Going Beyond the hobby...

The USPF maintains a strong endurance of established existence. The USPF boasts an unparalleled lineage of all time greatest legendary powerlifters that have competed to the highest standards of lifting. With its renowned world class status and reputation for excellence, the USPF is still the premier powerlifting federation.

 The United States Powerlifting Federation came into existence in the early 1970's as a "branch" of the AAU (Amateur Athletic Union) and under Bob Hoffman.  According to York's Museum/Hall of Fame, "the AAU relinquished the governing rights to powerlifting in 1978 when the United States Powerlifting Federation (USPF) was formed."  Joe Zarella was its first President and it was also the U.S. affiliate to the IPF (International Powerlifting Federation).  The USPF gained total independence from the AAU in 1981.  Official USPF documents still had "USPF of the AAU, Inc." printed on them throughout the early 1980's.  

Around 1998 the USPF became an affiliate to the WPF (World Powerlifting Federation) until 2017.  
In 2019, under the new President, Sheri Hartmann, Superior World Powerlifting -SWP was created and approved.  It is a subdivision of the USPF to offer an opportunity to once again lift in a World venue and allows the USPF to maintain its independence.
The United States Powerlifting Federation is the oldest U.S. federation devoted just to powerlifting still in continuous existence today and keeps the same high standards of powerlifting, from rules to judging, as in its  earliest years.