What Is Streetlifting? Rules, Weight Classes & Scoring

Most people who find this page already train weighted pull-ups or dips and want to know if they should compete. Here's what streetlifting actually is, how it's scored, and what to expect if you sign up for a meet.

What streetlifting is

Streetlifting is a strength sport built on weighted calisthenics. Instead of a barbell, you add weight to your own bodyweight through a dip belt and chain, then perform a small number of core lifts for a single max-effort rep. It's the same competitive structure as powerlifting, just applied to pull-ups and dips instead of squats and bench.

The sport grew out of the street workout scene, mostly out of Eastern Europe and Russia, and it's spread fast over the last several years. There are now multiple federations running meets internationally, which means the exact rulebook can shift slightly depending on who's running the competition. What I'm covering here is the general structure you'll see almost everywhere.

The two competition formats

Classic. This is the format I've competed in. Two lifts only: weighted pull-up and weighted dip. You get three attempts per lift, and your score is your best successful pull-up weight plus your best successful dip weight added together.

All4 (also called European style). Four lifts: pull-up, dip, muscle-up, and back squat. Men perform the muscle-up on a bar, women can do it on rings or a bar. The squat follows standard powerlifting depth rules, hip crease below the knee. This is the format I'm building toward next. Classic tests two lifts well. All4 tests whether your whole body is strong, not just your pull.

Some federations also run a separate max-rep format instead of max-weight, but max-weight (1RM style) is what you'll see at most competitions and it's what I train for.

The lifts and their standards

Weighted pull-up. Dead hang start, no kipping, no swinging, chin has to clearly pass the bar. Judges are strict about this because it's the easiest lift to cheat with momentum. My best strict pull-up is 137.5kg TSW for a triple, and I only count that number because I track total system weight, not just the plate.

Weighted dip. Descend until the shoulders drop below the elbows, full lockout at the top. Same principle: no bouncing out of the bottom, no partial reps.

Weighted muscle-up (All4 only). The hardest lift to judge cleanly because it's a transition, not a static range of motion. You have to move from the pull into the dip without swinging your legs or kipping your way through. Most people who fail a muscle-up attempt fail it here, not on strength.

Back squat (All4 only). This one isn't calisthenics at all, it's a standard barbell back squat under the same depth standard powerlifting uses. It's there because a total strength sport needs a lower-body lift, and squat is the obvious choice.

Weight classes and weigh-ins

You weigh in 24 to 48 hours before the meet, and that number puts you into a weight class alongside lifters close to your bodyweight. I compete in the -94kg class. The point of weight classes is the same as in powerlifting: a 150 lb athlete and a 220 lb athlete shouldn't be scored against each other on raw pounds lifted, because bodyweight itself is an advantage on some of these lifts.

This is also why I care about Total System Weight in my own training, not just added weight. Bodyweight is part of the equation on competition day whether you track it or not. Athletes who only pay attention to the plate on the belt show up to weigh-ins with no idea what class they'll actually be in.

I recently switched gyms, and the equipment is different enough that it changed my numbers without changing my strength. Thicker plates, different bar spacing. I track that separately now so I'm not comparing lifts across two different setups like they're the same test.

How scoring works

Each lift gets three attempts. Standard meet strategy: open conservative on attempt one to bank a successful lift, take a moderate jump on attempt two, and go for a real number on attempt three. Your score for each lift is your best successful attempt, not your average and not your total attempts. Miss all three on a lift and that lift scores zero, which is why the conservative opener matters more than people think going into their first meet.

In Classic, your two best lifts get added together for your total. In All4, all four. Placing is by total within your weight class, and most federations also track relative strength, meaning your total measured against your bodyweight, since that's arguably the more honest measure of who's actually strongest pound for pound.

What to expect if it's your first meet

Everything is judged live. A rep that looks fine to you in training can get red-lighted at a meet if your chin doesn't clearly clear the bar or your dip lockout is incomplete. Judges are not there to give you the benefit of the doubt, they're there to make sure everyone is held to the same standard.

Bring a training partner or handler if you can. Someone who can load your belt correctly, keep you on the clock between attempts, and tell you honestly whether your last rep would have passed. I run this exact routine with the athletes I coach, because meet day is not the time to find out your form has drifted.

Where this fits

I built my own periodization system for this, the Starr Protocol, adapted from the Texas Method specifically for weighted dips and pull-ups. If you're weighing whether to compete, the fastest way to find out is to run a real max attempt under the same standards a judge would use, not just test yourself loose in the gym. That kind of prep work, plus the programming to actually peak for a meet, is part of what I build into coaching for athletes getting ready to compete.