All,
There has been an important rule change that was approved by the USA Powerlifting Executive Committee on February 23, 2023 and is effective immediately.
The wording of the rules regarding AR attempts that are less than 2.5kg increments (i.e., chipping) is as follows:
[Current rule that remains in effect] An American record attempt must exceed the existing listed record by a minimum of 0.5kg in order for the lifter to be credited with the record.
[Change to the rule] Any lifter who is eligible to attempt an American record may take an attempt increment less than a multiple of 2.5kg. The attempt increment may be as low as a multiple of 0.5kg, regardless of the division the lifter is competing in when the record is attempted.
Interpretation: What this means is there are no longer restrictions on who can chip ARs or when. [Note: It remains a requirement that ARs can only be attempted/set at state championships and higher.] Previously, the rule only allowed ARs to be chipped if the lifter was competing in the division for which the record applies. For example, with the previous rule, a masters lifter competing in the open division was not allowed to make a masters AR attempt with less than a 2.5kg increment - they could attempt a masters AR but it had to be a multiple of 2.5kg (i.e., they could not chip the masters AR attempt).
Given that several ARs will likely be attempted at the upcoming USA Powerlifting events at the Arnold, it was deemed necessary to get this information out immediately.
Joe Warpeha
Chair, Technical Committee
