Head Judge Woj Klisz has announced a few changes to the Power category, to come into effect from 2026 onwards.

We’ll have a look at those changes and how this will be of benefit to the athletes.

Change 1: Muscle Ups will be performed first

The order of movements for Power will be Muscle Ups, followed by Pull Ups, and finally Dips.

Muscle ups are an explosive movement and are performed best when athletes are fresh so this change will allow athletes to fully show their power capabilities. 

The change should be a welcome one especially for female athletes, for whom this movement is often the most dreaded and fatigued arms only add to the hesitation. 

It is hoped that female athletes may be more inclined to enter in Power competitions due to this change.

Change 2: Change in weights

The female weights will be 15kg for pull ups (up from 12kg) and 20kg for dips (up from 16kg).

The male weights will be 30kg (down from 32kg) and 50kg for dips (up from 48kg).

These changes were made to bring this format away from endurance. 

Power is a combination of strength and speed; previous competitions have seen athletes achieving around 20 pull ups and 30 dips which is more a display of endurance rather than power. 

This was more apparent in the female category, where the weights were comparatively lower than the male weights. 

The male pull up weight has been slightly lowered due to rule change 3.

Change 3: Use of calibrated plates

The competitions will now use calibrated steel plates rather than kettlebells.

This will allow better standardisation across the competitions, as well as being a more popular choice for athletes. 

Male athletes were having to use 2 kettlebells which can make for an awkward lift. 

The change in weights combined with the use of plates, will be much more user-friendly.