Wilks, DOTS, and IPF GL calculator

Why three different scores?

Powerlifting needed a way to compare lifters across weight classes. A 600 lb squat from a 165 lb lifter is more impressive than the same squat from a 300 lb lifter, but the absolute number doesn't capture that. The solution: a scoring formula that adjusts your total for bodyweight, producing a single number that's comparable across weight classes.

There have been several. Wilks was the dominant one from the mid-1990s until about 2019. The IPF moved off Wilks in 2020 because the old coefficients were fit to a 1990s dataset that no longer reflected modern lifters (especially women, who were consistently under-scored). DOTS and IPF GL Points both appeared around the same time as updated alternatives.

Wilks-2 (the 2020 update)

Robert Wilks himself published an updated version of his original formula in 2020, addressing the gender bias and fitting new coefficients to a more recent dataset. This is what most gym apps and casual references mean by "Wilks" today. One catch worth knowing: Wilks-2 scores run about 20% higher than the original Wilks, so the old benchmarks do not carry over. "A 500 Wilks" from an older chart is roughly a 595 on Wilks-2.

DOTS

Stands for Dynamic Objective Team Scoring. Developed by statistical analysis of the OpenPowerlifting dataset and adopted by USAPL and most other US federations in 2020. Magnitude tracks the original Wilks closely — a 93 kg lifter with a 600 kg total scores 382 DOTS and 377 on the old Wilks — but that same lifter scores 453 on Wilks-2. DOTS tends to score lighter lifters slightly higher and heavier lifters slightly lower than Wilks-2.

IPF GL Points

Stands for International Powerlifting Federation Goodlift Points. Adopted by the IPF in 2020 to replace IPF Points. The formula is structurally different (asymptotic rather than polynomial) and the scale is different too — IPF GL maxes out around 130–140 for elite lifters, instead of the 700+ scale of Wilks/DOTS. Different coefficients for raw vs. equipped lifting and for total vs. single-lift events.

This calculator uses the raw classic total coefficients, which is what 95% of users want.

Which one should I use?

• If you compete in the IPF (USAPL, USPA's IPF-style affiliates, or any IPF national federation), use IPF GL. It's the official score.
• If you compete in USAPL or most other US feds, use DOTS. It's what your meet results will report.
• For everyday gym comparison or older benchmarks, use Wilks-2. Most online charts and "a 400 Wilks is X" advice still references this.

All three rank lifters in much the same order, but they are not interchangeable numbers — each has its own scale, so only ever compare a score against benchmarks for that same formula. They diverge most for lifters at unusual bodyweights (very light or very heavy).

What's a good score?

These bands are DOTS, which the original Wilks is close enough to share. Wilks-2 runs about 20% higher, so its equivalent is in brackets — read your score against its own formula, never across.

• 200–300 (Wilks-2 240–355) — beginner to novice. You've been training for less than a year, or you train as a hobby.
• 300–400 (Wilks-2 355–475) — intermediate. Solid lifting; you can probably hold your own at a local meet.
• 400–500 (Wilks-2 475–595) — advanced. Years of focused training; competing seriously.
• 500–600 (Wilks-2 595–715) — national-level. You're in the conversation for state and national meets.
• 600+ (Wilks-2 715+) — world-class. Real talent plus a decade of work.

IPF GL Points use a different scale (the same lifter will produce a number around 1/5 of their Wilks):

• 50–65 — novice
• 65–80 — intermediate
• 80–95 — advanced
• 95–110 — national
• 110+ — world class

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