Name

USA Weightlifting

Legal name

USA Weightlifting, Inc.

Website

https://usaweightlifting.org

Company type

Private

Founded year

1983

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

11–50 employees

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Colorado Springs

HQ country

United States

HQ region

North America

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Membership Fees: Annual and monthly recurring memberships for athletes (youth, junior, senior, master), coaches, and dual coach-athlete memberships. Membership provides access to competitions, education, and member benefits.
2. Coach Certification: Revenue from Level 1 and Level 2 coaching certification courses, exams, and annual coach membership renewals. Course fees range from $549-$648 depending on membership status.
3. Sponsorship & Partnerships: Partnership revenue from Gold, Silver, Bronze, and Podium tier sponsors including Power Play Fuel, Rogue Fitness, VIRUS International, Nike, and others. Includes official supplier relationships.
4. Event Sanctioning & Registration: Fees from sanctioning national events including VIRUS Weightlifting Series, National Championships Week, Masters Nationals, and University Nationals. Registration fees range from $145-$375 for national events.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels5 records

Marketing channels8 records

Core offering

USA Weightlifting serves as the National Governing Body (NGB) for Olympic weightlifting in the United States, delivering athlete memberships across Youth, Junior, Senior, and Master age categories, USAW Level 1 and Level 2 coach certification courses, online coaching education, and sanctioned national competitions including the VIRUS Weightlifting Series, Masters Nationals, University Nationals, and National Championships Week. The organization manages U.S. national team selection for international competitions including World Championships, Pan American Championships, and the Olympic Games.

Product overview

USA Weightlifting serves as the national governing body for Olympic weightlifting in the United States, offering a comprehensive ecosystem of membership programs, coach education and certification, and national competitive events. The core offering consists of athlete memberships (spanning Youth through Master age categories) and coach certifications (Level 1 and Level 2) providing entry into the sport. The organization operates the VIRUS Weightlifting Series (three annual stops), Masters National Championships, National University Championships, and National Championships Week as its primary competitive products. Additional offerings include online education pathways, the Masters Triple Crown achievement program, and partnership events like Gymreapers Wodapalooza Miami Beach.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• USAW Membership Programs Tiered annual and monthly memberships for athletes (Youth up to 17 years at $55/year, Junior 18-20 at $65/year, Senior 21-34 at $79/year, Master 35+ at $9.99/month recurring) and dual coach-athlete combinations, granting access to sanctioned competitions, education, rankings, and member benefits.
• USAW Level 1 Coach Certification Gold-standard entry-level weightlifting coaching certification course recognized for over 35 years, available in-person (13 hours over 2 days) and online (9 hours), with Five-Stage Teaching Progressions, hands-on practice, training plans, CEU credits through NASM and ACSM, and GI Bill reimbursement for exam fee. Cost is $549 for current members or $648 total for new members including annual coach membership.
• USAW Level 2 Coach Certification Advanced coaching certification for experienced coaches working with high-performance Olympic weightlifting athletes, building on Level 1 foundations.
• USAW Online Education Courses Digital learning options including Coaching Foundations for core knowledge, Elite Education for advanced coursework, and free courses for ongoing professional development.
• VIRUS Weightlifting Series (VWS1, VWS2, Finals) National competition series featuring three annual stops: VWS1 at the Arnold Sports Festival in Columbus, OH (eight-year partnership), VWS2 in Fort Worth, TX (four-year commitment with City of Fort Worth through 2027), and VIRUS Weightlifting Finals in Pleasanton, CA. Registration fee is $199.
• Masters National Championships Annual national competition for Masters athletes (35+ years) held at Salt Palace Convention Center in Salt Lake City, UT, with Early Bird ($145), Regular ($175), and Late ($375) registration tiers. The Masters Triple Crown is awarded to category winners who also place at VWS1/VWS2 and VIRUS Finals in the same year.
• National University Championships Annual collegiate weightlifting championship for university students, held jointly with Masters Nationals, with the registration cap removed starting 2026 to enable continued program growth.
• National Championships Week Nine-day event at Ed Robson Arena in Colorado Springs including Senior, Junior, U25, and Youth Nationals, with over 1,500 athletes participating in the 2025 edition including U.S. Olympians and national team members.
• USAW x Gymreapers Wodapalooza Miami Beach Special event partnership with Gymreapers bringing Olympic weightlifting to the Wodapalooza fitness festival in Miami Beach with national-level competition standards, expanded in 2026.

Quantifiable outcome

• 17 athletes earned Masters Triple Crown honors in 2025, a new high bringing total winners to 37 over three years
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers5 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature2 records

Partnerships

17 partnerships are on record, tiered gold partner - core, silver partner, bronze partner, podium partner, core and regional.

• Power Play Fuelgold partner - coreGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Supplements and Official Protein Partner of USA Weightlifting. Supports athletes with high-quality, sport-certified supplements and offers discounts to USA Weightlifting members. Power Play Fuel has been named Official Supplements and Official Protein Partner of USA Weightlifting.
• Rogue Fitnessgold partner - coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Partner providing equipment and support for USA Weightlifting events. Key sponsor of the Rogue Strength Stage for Senior Nationals starting 2027.
• VIRUS Internationalgold partner - coreGTM or Marketing PartnerGold Partner and title sponsor of the VIRUS Weightlifting Series (Series 1, Series 2, and Finals). VIRUS sponsors Masters Triple Crown winners with commemorative weightlifting belts.
• Nikesilver partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Partner providing athletic apparel and footwear for USA Weightlifting athletes and team.
• RxSugarsilver partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerSilver Partner providing sugar alternatives and health products for USA Weightlifting members with potential discount offers.
• 2Poodbronze partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner providing commemorative weightlifting belts for Masters Triple Crown winners.
• Creapurebronze partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner supplement brand specializing in creatine products for athletes.
• Gymreapersbronze partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner. Partnership expanded in 2026 to include weightlifting debut at Gymreapers Wodapalooza Miami Beach event.
• Onyxbronze partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerBronze Partner providing lifting straps and accessories for USA Weightlifting athletes.
• LMNTpodium partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerPodium Partner providing electrolyte drinks and hydration products for athletes.
• Primo Chalkpodium partnerGTM or Marketing PartnerOfficial Chalk Partner providing chalk products for competitions and training.
• Powerlifting AmericacoreGTM or Marketing PartnerPartnership for second consecutive year to run Powerlifting America Classic Open parallel to Masters Nationals and University Nationals at Salt Palace Convention Center.
• Arnold Sports FestivalcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerAnnual partnership hosting VIRUS Weightlifting Series 1 at Greater Columbus Convention Center. 2026 marks the eighth year at the Arnold Sports Festival.
• City of Fort WorthcoreGTM or Marketing PartnerFour-year commitment (2024-2027) hosting North American Open Series 2/VIRUS Weightlifting Series 2 at Fort Worth Convention Center.
• Million Coaches ChallengecoreGTM or Marketing PartnerUSA Weightlifting is a partner organization in the Million Coaches Challenge initiative launched by the Susan Crown Exchange in 2021. The partnership has trained one million youth coaches across the United States in evidence-based youth development practices.
• United States Olympic & Paralympic Committee (USOPC)coreOthersAs the recognized NGB for weightlifting, USA Weightlifting operates under USOPC governance and receives support for Olympic athletes and sport development.
• Texas-Oklahoma WSOregionalGTM or Marketing PartnerTX-OK WSO Championships runs parallel to VIRUS Weightlifting Series 2 event in Fort Worth, Texas.

Scale indicators6 records

Recent moves6 records

Expansion highlights6 records

Direct peers

• USA Track & Field: USATF is the National Governing Body for track and field in the U.S., operating under USOPC with the same membership + certification + sanctioned-event revenue model as USA Weightlifting. It is the most direct structural comparable to USAW's NGB operating model, including quadrennial Olympic cycle exposure and similar coach/athlete membership tiers.
• USA Boxing: USA Boxing is the NGB for Olympic boxing with the same USOPC affiliation, tiered membership, coach certification, and sanctioned competition business as USA Weightlifting. Like USAW, it manages weight-class athletes, faces international federation governance challenges, and operates a similar non-profit event-driven model.
• USA Wrestling: USA Wrestling is the NGB for wrestling and is structurally identical to USA Weightlifting: membership-driven, coach-certified, multi-tiered athlete programs under USOPC governance. Both organizations manage Olympic weight-class disciplines with similar membership fee structures and event sanctioning economics.
• USA Triathlon: USA Triathlon is another USOPC-recognized NGB with comparable membership tiers, certified coaching programs, and national event sanctioning. It demonstrates the same community-led GTM motion that USAW describes, including youth athlete pipeline development and adult/masters programming.
• International Weightlifting Federation (IWF): The IWF is the global governing body for Olympic weightlifting and the parent international federation for USA Weightlifting. It is directly comparable as the upstream body that grants USAW its Olympic sanctioning authority, manages anti-doping rules that USAW enforces, and which USAW competes within for athlete roster construction.
• USA Swimming: USA Swimming is another USOPC-recognized NGB with a comparable operating structure: tiered athlete memberships, multi-level coach certification, sanctioned national competitions, and a pathway to the Olympic Games. USAW and USA Swimming share the same regulatory, membership, and certification economics despite different sports.
• USA Gymnastics: USA Gymnastics is the NGB for gymnastics operating under the same USOPC-affiliated non-profit framework as USAW. It demonstrates comparable membership-driven revenue, coach certification economics, and the risks/opportunities of SafeSport-governed amateur Olympic sports organizations in the post-scandal era.

Emerging players

• CrossFit, Inc. CrossFit is the largest adjacent fitness-sport organization targeting the same competitive athlete demographic as USA Weightlifting, with overlapping coach and competition ecosystems. CrossFit Games, CrossFit affiliate gyms, and the LIFT program (Olympic weightlifting certification) compete with and complement USAW's coach certification and sanctioned event model.
• USA Powerlifting: USA Powerlifting is the closest adjacent NGB to USA Weightlifting — it is a partner organization running the Powerlifting America Classic Open in parallel to USAW's Masters and University Nationals at the same venues. It addresses a closely overlapping athlete demographic (strength sports competitors) with similar membership/event structure, but operates in powerlifting rather than Olympic weightlifting.

Broad incumbents

• Arnold Sports Festival: The Arnold Sports Festival is a multi-sport event operator that hosts USAW's VIRUS Weightlifting Series 1 annually. It is a strategic partner comparable in the sense of hosting national-level strength sport competitions at scale, but operates as a broader event platform (multiple sports) rather than an NGB in a single discipline.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

• Xx.com/USWeightlifting

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles14 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about USA Weightlifting