DOTS vs Wilks vs IPF GL: which powerlifting score should you use?

A 700 kg total is more impressive than a 500 kg total — unless the first lifter weighs twice as much. Powerlifting scores solve that problem by adjusting a total for body weight, so lifters of different sizes (and sexes) can be ranked on one list. The catch is that there are several formulas, and they don’t always agree.

The four scores in one paragraph each

Wilks (original). Robert Wilks’s formula was the standard way to crown “best lifter” for decades. It multiplies your total by a coefficient from a polynomial of body weight. Its main criticism is that it tends to favour some weight classes over others.

Wilks-2020. An update built on newer competition data, on a larger numerical scale. Scores run much higher than original Wilks, so the two can’t be compared directly.

DOTS. Introduced in 2019 as a modern alternative to Wilks, based on more recent results. It is widely used outside the IPF and for comparing lifters across federations. For middle-weight lifters it lands close to original Wilks.

IPF GL points. The International Powerlifting Federation’s own formula, used since 2020 for best-lifter awards at IPF meets. It has separate coefficients for classic and equipped lifting, and for full powerlifting and bench-only. Scores sit on a much smaller scale: the lifters below all score around 80.

Same lifters, four scores

Three male classic (raw) lifters, scored with each formula:

DOTS and both Wilks versions rank these lifters the same way: C first, A second, B third. IPF GL puts B ahead of A. That’s the whole debate in miniature — each formula makes slightly different assumptions about how strength should scale with body weight, so close contests can flip depending on which one is used.

Why the numbers are on different scales

Only the ranking matters, not the size of the number. A DOTS of 400 and an IPF GL score of 80 can describe the same performance. Never compare a score from one formula with a score from another.

Which score should you use?

• Competing in an IPF-affiliated federation? Use IPF GL points and pick the right event (classic or equipped, full meet or bench-only).
• Comparing yourself with lifters from other federations? DOTS is the most common shared yardstick.
• Reading older results? They will usually quote original Wilks.
• Tracking your own progress? Any one of them works — just stick to the same score over time.

All formulas are fitted to competition data and are least reliable at the extremes of body weight. Most calculators, including ours, clamp body weight to the range each formula was built for.

General fitness information, not medical advice. Check with a doctor or qualified coach before major changes to diet, supplements or training.