USPFC Bench Press and Push-Pull Competition Rules, Lecture notes of Construction

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BENCH PRESS and PUSH-PULL

HANDBOOK

(ABRIDGED)

August 2021

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

The official rules of the United States Police and Fire Championships (USPFC) are based upon the rules of the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF), which shall be employed except when they conflict with the rules of the United States Police and Fire Championships. Throughout the rules of the USPFC whenever the worlds “he” or “she” occur such reference is deemed to apply to either gender.

1. Lifts: The United States Police and Fire Championships recognizes the following lifts: (a) Bench Press (b) Dead Lift (c) Push-Pull – combination of (a) & (b) 2. Competition takes place between lifters in categories defined by gender, bodyweight, and age. 3. Rules apply to all competitions sanctioned by the United States Police and Fire Championships.

4. Attempts: Each competitor is allowed three attempts on each lift. The lifter’s best valid attempt on each lift counts towards his competition total. No fourth attempts are permitted for the setting of records. The winner of a category shall be the lifter who achieves the highest total. Lifters failing to achieve a total are eliminated from the competition. If two or more lifters in an identical category achieve the same total, the lighter lifter ranks above the heavier.

5. Age Categories: Age grouping is determined by the lifter’s actual age on the first day of the USPFC.

Individual ; Men 18-29, 30-34, 35-39, 40-44, 45-49, 50-54, 55-59, 60-64, 65-69, 70-74, 75-79, 80+

Individual ; Women 18-29, 30-39, 40-49, 50-59, 60-69, 70+

6. Changing Divisions (Age): A 30+, 40+, 50+, 60+, 70+, or 80+ has the option to compete in the 18-29 division and must so state on his or her entry form. All changes the competitor wishes to make must be completed prior to the beginning of the USPFC. 7. Registration: Competitors will not be permitted to register for the Bench Press or Push-Pull Competitions at the weigh-in venue or the competition venue. Officials conducting the equipment check and the weigh-in are not authorized to alter any documents supplied through official registration channels. 8. Eligibility: Only persons eligible to enter USPFC competitions shall compete in either the Bench Press or Push-Pull competition. 9. Registration Cards: USPFC competitions are closed events hence no Powerlifting Federation membership cards will be required for participation. 10. Inspection of Costume and Personal Equipment: All competitors shall submit their costume and personal equipment for inspection prior to their admission to the weigh-in room.

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

COSTUME AND PERSONAL EQUIPMENT

1. Costume A lifting costume shall consist of a one-piece non-supportive full length lifting suit such as a wrestling singlet or weightlifting costume. It shall have legs of a minimum of 3 cm and the legs may be longer than 15 cm but may not reach the knee. Only costumes officially approved by the USPFC Technical Committee shall be permitted for use in the Bench Press and the Push- Pull competitions. (See samples for all authorized costume and personal gear on page 23.) 2. T-Shirt A T-Shirt shall be worn under the lifting suit during the performance of the Bench Press and Deadlift for both men and women. The T-Shirt shall be made of cotton or polyester, or a combination thereof, but not of any rubberized or similar stretch material, not have any reinforced seams of pockets, buttons, zippers, or other than a round neck collar. The t-shirt must have sleeves. Those sleeves must terminate below the lifter’s deltoid and must not extend onto or below the lifter’s elbow. The T-Shirt shall be plain but may have your department logo on it or be the official T-Shirt of the Games. That which is offensive or likely to bring the USPFC into disrepute is not allowed. A sponsor’s logo must conform to the technical rules of the USPFC. **Specialized Bench Shirts or other supportive type shirts are not permitted.

3. Belt** Competitors may wear a belt. If worn it shall be worn on the outside of the lifting suit. The main body shall be made of leather, vinyl, or other similar non-stretch material in one or more laminations which may be glued and/or stitched together. It may not have additional padding, bracing or supports of any material concealed within the laminations of the belt. The belt may have a buckle with one or two prongs or “quick release” type buckle. The maximum width of the belt is 10 cm. The maximum thickness along the main length is 13 mm. 4. Briefs/Supporters A standard commercial “athletic supporter” or standard commercial brief of any mixture of cotton, nylon, or polyester, but not swimming trunks or any other garment consisting of rubberized or similar stretch material (except in the waistband) shall be worn under the lifting suit. Provided that:

a. Any support to the body of the lifter which may be provided by the “athletic supporter” or briefs is limited to the lifter’s lower abdominal wall.

b. The garment does not have legs and does not extend down the lifter’s thighs. Boxer briefs are acceptable.

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

GENERAL

1. Medical Tape: contingent upon the approval by the Jury, Official Doctor, Paramedic, EMT personnel on duty may apply medical tape to bodily injuries in a fashion that would not grant the lifter undue advantage. Medical tape may not be used as aids to the lifter in holding the bar. In the absence of Jury or Medical personnel, the Chief Referee shall have jurisdiction over the use of medical tape.
2. The use of oil, grease or other lubricants on the body, costume or personal equipment is strictly forbidden.
3. Baby Powder, resin, talc, or magnesium carbonate are the only substances that may be added to the body and attire.
4. The use of any form of adhesive on the underside of footwear is strictly forbidden. This applies to any built-in adhesive, e.g. glass paper, emery cloth, etc., and to include resin and magnesium carbonate.
5. No foreign substances may be applied to the powerlifting equipment. This takes into account all substances other than that which may be used periodically as a sterilizing agent in cleaning of the bar, bench or platform.

INSPECTION OF COSTUME AND PERSONAL EQUIPMENT

1. The inspection of costume and personal equipment for every lifter in the competition may take place at anytime prior to or during the weigh-in.
2. All items mentioned previously under costume and personal equipment shall be inspected.
3. Any item considered unclean or torn shall be rejected.
4. The referees shall record each item on the official inspection sheet. The inspection sheet shall be given to the Jury at the end of the inspection period.
5. If, after the inspection, a lifter appears on the platform wearing any item not listed on the Inspection Sheet, other than that which may have inadvertently been passed by the referees, the lifter shall immediately be disqualified from the competition.
6. Hats/caps are strictly forbidden to be worn on the platform during lifting, items such as watches, costume jewelry, eye wear and feminine hygiene need not be inspected. Standard commercial headbands may be worn while lifting, however such headbands must be declared and listed during the check of personal equipment.
   7. It is the duty of the lifter to ensure that all items he wishes to wear on the platform have passed scrutiny of the examining referees. Lifters discovered wearing or using apparel that has not been checked-in may be subject to penalty, e.g. disqualification of the attempt.

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

COSTUME & PERSONAL GEAR CHART

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

BENCH PRESS GRIP

Bench Press, “Push- Pull”

The ONLY LEGAL GRIP for the Bench Press in any United States Police and

Fire Championships event shall be as follows:

1. As a lifter grips the bar, the palms shall be facing outward and away from

the face at all times.

2. As a lifter grips the bar, the thumbs shall be placed around the bar toward

the palm side of the hand with the thumbnail in close proximity to the tip of

each forefinger.

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

Causes for Disqualification of a Bench Press

1. Failure to observe the Chief Referee’s signals at commencement and completion of the lift.
2. Any change in the elected position during the lift proper, i.e., any raising movement of the shoulders, buttocks, from the bench or feet from the floor/blocks-discs or lateral movement of the hands on the bar.
3. Heaving, bouncing or sinking the bar into the chest after it has been motionless on the chest and the “PRESS” has been given, to make the lift easier.
4. Any pronounced/exaggerated uneven extension of the arms during the lift.
5. Any downward movement of the bar in the course of being pressed out.
6. Failure to press the bar to full extension of the arms simultaneously at the completion of the lift.
7. Contact with the bar or the lifter by the spotter/loaders between the Chief Referee’s signals, to make the lift easier.
8. Any contact of the lifter’s feet with the bench or its supports.
9. Failure to comply with any of the Rules of Performance.

RULES OF PERFORMANCE

DEAD LIFT

1. The lifter shall face the front of the platform with the bar laid horizontally in front of the lifter’s feet, gripped with an optional grip in both hands and lifted until the lifter is standing erect.
2. Upon completion of the lift the knees shall be locked in a straight position and the shoulders back.
3. The Chief Referee’s signal shall consist of a downward movement of the arm and the audible command “DOWN”. The signal will not be given until the bar is held motionless in the apparent finished position. If the bar is shaking when at the knee area, although not exactly pure, this is not a cause for failure.
4. Any raising of the bar or deliberate attempt to do so will count as an attempt. Once the attempt has begun no downward movement is allowed until the lifter reaches the erect position with the knees locked. If the bar settles as the shoulders come back this should not be a reason to disqualify the lift. (See sample, page 28.)

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

Causes for Disqualification of a Dead Lift

1. Any downward movement of the bar before it reaches the final position.
2. Failure to stand erect with the shoulders back.
3. Failure to lock the knees straight at the completion of the lift.
4. Supporting the bar on the thighs during the performance of the lift. If the bar edges up the thighs but is not supported this is not reason for disqualification. The lifter should benefit in all decisions of doubt made by the referee.
5. Stepping backward or forward, although lateral movement of the sole or rocking feet between ball and heel is permitted.
6. Lowering the bar before receiving the Chief Referee’s signal.
7. Allowing the bar to return to the platform without maintaining control with both hands, i.e. releasing the bar from the palms of the hands.
8. Failure to comply with any of the Rules of Performance

WEIGHT CLASS

Weight class must be declared on the entry form. All changes the competitor wishes to make must be completed prior to the beginning of the USPFC. Participants should be encouraged to adhere to the weight class designated on their Entry Form but will compete in the appropriate category after weigh in.

WEIGH-IN PROCEDURES

1. AT WEIGH-IN, ALL COMPETITORS SHALL HAVE THE FOLLOWING AUTHORIZED

LIFTING GEAR WITH THEM BEFORE BEING ALLOWED TO STEP ON THE

SCALES. T-SHIRT, LIFTING COSTUME, BRIEFS, SHOES OR BOOTS AND KNEE

SOCKS FOR PUSH-PULL AND A OPTIONAL LIFTING BELT, NO EXCEPTIONS.

2. Weighing in of competitors shall not take place more than 24 hours prior to competition for the specific weight category. An additional weigh-in shall be held two hours prior to the actual competition and shall last one and one-half hours. (See samples for check-in and weigh-in area on page 31, and weigh-in schedule on page 32).
3. If not already done, lots will be drawn to establish the order of the weigh-in. The lots drawn also establish the order of lifting throughout the competition when lifters require the same weight for their attempts.

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

4. Weigh-in will be in secret and the lifters allowed in one at a time. The weigh-in room will be locked and the only persons allowed in are the lifter and his/her coach or trainer. The weigh- in results will not be made known until after all weigh-ins are completed.
5. Lifters shall be weighed-in nude or in briefs. For reasons of hygiene the lifter should wear socks on the scales platform. The platform may also be covered with paper toweling. In meets where women compete, adjustment in the weigh-in procedures shall be made to ensure that all lifters are weighed by officials of their own sex. Additional female officials may be appointed for this purpose.
6. Each lifter can only be weighed once, except those greater or lighter than the category limit. They are allowed to return to the scales. They are allowed one and one-half hours at a maximum from the beginning of the weigh-in session to make proper weight. The lifter in question must wait until all lifters have been weighed once and then those re-weighing may have as many opportunities to re-weigh as time allows, in an orderly fashion with consideration given to lot numbers. Only one re-weigh will be allowed if the time limit has expired.
7. A lifter who is too heavy or too light will move into the appropriate category, provided that that class has not competed already.
8. If there are no other lifters in the class which the lifter entered, the lifter will remain in that class and, upon successfully completing his/her lifts, receive a gold medal. If a number of lifters have applied but only one or two show, they may not be moved. They must lift in the age category which they indicated on their entry form.
9. When two lifters register the same weight at the weigh-in preceding a competition, and during the competition achieve the same total, they shall be re-weighted with the lighter lifter taking preference.
10. Lifters should check bench press rack heights, and, if needed, prepare the use of foot blocks/discs if desired prior to the start of the competition. The rack height sheet and noting of the use of foot blocks/discs should be initialed by the lifter or his/her coach.

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

compensatory time where groups are involved, unloading the bar will take place at the end of the compensatory time, reloaded, then the one minute to begin the lift.

e. The bar must be loaded progressively during each round on the principle of the rising bar. At no time will the weight of the bar be lowered within a round except for errors as described in item (h) of this section, and then only at the end of the round. Note: See also, item (b) in Errors in Loading.

f. Lifting order within each round will be determined by the lifter’s choice of weight for that round. In the event of two or more lifters choosing the same weight, the lifter with the lowest lot number will lift first. The same applies to third round single-lift Bench Press attempts and third round Dead Lift attempts, whereby the weight may be changed twice, subject to the bar not already been loaded for the lifter’s originally chosen weight. Example: Lifter A with lot number 5 puts in 250.0 kg. Lifter B with lot number 2 puts in 252.5 kg. Lifter A fails with 250.0 kg. Can Lifter B drop the weight to 250.0 kg. to win? No, the order of lifting is still determined by the lot number.

g. If unsuccessful with an attempt, the lifter does not follow themselves, but must wait until the next round before they can attempt that weight again.

h. If in a round an attempt is unsuccessful due to a wrongly loaded bar, spotter error or equipment failure, the lifter will be granted a further attempt at the correct weight. If the fault is a wrongly loaded bar and the attempt has not actually started, then the lifter shall be given the option of either continuing at that time or taking another attempt at the end of the round. In all other cases the lifter shall take his/her extra attempt at the end of the round. If the lifter also happens to be the last lifter in the round, he/she shall be granted a three minute rest prior to making his/her attempt.

i. A lifter is permitted one change of weight on the first attempt of each lift. The change of weight may be higher or lower than that originally submitted and the order of lifting in the first round will change accordingly. If he is in the first group, this change may take place at any time up to within five minutes before the start of the first round of that lift. The following groups are accorded a similar privilege up to within five attempts from the end of the previous group’s last round of that lift. Prior notice of these deadlines shall be announced by the speaker. If proper notice of these deadlines is not given, then an announcement authorizing such changes shall be made and a lifter may make a change within five minutes of such announcement.

j. A lifter must submit his second and third attempts within one minute of completing his preceding attempt. The one minute will begin from the time the lights are activated. If no weight is submitted within the one minute time allowance, the lifter’s next attempt will automatically be the same as the proceeding “NO LIFT” attempt and/or will automatically be assumed at 2.5 kg more than the preceding “GOOD LIFT” attempt.

k. Weights submitted for second round attempts cannot be changed. Under this rule once a second attempt has been turned in, it cannot be withdrawn. The bar shall be loaded to the turned in weight and the clock will run.

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

l. In the third round of the single-lift Bench Press, and the third round of the Dead Lift in the Push-Pull competition, changes are permitted. The change may be higher or lower than the lifter’s previously submitted third attempt. However, these are only permitted provided the lifter has not been called to the bar already loaded to his previously submitted weight. If the bar is declared “READY” or words to that effect by the Chief Referee, then the lifter is committed to the attempt. Note: On the principle of the rising bar, should the lifter fail his/her second attempt or should the lifter declare that he/she “forfeits” his/her second attempt, the weight cannot be lowered when the two (2) weight changes of third attempt are permitted.

m. When two or more groups take part in a session upon a single platform, lifting will be organized on a group repetition basis. No time interval will be allowed between rounds other than that necessary for arranging the platform.

For example : In the Push-Pull competition, if two or more groups are taking part in a session, the first group will complete all three rounds of the Bench Press. This will be followed immediately by the second group which will complete their three rounds in the Bench Press and so forth, until all the bench pressing for that session has been completed. The platform will then be set up for the Dead Lift and the procedure outlined above will be followed in the Dead Lift until all of the lifts in that event have been completed.

Vicinity of the Platform a. During any competition taking place on a platform or stage, only the lifter, lifter’s coach, members of the Jury, officiating referees and the spotter/loaders will be allowed around the platform or on the stage. During the execution of the lift only the lifter, the spotter/loaders and the officiating referees are permitted to be present on the platform. Coaches shall remain within the designated area as defined by the Jury or Technical Secretary.

Progression of the Bar In USPFC sanctioned competitions, the weight of the barbell must always be in multiples of 2. kg between successful attempts. The weight of the bar shall be announced in kilograms. Fourth attempts for the purpose of setting records are not permitted.

Errors in Loading The Chief Referee will be solely responsible for decisions taken in the case of loading errors or incorrect announcements by the speaker. The Chief Referee’s decisions will be given to the Speaker who will then make the appropriate announcement.

Example in Errors in Loading; a. If the bar is loaded lighter than originally requested and the attempt is successful, the lifter may accept the successful attempt or elect to take the attempt again at the originally requested weight. If the attempt is not successful, the lifter will be granted a further attempt at the originally requested weight. In both above cases, further attempts may only be taken at the end of the round in which the error occurred.

BENCH PRESS and PUSH PULL RULES ABRIDGED

Appeals/Complaints All appeals against referee’s decisions, complaints regarding the progress of the competition or against the behavior of any person or persons taking part in the competition must be made to the Jury. The Jury may require the appeal to be made in writing. The appeal or complaint must be lodged with the President of the Jury by the team manager, or coach, or in their absence, the lifter. This must be done immediately following the action upon which the appeal or complaint is based. It will not be considered unless these terms are met. If deemed necessary, the Jury may temporarily suspend the progress of the competition and retire to consider its verdict. After due consideration and upon reaching a majority verdict, the Jury will return and the president will inform the complainant of its decision. The Jury’s verdict will be considered final and there will be no right of appeal to any other body. Upon recommencement of the competition which had been suspended, the next lifter shall be given three minutes to commence his lift.