USAWA Deadlift Rules

Does the body need to be upright?  Can Sumo stance be used?

I have been involved with All-Round Weightlifting for four years and have officiated in 48 USAWA competitions, but the rules of the deadlift variations always require careful study of the rulebook.  I think a careful study of the rulebook is essential for every athlete, but especially those who choose to support the organization by officiating.

The question that most often comes up is does the body need to be upright?  The second question that comes up is hand position and whether the hands can be inside the legs?

My understanding of the traditional deadlift is that the body needs to be fully erect (knees locked, hips open, shoulder erect).  However, with one arm deadlifts, the shoulders do not need to be pulled erect.  This was likely due to limb length variation which may not allow the shoulders to be erect without interference with the groin if the bar were being straddled.

My understanding of the traditional deadlift is that the arms should be outside the legs.  However, arms inside the legs is often more comfortable for athletes based on limb length variation.  Given this variation and the opportunity for a very wide stance, the rule book typically states that the bar needs to be above the knees when the lift is completed.

As follows are the references in the rulebook.

  • The Rules of the Basic Movements – Deadlift (XII.A) states that legs are straight, shoulders erect and bar motionless.  It also mentions that any hand spacing may be used.
  • Deadlift – One Arm (B13) Bar must be raised to a point where both ends of the bar are above the knees, but the shoulders do not need to be pulled erect or the body straight as long as the legs are straight.
  • Deadlift – Stiff Legged (B16) This is the first mention that arms are allowed to be inside the legs.
  • Deadlift – Dumbbell, One Arm (E13) refers back to Deadlift – One Arm (legs straight, shoulders not erect)
  • Bavarian Deadlift (H4) – lifter has to use Sumo stance
  • Lurich Lift (H12) – Sumo stance is not allowed
  • Saxon Deadlift (H14) – Rules of Deadlift (legs straight, shoulders erect)
  • Deadlift – 3” Bar (I4) – Rules of Deadlift (legs straight, shoulders erect)
  • Deadlift – Fulton Dumbbell One Arm (I7) refers back to Deadlift – Dumbbell, One Arm refers back to Deadlift One – Arm (legs straight, shoulder not erect)
  • Deadlift – Inch Dumbbell One Arm (I8) refers back to Deadlift – Dumbbell, One Arm refers back to Deadlift One – Arm (legs straight, shoulder not erect)
  • Pinch Grip Deadlift (I15) legs straight and body erect
  • Travis Lift (I24) shoulders and torso do not need to be upright
  • Vertical Bar Deadlift – 1 Bar, 1”, One Hand (I26) legs straight and knees locked, but shoulders and body do not need to be erect.  Lifting hand must be above mid-thigh.

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2026 Annual Meeting

The annual meeting is now only two months away. The annual meeting is confirmed for Friday, June 26. It will be held at D. Rowe’s Restaurant and Bar at 1005 Club Village Drive. Doors open at 4 PM and the evening will start at 5 PM.

New Lifts

None have been proposed and approved by the Executive Board

New lifts proposals must be sent to usawasec@gmail.com by May 28th to be considered by the Executive Board.  Historically the Executive Board has considered (1) is it a new lift, (2) does it represent an all-round movement, (3) can it be performed properly by the majority of members as described in this article by Al Myers.

Officer Reports

Officers and Special Assignment Directors should consider submitting their reports in writing to usawasec@gmail.com prior to the meeting.  This is not a requirement and during the past few annual meetings, reports have been given ad hoc during the annual meeting.

Treasurer Report – Bill Clark

Website Director Report – [by acting Secretary – Sanjiv Gupta] The website continues to be produced in WordPress with content being published by a handful of trusted servants.  The domain is registered with Network Solutions.  Curtis Cooper continues as the consultant that maintains the website and resolves issues.  The website was down earlier this year due to high volume access from overseas.  The website is now only accessible from the United States, UK, Australia and New Zealand.  No changes are planned for the upcoming year.

Awards Director – Tony Lupo

Record Director – Tony Lupo

Drug Enforcement Director – [vacant] – Two drug tests were performed at the 2025 National Championship.  One was positive, one was negative.  Once a new Director is appointed, they can establish an MRO account.

Officials Director – Joe Garcia

Postal Meet Director – Denny Habecker

Social media Director – [vacant] – Facebook continues to be the primary social media platform.  It is a private group with 497 members.  Aside from USAWA business and announcement, some content is generated by non-USAWA members regarding historic all-round weightlifting and general odd lifting.  Reddit is active with minimal content.  The Instagram pages have been archived. 

Override Executive Board Decisions

Sanjiv Gupta intends to motion to delete Rule “Meet directors reserve the right to remove any athlete due to disruptive behavior.”  This rule was created on July 27, 2025 unanimously by the three-person board of Clint Poore, Tony Lupo and Kyle Frappier.  I don’t think it is necessary and can be used to by meet directors to discriminate against athletes.

Sanjiv Gupta intends to motion to delete addendum to Section IX sub-section 4 “at the meet director’s discretion, including all USAWA national events.” This addendum was created July 27, 2025 unanimously by the three-person board of Clint Poore, Tony Lupo and Kyle Frappier.  Official scoring is required per the National Championship guidelines Section X subsection 9 and this addendum creates a conflicting rule.  The 33% gender allowance was unanimously passed at the 2024 Annual Meeting to align the USAWA with the IAWA and allow for women to be part of a larger competitive field and should not be overridden by three male board members.

New Business

Sanjiv intends to motion to delete Rule VI. Equipment 27. “A certified scale is required for weigh-ins in competitions or events where records are set.  It may weigh in either pounds or kilograms. A scale certificate must be present with the scales and must not be older than 1 year.” Rationale – Modern digital bathroom scales are very accurate and I have not seen a scale certification in any of the events I have competed in.

Sanjiv intends to motion to remove “Level 1 – Experienced Qualified Officials” VII.9 and VII.15.  Experienced qualified officials gain Level 1 status by sitting in the chair next to a certified official for 25 competitions.  This has not been utilized since I have been in the organization and is unlikely to be documented and tracked well.  There is an argument for keeping it if an aspiring official does not have English language proficiency.

Sanjiv intends to motion to change the rules on the Habecker Lift. The new rule for height is consistent with the other OTSM lifts and removes the potential mobility challenge of taking the bar directly from the supports.

Current Rule: “The bar will be placed at a height of one third the lifters height, measured to the bottom of the bar. The lift begins at the lifters discretion. The lifter will take the bar in the inside of the elbows between the upper arms and lower arms as in the Zercher Lift. The bar is lifted to a position where the lifter is standing fully upright with legs straight and shoulders erect. The feet must not move position during the lift, but the heels and toes may rise. It is an infraction if the bar is supported by the lifters belt. Once upright and motionless, an official will give the down command. A one minute time limit is allowed for the lifter to make a legal lift, during which time a lifter may make multiple tries. No padding of any kind is allowed on the bar or on the lifters arms. The bar must be returned to the supports under control.”

New Rule: “The bar will be placed at a height no greater than one third the lifters height, measured to the bottom of the bar. The lift begins at the lifters discretion. The lifter will secure the bar in the inside of the elbows between the upper arms and lower arms as in the Zercher Lift either directly from the supports or after deadlifting and lowering the bar to the thighs. The bar is lifted to a position where the lifter is standing fully upright with legs straight and shoulders erect. The feet must not move position during the lift, but the heels and toes may rise. It is an infraction if the bar is supported by the lifters belt. Once upright and motionless, an official will give the down command. A one minute time limit is allowed for the lifter to make a legal lift, during which time a lifter may make multiple tries. No padding of any kind is allowed on the bar or on the lifters arms. The bar must be returned to the supports under control.”

New business should be specific with references to the appropriate section of the Rulebook or By-Laws for which the change is being proposed.

Some members have expressed concerns with non-United States based athletes being full members and able to set and hold United States records, but no specific agenda item has been brought forward.

The USAWA 5th Annual Bench Press Heptathlon and Record Day Results**

Last weekend was the 5th Annual Bench Press Heptathlon and Record Day. The meet also features three special events. Eight lifters participated from two different gyms, six from Clark’s Gym and two from High Country Vigour. One of the lifts was a standard feet on the ground bench press for which, of course, we do not keep records. The other events were Alternate Grip, Reverse Grip, and Close Grip Bench Press as well as the Feet in the Air and One Arm Left and Right Bench Presses. The optional single events were the Reg Park Bench Press, and everyone’s favorite, the Roman Chair Bench Press, and finally the Bench Press “Rampage”.

On the Women’s side, two familiar combatants went head-to-head. Janet Thompson won the event, setting three records, including an impressive 65 lb Reverse Grip Press. She totaled 325 lb total and set three new records along the way. Allison Lupo debuted in the 60 year old age category totaling 340 lbs, getting the most raw weight, and setting four new records of her own. That included a Reverse Grip Press – a lift matching Janet’s 65 lb lift. In the special event lifts, Janet Thompson braved the Reg Park Bench Press to grab the 1st place certificate. Allison Lupo followed up with the 1st place certificate in the Rampage throwing up 15 lb a total of 53 times in one minute, a grand total of 795 lb. It was enough to edge Janet’s 10 lb at 64 (64!) reps which made it a great competition!

On the Men’s side, mighty Jeff Wenzel ran away with his second straight title finishing nearly 400 lb in raw weight ahead of the competition, translating to 335 age and weight adjusted points. Jeff still set three new records – impressive considering his competition was last year’s version of himself. After Jeff, the competition was stiff and a mere 41 Lynch points separated 2nd place from 4th place (3.3%). In that cluster, it was High Country Vigour’s Jarrod Fobes who came out ahead of Clark’s Gym lifter Tony Lupo. Jarrod pushed up 35 lb more weight and hung on by just over six Lynch points for 2nd. Both lifters improved by quite a bit over last year (17% and 26% by Jarrod and Tony, respectively), shaking off injuries which held them back a year ago. Jarrod set two new records including a Reverse Grip Bench Press that was tied for his best lift. Tony set records in all six record eligible lifts. The young Riley Wenzel finished a close 4th, with three new records to his credit. In spite of a slight off day, Riley was nearly 100 lb better than last year, an improvement of just over 8%. David DeForest put in a strong showing, a day that included both One Arm Bench Press records. Sanjiv Gupta was not to be left out of the strong improvement category, lifting nearly 100 lb (13%) more than last year. This included four new records to his name!

The Men’s special event results were very competitive as Jeff Wenzel performed a 251 lb Roman Chair Bench press, the best ever! Tony Lupo then edged Riley Wenzel for 2nd by two points in one of our favorite lifts! Moving on to the Reg Park event, the father-son team, Jeff and Riley Wenzel finished 1st and 2nd, respectively, while Tony Lupo edged teammate David DeForest by two points for 3rd place. In the Rampage, Riley Wenzel pulled off one of the most amazing feats of the day, a 5200 lb total (65 lb for 80 reps) finishing well ahead of the pack for 1st place. Second and third were only eight Lynch points apart, David DeForest getting 2nd (55 lbs for 58 reps), and Jarrod Fobes in 3rd (95 lb for 40 reps). All the great lifting and record day efforts were enough to have us looking forward to next year!

** One more competitor was added after I found their results in an e-mail account I very rarely use.

5th Annual Bench Press Heptathlon and Record DayDownload

2026 1st Quarter Postal

This year’s 1st Postal had 20 men and 4 women taking part. Barry Bryan led the men and Kim Van Wagner topped the women.

January 1 thru March 31 All lifts and BDWTS are in pounds. Records are marked with an *.

The lifts- Snatch -One Arm, Bench Press-Reverse Grip, and Deadlift- 2 Bars.

One Hand lifts are Right Hand unless marked with an L.

NameAgeBDWTCLASSSnatchBPDeadliftTotalPoints
Barry Bryan6817580 KG.83.77*198.41*352.73634.92809.85
Jeff Wenzel51228105 KG.105275430810754.97
Riley Wenzel2115675KG.85225410720747.58
Nils T. Larson67241110 KG.55211*322*588701.52
Anthony Hose57215100 KG.85-L*275320*670678.97
Dave DeForest6617985 KG.65-L*155330550670.20
Dave Hahn8813365 KG.2785220332661.32
Travis Luther3317380 KG.85225365675655.76
Dan Jones4219290 KG.76225380*681641.80
Anthony R. Lupo60243115 KG.85-L*220*340*645628.42
John Carter6720095 KG.65100*350*515597.60
Randy Smith71199.595 KG. 70-L140270480593.04
Wade Marchand5616275 KG.45-L*156*280*481570.93
Barry Pensyl7812560 KG.35-L75196306563.91
Denny Habecker8317680 KG.33.069110.23*198.414341.713553.57
Jarrod Fobes4820995 KG.75-L255*200*530503.75
Mike Locondro63217100 KG.44.09288.184308.644440.92467.19
Kim Van Wagner5812860 KG.1585150250452.88
Jessica Hopps4115875 KG.41*85*198*324450.48
Sanjiv Gupta54208.195 KG.5995290444446.57
Jerome Licini67235.4110 KG.50-L120230400423.85
Janet Thompson6816575 KG.25*55170*250413.20
Frank Ciavattone71271125 KG.55121198374393.49
Allison Lupo59196.590 KG.2070*170260359.09

LIFTERS WITH NO CERTIFIED OFFICIALS-Jerome Licini, Kim Van Wagner, Barry Pensyl, Randy Smith, and Dave Hahn.

Heavy Lift Championship

The Heavy Lift Championships have the longest history aside from the National Championships.  The first event was promoted October 30, 1994, by Bill Clark and won by John Carter and Kerry Clark.  Eight records still stand from that event including Bill Clark’s 1200-pound Back Lift and Kerry Clark’s 1460-pound Back Lift.  The meet included at least the Harness Lift, Hip Lift and Neck Lift as well.

An article by Dale Friesz in 2010 lists all the Heavy Lift Competitions which have included Heavy Lift Championships, Schmidt’s Backbreaker Pentathlon (since 1987), and the Strongman Pentathlon (1986 & 1988).  In recent years, The New England Heavy Lift Classic (2024 & 2025) could be added to that list.

Historically, five lifts were contested as part of the Heavy Lift Championship.  The website has a great write up on the 2011 event which was cut down to three lifts due to venue time constraints at York Barbell.  I assume, the Back Lift was removed due to needing a dedicated apparatus for a Back Lift which is not always easy to fabricate or move around.  Similarly, the Harness Lift requires hand supports to achieve a true max effort.

HIP LIFT – Men’s records in the range of 2000-2500 pounds; women’s records in the range of 800-1200 pounds

Men’s Hip Lift Records
Women’s Hip Lift Records

NECK LIFT – Men’s records in the range of 500 to 800 pounds with some extreme outliers. Women’s records are lighter, but I do need to highlight Kerry Clark’s 555-pound Neck Lift in 1995. The next highest women’s record is 400-pounds by Jacqueline Caron in 1992. In the last decade, the heaviest women’s neck lift was 325 pounds by Cassie Morrison in 2016.

Men’s Neck Lift Records
Women’s Neck Lift Records

HAND & THIGH – Men’s records are around 1500 pounds. Women’s records are around 800 pounds.

Men’s Hand & Thigh Records
Women’s Hand & Thigh Records

In recent years, the top lifts at the heavy lift contests have been lower. The athletes are lifting amazing numbers, but they are a fraction of the weights lifted by athletes in the first decades of the organization.

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