Contest Rules

One continuous, unedited shot from before the lift starts until after it's finished. No cuts, no speed changes, no transitions.

The full lift and the full bar must be visible for the entire attempt — both ends of the bar, plates and collars clearly in frame. Film from an angle that shows the judging criteria for the lift (depth for squats, chest contact for bench, lockout for deadlifts).

Post it anywhere public — YouTube, Instagram, TikTok — and submit the link. The video must stay up; if the link dies, the lift comes off the board.

This isn't a federation meet. There are no red lights for style — a lift counts when the weight actually moves through the full lift:

Back squat — barbell on the back, hips descend below the top of the knee (below parallel), then stand back up. High-bar or low-bar both count.

Bench press — bar touches the chest, then presses to full elbow lockout. Touch-and-go, pause, whatever — just touch and lock it out.

Deadlift — bar from the floor to standing: knees locked, hips through. Hitch it, grind it, take all day — if it gets to lockout, it counts. Conventional or sumo.

Overhead press — any ground-to-overhead: clean and press, push press, log, axle, barbell — all fair. Finish with arms fully extended overhead and the weight under control.

Farmer's hold — a weight in each hand, held at your sides for one full minute, standing upright. The score is the combined weight of both implements, and the clock plus the full hold must be visible in the video. Set it down at 0:59 and it's zero.

Run what you brung. Belts, sleeves, wraps, straps, suits, bench shirts, slingshots — all fine. Chalk away. We want to see the most weight moved, and we'll see your gear in the video either way.

The one line that matters: you move the weight. No spotter assistance on the lift (hands on the bar = no lift), no rack pins or blocks shortening the movement, standard bars and full-size plates.

Every pound counts. A gym's division total (men's / women's) is its single best approved lift in each of the five events — squat, bench press, deadlift, overhead press, and the farmer's hold — and the five records can belong to five different members. Combined = men's total + women's total, and the combined number decides the national and state crowns.

Athletes are ranked by their own best-per-event total, and — when a bodyweight is submitted — on the pound-for-pound board using DOTS, the bodyweight-adjusted powerlifting score (computed from the squat + bench + deadlift subtotal, since that's what DOTS is calibrated for).

Rankings are computed from verified lifts only. Nothing about a ranking is for sale.

Every submission is reviewed by a judge against these standards before it counts. Judges may approve, reject with a reason, or — for record-level or disputed attempts — request additional verification (for example, a plate check on camera) before approval.

Anyone can dispute an approved lift from the lift's row on a gym or athlete page. Disputes are reviewed by a human judge; an upheld dispute removes the lift. Fabricated submissions — fake plates, edited footage, misstated weights — can cost a gym or athlete every entry on the board.

Men's and women's divisions for every lift. Athletes compete for the gym where the lift was performed. Accounts are for adults 18+; lifts by athletes 13–17 may be submitted by a parent, guardian, or gym owner with documented parental consent — see the minors policy.

Max-effort lifting is dangerous. Read the assumption of risk — every attempt is your own decision, made under conditions you and your gym control. Use spotters, collars, and racks.