequipped Bench Press Standards

Men

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
52	127.5	110	95	82.5	75	67.5	57.5	47.5	37.5
56	137.5	120	102.5	90	80	72.5	62.5	52.5	42.5
60	147.5	127.5	112.5	97.5	87.5	77.5	67.5	55	45
67.5	165	142.5	125	107.5	97.5	87.5	75	62.5	50
75	180	155	135	117.5	105	95	82.5	67.5	55
82.5	192.5	167.5	145	127.5	112.5	102.5	87.5	72.5	57.5
90	202.5	175	152.5	132.5	120	107.5	92.5	77.5	60
100	215	185	162.5	140	125	112.5	97.5	80	65
110	225	195	167.5	147.5	132.5	117.5	100	85	67.5
125	235	202.5	177.5	152.5	137.5	122.5	105	87.5	70
140	242.5	210	182.5	157.5	142.5	127.5	110	90	72.5
140+	250	215	187.5	162.5	145	130	112.5	92.5	75

Women

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
44	62.5	55	47.5	40	37.5	32.5	27.5	22.5	20
48	70	60	52.5	45	40	37.5	32.5	27.5	22.5
52	77.5	67.5	57.5	50	45	40	35	30	25
56	82.5	72.5	62.5	55	47.5	42.5	37.5	32.5	27.5
60	90	77.5	67.5	57.5	52.5	47.5	40	35	30
67.5	100	85	75	65	57.5	52.5	45	37.5	32.5
75	107.5	92.5	80	70	62.5	57.5	47.5	40	35
82.5	115	97.5	85	75	67.5	60	52.5	42.5	37.5
90	120	102.5	90	77.5	70	62.5	55	45	40
90+	122.5	107.5	92.5	80	72.5	65	57.5	47.5	42.5

Single Layer AWPC Bench Press Standards

Men

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
52	135	115	100	87.5	80	70	60	50	40
56	147.5	127.5	110	97.5	87.5	77.5	67.5	55	45
60	160	137.5	120	105	95	85	72.5	60	47.5
67.5	177.5	152.5	132.5	115	105	92.5	80	67.5	52.5
75	197.5	170	147.5	130	115	105	90	75	60
82.5	215	187.5	162.5	140	127.5	112.5	97.5	80	65
90	230	200	175	150	135	122.5	105	87.5	70
100	247.5	215	187.5	162.5	140	127.5	112.5	92.5	75
110	262.5	227.5	197.5	172.5	155	137.5	117.5	100	80
125	280	242.5	210	182.5	165	147.5	125	105	85
140	292.5	252.5	220	192.5	172.5	155	132.5	110	87.5
140+	302.5	262.5	227.5	197.5	177.5	160	137.5	115	90

Women

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
44	67.5	60	52.5	45	40	35	30	25	22.5
48	77.5	65	57.5	50	45	40	35	30	25
52	85	72.5	62.5	55	50	45	37.5	32.5	27.5
56	92.5	80	67.5	60	52.5	47.5	40	35	30
60	97.5	85	75	65	57.5	52.5	45	37.5	32.5
67.5	110	95	82.5	72.5	65	57.5	50	42.5	35
75	120	102.5	90	77.5	70	62.5	55	45	37.5
82.5	127.5	110	97.5	85	75	67.5	57.5	47.5	40
90	135	117.5	102.5	87.5	80	70	60	50	42.5
90+	140	120	105	90	82.5	72.5	62.5	52.5	45

Weight categories in powerlifting

In powerlifting, there are certain weight categories according to which athletes compete among themselves:

Weight categories for men
: 53kg, 59kg, 66kg, 74kg, 83kg, 93kg, 105kg, 120kg, 120kg +
Weight categories for women
: 44kg, 48kg, 52kg, 56kg, 60kg, 67.5kg, 75kg, 82.5kg, 90kg, 90kg +

Powerlifting in the World Games is carried out under the auspices of the IPF federation. Participants are divided not according to the usual weight categories, but according to weight groups. So, for women, the first group includes athletes weighing 44-52 kg, the second 56-67.5 kg and the third over 75 kg. For men, the first group is 52-66 kg, the second 74-90 kg and the third over 100 kg. The winners in each group are determined by the Wilks coefficient.

Bench Press AWPC Standards in Multi-Ply Equipment

Men

Weight category	Elite	MSMK	MS	KMS	I	II	III	I junior	II junior
52	140	120	105	92.5	82.5	72.5	62.5	52.5	42.5
56	152.5	132.5	115	100	90	80	70	57.5	45
60	167.5	145	125	110	97.5	87.5	75	62.5	50
67.5	190	165	142.5	125	112.5	100	85	72.5	57.5
75	212.5	182.5	160	137.5	125	112.5	95	80	62.5
82.5	230	200	172.5	150	135	122.5	105	87.5	70
90	247.5	215	185	162.5	145	130	112.5	92.5	75
100	267.5	230	200	175	155	140	120	100	80
110	282.5	242.5	212.5	185	165	147.5	127.5	105	85
125	300	260	225	195	175	157.5	135	112.5	90
140	312.5	270	235	205	185	165	142.5	117.5	95
140+	325	280	245	212.5	190	170	147.5	122.5	97.5