You're reading an online edition of the Weightlifting House newsletter. Want stories like these delivered directly to you every Friday? Subscribe here.
For the world’s best weightlifters, it’s going to be a gold rush. The International Weightlifting Federation (IWF) has released its official world standards in the wake of the sport’s new weight classes taking effect last month.
- Remind Me: Whenever the IWF establishes new weight classes, it also releases a list of benchmarks that must be exceeded by at least one kilogram to set a fresh world record.
You can find the IWF’s standards document here. For a quick look:
M60KG World Standards
- Snatch: 141
- Clean & Jerk: 172
- Total: 307
M65KG World Standards
- Snatch: 148
- Clean & Jerk: 180
- Total: 322
M71KG World Standards
- Snatch: 156
- Clean & Jerk: 190
- Total: 340
M79KG World Standards
- Snatch: 165
- Clean & Jerk: 202
- Total: 361
M88KG World Standards
- Snatch: 175
- Clean & Jerk: 214
- Total: 383
M94KG World Standards
- Snatch: 181
- Clean & Jerk: 221
- Total: 396
M110KG World Standards
- Snatch: 195
- Clean & Jerk: 237
- Total: 427
M+110KG World Standards
- Snatch: 218
- Clean & Jerk: 260
- Total: 477
W48KG World Standards
- Snatch: 93
- Clean & Jerk: 119
- Total: 210
W53KG World Standards
- Snatch: 99
- Clean & Jerk: 126
- Total: 223
W58KG World Standards
- Snatch: 105
- Clean & Jerk: 132
- Total: 235
W63KG World Standards
- Snatch: 110
- Clean & Jerk: 139
- Total: 246
W69KG World Standards
- Snatch: 116
- Clean & Jerk: 145
- Total: 259
W77KG World Standards
- Snatch: 122
- Clean & Jerk: 154
- Total: 274
W86KG World Standards
- Snatch: 129
- Clean & Jerk: 162
- Total: 289
W+86KG World Standards
- Snatch: 144
- Clean & Jerk: 181
- Total: 325
What they did: There’s a lot of math behind the exact weights the IWF has selected for its standards. In simple terms, they first charted old world records alongside the weight classes in which they were set.
Because the relationship isn’t linear—some records, such as Yang Zhe’s (109KG) 200KG snatch, were true outliers that no other athlete could get close to—the IWF then lowered its projections by approximately 3% across the board to ensure the standards could be beaten in a timely manner.
One big thing: This process is imperfect. From 2018 to 2025, no weightlifter was able to beat several of the IWF’s previous world standards:
- M55KG Snatch (135KG)
- M102KG Snatch (191KG)
- W81KG Snatch (127KG)
And none of the Women’s 87KG world standards (132, 164, and 294KG) were beaten in the eight-ish years the category existed. Will the new 86KG category have similar issues? It depends mainly on whether the class is selected for the 2028 Olympics.
The bottom line: We could theoretically see some inaugural world records set this month, as July hosts the Oceania and Pan-American Championships. Expect sparks to really fly at the World Championships in October as athletes sprint to get into the record books.
How Olivia Reeves Happened (Part I)
The United States has never had a weightlifter like Olivia Reeves before. At just 22 years old, “No Sleeves” Reeves has proven herself as Team USA’s strongest asset on the international stage.
How it happened: “[In the USA,] putting women into strength sports isn’t exactly encouraged,” Olivia told us. “Being strong and capable helps me take back that autonomy.”
To get the rest of the story, you’ll have to tune in to Weightlifting House TV.
The first part of Becoming Olivia Reeves is live now—it’s one of several projects airing in July we’re excited about. Also on WLHOUSE TV this month, we’re serving up…
- Behind the scenes with Kolbi Ferguson
- Back room footage from the Men’s 67KG at the 2024 World Champs
- Two of Iran’s best superheavies, Alireza Yousefi and Ali Davoudi, in training
- Mattie Rogers leads Team USA in the training hall
Don’t forget: WLHOUSE TV subscribers get all sorts of unique perks, including free shipping on all orders from the Weightlifting House store.
Lifts You Need To See
Losing track of all the biggest lifts happening across your social media feed? We aren’t. Here are some of the best feats of strength and skill we saw last week:
- Bektimur Reyimov (TKM) hit 185KG in the clean & jerk, five kilograms more than his competition best at 73 kilograms.
- Sarah Davies (GBR) is “happy with her consistency at higher loads” these days, and put up a 100KG snatch in training to prove it.
- Hampton Morris (USA) hit a massive 187KG clean & jerk in the 71KG category at the USA National Championships. Hamp snatched 137 and weighed 68.7KG.
- Zhao Jinhong (CHN), one of Seb’s picks for athletes to watch this quad, validated him with this 115KG clean & jerk—she weighed 49KG but usually competes at 45.
- Jenny Arthur (USA) made a comeback at the National Championships, going 6/6 and hitting 138KG in the clean & jerk. Jenny weighed 82.95KG and hasn’t competed internationally in five years since having children with now-retired Norik Vardanian.
- Ritvars Suharevs (LAT) wrapped up a training camp with 150KG and 180KG on his comeback from double shoulder surgery.
- Cyrille Tchatchet (GBR) smoked a 170KG block snatch, 11 kilograms above anything he’s hit in competition.
Bonus round: Two-time International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) World Champion and deadlift world record holder (261.5KG@76) Jessica Buettner is dabbling in weightlifting with some 62KG snatches.
Your New Knee Sleeves Fit Just Right
Your weightlifting training isn’t one-size-fits-all, so why should your gear be? When it comes to knee sleeves, everyone likes something different.
- Some want heavy-duty sleeves, so we made a 7mm pair that can handle Big Friday.
- Others prefer to feel like they aren’t wearing knee protection at all—we’ve got 1.5mm sleeves for that.
Our new knee sleeves fit just right. At 5mm, they’re snug enough to give you support on heavy lifts without restricting range of motion. They’re available in the Weightlifting Housestore now. Get yours before they’re gone.
