A DOTS score (Dynamic Objective Team Scoring) turns your powerlifting total into a number you can compare across bodyweights and sexes. DOTS = total × 500 ÷ a bodyweight polynomial, in kg. A 90 kg man totalling 600 kg scores 388.0; roughly 400+ is advanced and 500+ is elite.
How to use the DOTS calculator
- Choose your sex. DOTS uses separate men's and women's coefficients.
- Pick kg or lb and enter your bodyweight. Use your weigh-in weight for a meet result.
- Enter your total, or switch to "Squat, bench & deadlift" and enter each best lift.
- Choose raw/classic or equipped. This only affects the IPF GL points shown next to your DOTS and Wilks.
- Read your DOTS score and level. Use the share link to save or compare results.
The DOTS formula
DOTS = total × 500 / (a + b·BW + c·BW² + d·BW³ + e·BW⁴), with bodyweight (BW) and total in kg. The coefficients come from the IPF's 2020 formula evaluation (Appendix 3) and match the OpenPowerlifting source code.
| Coefficient | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| a | −307.75076 | −57.96288 |
| b | 24.0900756 | 13.6175032 |
| c | −0.1918759221 | −0.1126655495 |
| d | 0.0007391293 | 0.0005158568 |
| e | −0.000001093 | −0.0000010706 |
The denominator is the model's idea of how much total a lifter of that bodyweight "should" make. Multiplying by 500 just scales scores into a familiar range. Bodyweight is clamped to 40–210 kg for men and 40–150 kg for women before the polynomial is applied.
Wilks score and Wilks coefficient
Wilks coefficient = 500 / (a + b·BW + c·BW² + d·BW³ + e·BW⁴ + f·BW⁵), and Wilks score = total × Wilks coefficient, both in kg. This calculator uses the original Wilks formula, with the coefficients listed in the IPF's 2020 evaluation (Appendix 1), not the later Wilks-2.
| Coefficient | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| a | -216.0475144 | 594.31747775582 |
| b | 16.2606339 | -27.23842536447 |
| c | -0.002388645 | 0.82112226871 |
| d | -0.00113732 | -0.00930733913 |
| e | 0.00000701863 | 0.00004731582 |
| f | -1.291e-8 | -9.054e-8 |
The coefficient at common bodyweights: multiply by your total in kg for the Wilks score.
| Bodyweight | Wilks coefficient, men | Wilks coefficient, women |
|---|---|---|
| 52 kg | 0.9813 | 1.2466 |
| 60 kg | 0.8529 | 1.1149 |
| 70 kg | 0.7494 | 0.9948 |
| 80 kg | 0.6827 | 0.9150 |
| 90 kg | 0.6384 | 0.8641 |
| 100 kg | 0.6086 | 0.8326 |
| 110 kg | 0.5885 | 0.8131 |
| 125 kg | 0.5698 | 0.7939 |
Worked examples
Man, 90 kg bodyweight, 600 kg total
The polynomial at 90 kg gives a denominator of 773.3. DOTS = 600 × 500 ÷ that = 388.0. That lands in the intermediate band, close to advanced.
Woman, 63 kg bodyweight, 400 kg total
DOTS = 430.2, in the advanced band. For comparison, the same lift scores 429.6 Wilks and 87.5 IPF GL points (classic).
Man in pounds: 1300 lb total at 198 lb
Convert first: 1300 lb = 589.7 kg and 198 lb = 89.8 kg. DOTS = 381.7. The calculator does this conversion for you when you choose lb. For other weight conversions, see our stone, pounds and kg converter.
Wilks-2 (Wilks2020): the 600-point version
In 2020 Robert Wilks published an updated formula, usually called Wilks-2 or Wilks2020. The IPF's 2020 evaluation lists its coefficients (Appendix 1), and the formula is written with 600 in the numerator instead of 500: Wilks-2 = total × 600 / (a + b·BW + c·BW² + d·BW³ + e·BW⁴ + f·BW⁵). The OpenPowerlifting project notes that the new scale was deliberately different. That makes Wilks-2 a separate formula rather than a drop-in replacement, so old Wilks results stay on the old formula. Its code limits bodyweight to 40–200.95 kg for men and 40–150.95 kg for women.
| Bodyweight | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| 52 kg | 1.1149 | 1.4625 |
| 60 kg | 0.9968 | 1.3190 |
| 70 kg | 0.8923 | 1.2042 |
| 80 kg | 0.8191 | 1.1318 |
| 90 kg | 0.7670 | 1.0846 |
| 100 kg | 0.7294 | 1.0525 |
| 120 kg | 0.6817 | 1.0089 |
| 140 kg | 0.6546 | 0.9753 |
For the 90 kg man with a 600 kg total, Wilks-2 gives 460.2, against 383.0 for the original Wilks and 388.0 DOTS. When someone quotes a Wilks score, ask which version it is.
Bench press only: IPF GL bench points
DOTS has one curve, built for the three-lift total. The IPF publishes separate GL coefficients for single-lift bench press events, in classic and equipped versions, and the calculator uses them when you choose Bench press only. The formula has the same shape as full-power GL: points = bench × 100 / (A − B·e^(−C·BW)).
| Event | A | B | C |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men, classic bench | 320.98041 | 281.40258 | 0.01008 |
| Men, equipped bench | 381.22073 | 733.79378 | 0.02398 |
| Women, classic bench | 142.40398 | 442.52671 | 0.04724 |
| Women, equipped bench | 221.82209 | 357.00377 | 0.02937 |
Worked example: a woman weighing 70.5 kg who benches 122.5 kg classic scores 96.8 GL bench points. This result, from the 2019 World Classic Bench Press Championships, is used as a check in OpenPowerlifting's code. The same lift entered as a "total" would score only 25.1 full-power GL points, which is why single-lift and full-meet scores should never be ranked together.
Planning for a target score
Because DOTS is proportional to your total at a fixed bodyweight, the total for any target is simply current total × target ÷ current score. Enter a target in the calculator and it shows the total and the gap. Example: at 90 kg with a 600 kg total (388.0 DOTS), reaching 400 takes about 618.6 kg, roughly 18.6 kg more spread across three lifts. Cutting to 85 kg with the same total gives 399.8. Losing weight helps only if strength holds: at 85 kg he would still need 600.4 kg to reach 400.
At the extremes the clamps take over. A man weighing 230 kg is scored as if he weighed 210 kg, so a 900 kg total scores 446.1 either way. Gaining more weight above the limit does not lower his score any further.
DOTS in pounds: total needed at common bodyweights
For lifters who think in pounds, the same targets converted, rounded to the nearest 5 lb:
| Bodyweight | 300 (M) | 400 (M) | 500 (M) | 300 (F) | 400 (F) | 500 (F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 123 lb | 735 | 980 | 1230 | 570 | 760 | 950 |
| 132 lb | 780 | 1045 | 1305 | 595 | 795 | 995 |
| 148 lb | 855 | 1140 | 1425 | 640 | 850 | 1065 |
| 165 lb | 920 | 1230 | 1535 | 680 | 905 | 1130 |
| 181 lb | 975 | 1300 | 1625 | 710 | 950 | 1185 |
| 198 lb | 1020 | 1360 | 1705 | 740 | 990 | 1235 |
| 220 lb | 1075 | 1430 | 1790 | 775 | 1035 | 1290 |
| 242 lb | 1115 | 1490 | 1860 | 800 | 1070 | 1335 |
| 275 lb | 1165 | 1555 | 1945 | 835 | 1110 | 1390 |
Total needed for a DOTS score
Approximate total (kg) needed to reach a given DOTS score at each bodyweight, rounded to 2.5 kg because IPF rules require bar weights in multiples of 2.5 kg.
| Bodyweight | 300 (M) | 400 (M) | 500 (M) | 300 (F) | 400 (F) | 500 (F) |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg | 355 | 475 | 592.5 | 270 | 360 | 450 |
| 70 kg | 400 | 532.5 | 665 | 297.5 | 395 | 495 |
| 80 kg | 435 | 580 | 725 | 317.5 | 425 | 530 |
| 90 kg | 465 | 617.5 | 772.5 | 337.5 | 447.5 | 560 |
| 100 kg | 487.5 | 650 | 812.5 | 352.5 | 467.5 | 585 |
| 110 kg | 507.5 | 675 | 845 | 365 | 485 | 607.5 |
| 125 kg | 530 | 705 | 882.5 | 377.5 | 505 | 630 |
DOTS vs Wilks vs IPF GL points
- DOTS: used by USAPL for best-lifter and team awards and by many other federations; it ranked ahead of both Wilks versions in the IPF's 2020 evaluation.
- Wilks: the classic formula, long used before DOTS and IPF GL. Still widely quoted.
- IPF GL points: used by the IPF since 2020, with separate curves for classic and equipped lifting. 100 points equals the average elite IPF lifter at that bodyweight.
The table below shows the same lifts scored three ways, computed with the calculator's formulas.
| Lifter | DOTS | Wilks | IPF GL (classic) |
|---|---|---|---|
| Man, 60 kg, 450 kg total | 379.8 | 383.8 | 73.8 |
| Man, 90 kg, 600 kg total | 388.0 | 383.0 | 79.8 |
| Man, 125 kg, 750 kg total | 425.1 | 427.4 | 85.7 |
| Woman, 52 kg, 300 kg total | 365.7 | 374.0 | 75.8 |
| Woman, 63 kg, 400 kg total | 430.2 | 429.6 | 87.5 |
| Woman, 84 kg, 500 kg total | 460.1 | 445.9 | 94.4 |
DOTS and Wilks sit close together in the middle of the bodyweight range. IPF GL points are on a different scale (around 100 for elite), so do not compare a GL number with a DOTS number.
Bodyweight limits differ by formula: DOTS caps bodyweight at 40–210 kg for men and 40–150 kg for women; Wilks at 40–201.9 kg (men) and 26.51–154.53 kg (women). IPF GL points apply from 40 kg (men) and 35 kg (women).
What affects your DOTS score
- Bodyweight at weigh-in. Weighing a kilogram less with the same total raises your score a little, which is why meet weigh-ins matter.
- Only the total counts. A big squat and a weak deadlift score the same as the reverse if the totals match. Under IPF rules only your best valid attempt on each lift counts.
- Equipment. DOTS does not adjust for equipped lifting, so compare raw with raw and equipped with equipped.
- Age. DOTS has no age adjustment. Masters and junior lifters are usually compared within their own age classes.
- Gym lifts vs meet lifts. A total from training, without judges or commands, will usually read higher than a meet total.
When DOTS is not the right tool
DOTS compares finished powerlifting totals. It is not a measure of fitness, health or body composition, and it is not built for Olympic weightlifting or strongman. Treat the level labels as a rough guide only; no federation publishes official DOTS standards. If you are new to heavy lifting or have a heart, blood pressure or joint condition, get medical clearance and coaching before chasing a number. For body-composition goals, our body recomposition calculator sets calorie and protein targets, and the EER calculator estimates daily energy needs.
Frequently asked questions
What is a good DOTS score?
There is no official DOTS classification. This calculator uses a rough, unofficial guide: under 200 beginner, 200–300 novice, 300–400 intermediate, 400–450 advanced, 450–500 national level and 500+ elite or world class. Federation, age and equipment all change what counts as good.
Is DOTS better than Wilks?
DOTS was created by Tim Konertz for the German federation BVDK as a replacement for Wilks. USA Powerlifting uses it for best-lifter and team awards; the IPF has used IPF GL points since 2020. In the IPF's own 2020 evaluation, GL ranked first and DOTS second, ahead of both Wilks versions.
How do you calculate a DOTS score?
Multiply your total in kg by 500, then divide by a fourth-degree polynomial of your bodyweight in kg (a + b·BW + c·BW² + d·BW³ + e·BW⁴), using the men's or women's coefficients. Bodyweight is clamped to 40–210 kg for men and 40–150 kg for women.
Can I use pounds?
Yes. Switch the unit to lb and the calculator converts to kilograms (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg) before applying the formula. A 1300 lb total at 198 lb bodyweight is 589.7 kg at 89.8 kg.
What total counts for DOTS?
Your powerlifting total: the best valid squat, bench press and deadlift added together. Under IPF technical rules each lifter gets three attempts per lift, and the best valid attempt on each lift counts toward the total.
Can I calculate DOTS for bench press only?
You can enter a single lift, but DOTS was designed for the full three-lift total, so a bench-only DOTS is not comparable with full-meet scores. The IPF publishes separate GL coefficients for bench-only events.
What are the Wilks score and Wilks coefficient?
The Wilks coefficient is 500 divided by a fifth-degree polynomial of bodyweight in kg (for a man at 90 kg, 0.6384); your Wilks score is your total in kg multiplied by it. A 90 kg man with a 600 kg total scores 383.0 Wilks. This calculator uses the original Wilks, not the 2020 Wilks-2, so older meet results you compare against should use the same version.
Why is my DOTS different from my Wilks?
They use different curves fitted to different data. Around middle bodyweights the two are usually within a few points; the gap grows at very light and very heavy bodyweights. Use the scoring system your federation uses.
Does equipped or raw change DOTS?
No. DOTS has one set of coefficients for all divisions, so an equipped total scores higher than the same lifter's raw total. IPF GL points are the formula with separate classic and equipped curves, and the calculator shows GL points for the division you pick.
What is Wilks-2?
Wilks-2, also called Wilks2020, is Robert Wilks's 2020 update to his formula. It uses new coefficients and a 600 numerator instead of 500, so its scores run higher than the original Wilks and are not interchangeable with it. The calculator shows both.
How do I calculate IPF GL points for bench press only?
Switch the entry mode to Bench press only. The calculator uses the IPF's separate classic and equipped bench coefficients: points = bench × 100 ÷ (A − B·e^(−C·bodyweight)), with bodyweight in kg.
How much do I need to total for 400 DOTS?
It depends on bodyweight. A 90 kg man needs about 617.5 kg and a 63 kg woman about 372.5 kg. Enter 400 as the target DOTS in the calculator to get the exact total and the gap from your current total.
Does cutting weight raise my DOTS?
Only if you keep your total. A 90 kg man totalling 600 kg scores 388.0; the same total at 85 kg scores 399.8. If the cut costs him more than about 17.7 kg of total, his score goes down.
Why does DOTS stop changing above 210 kg bodyweight?
The formula clamps bodyweight at 210 kg for men and 150 kg for women (and 40 kg at the bottom for both). Beyond those limits the polynomial would bend the wrong way, so heavier lifters are scored as if they weighed the limit.
Sources & method
- IPF — The IPF GL Coefficients for Relative Scoring (2020)
- IPF — Evaluation of Wilks, Wilks-2, DOTS, IPF and Goodlift formulas (2020), coefficients in appendices
- IPF Technical Rulebook 2026 (attempts, total, 2.5 kg rule)
- USA Powerlifting Rulebook v2026.1 (DOTS for best lifter)
- OpenPowerlifting — DOTS coefficients and bodyweight limits (source code)
- OpenPowerlifting — Wilks coefficients and limits (source code)
- OpenPowerlifting — Wilks2020 (Wilks-2) limits and published coefficient table checks (source code)
- IPF — IPF GL Formula page (GL points valid from 1 May 2020)
Results are estimates for general information. Found an error? It helps everyone — see our methodology.