DOTS calculator
Your DOTS score, with Wilks 2020 and Wilks beside it.
- DOTS coefficient
- × 0.6751
- Wilks 2020
- 480.99
- Wilks 2020 coefficient
- × 0.8016
- Wilks (original)
- 400.50
- Wilks (original) coefficient
- × 0.6675
Points are the weight lifted in kg times each coefficient. Wilks 2020 is on a 600-point scale, so it runs higher than DOTS and the original Wilks.
For comparing powerlifting performances, not a measure of health or fitness. Scores compare only within one formula, and your federation’s official result is the one that counts. Lifting near your maximum carries risk: with an injury or a medical condition, or in pregnancy, ask your doctor first.
This DOTS calculator scores a powerlifting total, or a single lift, against your body weight, so lifters of different sizes can be compared. It also gives the Wilks 2020 score and the original Wilks score, each with its coefficient, using the formulas exactly as their authors and federations publish them.
- Free, no sign-up
- Kilograms or pounds
- Runs in your browser; nothing is saved
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What is a DOTS score?
DOTS is a points score that compares powerlifting totals across body weights. Your total in kilograms is multiplied by a coefficient that falls as body weight rises, so a lighter lifter’s kilo counts for more. Germany’s federation, the BVDK, adopted it for team competitions from 2020, and USA Powerlifting uses it to break team ties.
- DOTS, exactly as its author Tim Konertz published it
- Wilks 2020 from World Powerlifting’s published coefficients
- The original Wilks formula, matching the IPF’s old tables
- Men and women, kilograms or pounds, with each coefficient shown
How it works
How does this DOTS calculator work?
Choose men or women, enter your body weight and your total, or one lift, in kilograms or pounds. The calculator converts pounds to kilograms, works out each formula’s coefficient from your body weight, and multiplies it by the weight you lifted. A heavier lifter gets a smaller coefficient, which evens out the comparison.
Enter body weight and total
Use your weigh-in body weight and your best squat, bench press and deadlift added together, or a single lift. Pick men or women, the two categories each formula has. Body weight must be at least 40 kg, where all three formulas begin.
- Pounds are converted at 0.45359237 kg per pound
- Switching units converts the numbers you typed
Find each coefficient
Each formula divides a fixed number, 500 or 600, by a polynomial in your body weight. DOTS uses a fourth-degree polynomial and both Wilks formulas a fifth-degree one. The result is the coefficient: points per kilogram lifted at your body weight.
- DOTS and the original Wilks have 500 on top
- Wilks 2020 has 600, so its scores run higher
Multiply by the weight lifted
Points are the coefficient times the weight lifted in kilograms. At 83 kg, a man’s DOTS coefficient is 0.6751, so a 600 kg total scores 405.05. The calculator shows all three scores, each with its coefficient.
- Points to two decimals, coefficients to four
Check the body-weight range
Each formula covers a set range of body weights: DOTS runs from 40 to 210 kg for men and 40 to 150 kg for women. Outside a range the coefficient at the nearest end is used, and the calculator says when that happens.
- The ranges for all three are in the table below
Formulas
Which formulas does the calculator use?
DOTS divides 500 by a fourth-degree polynomial in body weight. Wilks 2020 divides 600 by a fifth-degree polynomial, and the original Wilks divides 500 by a different fifth-degree one. Men and women have separate coefficients. Each result is a coefficient, which multiplies the weight lifted in kilograms to give points.
Points = coefficient × weight lifted (kg)coefficient = 500 ÷ (a + b·x + c·x² + d·x³ + e·x⁴)a = −307.75076, b = 24.0900756, c = −0.1918759221, d = 0.0007391293, e = −0.000001093a = −57.96288, b = 13.6175032, c = −0.1126655495, d = 0.0005158568, e = −0.0000010706coefficient = N ÷ (a + b·x + c·x² + d·x³ + e·x⁴ + f·x⁵), N = 600 (2020) or 500 (original)a = 47.4617885411949, b = 8.47206137941125, c = 0.073694103462609, d = −0.00139583381094385, e = 7.07665973070743 × 10⁻⁶, f = −1.20804336482315 × 10⁻⁸a = −125.425539779509, b = 13.7121941940668, c = −0.0330725063103405, d = −0.0010504000506583, e = 9.38773881462799 × 10⁻⁶, f = −2.3334613884954 × 10⁻⁸a = −216.0475144, b = 16.2606339, c = −0.002388645, d = −0.00113732, e = 7.01863 × 10⁻⁶, f = −1.291 × 10⁻⁸a = 594.31747775582, b = −27.23842536447, c = 0.82112226871, d = −0.00930733913, e = 4.731582 × 10⁻⁵, f = −9.054 × 10⁻⁸- x: body weight in kg, held within each formula’s range (table below)
- Pounds are converted first: 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg
- Wilks 2020 coefficients as in World Powerlifting’s calculator, whose published tables they match to four decimals
- The original Wilks coefficients reproduce the IPF’s 2013 tables to four decimals
Body-weight ranges
Which body weights does each formula cover?
DOTS covers 40 to 210 kg for men and 40 to 150 kg for women, as its author defined it. The Wilks 2020 tables run to 200.95 kg for men and 150.95 kg for women. Outside a range, the calculator uses the coefficient at the nearest end, as the DOTS author specifies.
| Formula | Men | Women | Points scale | Published by |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DOTS | 40–210 kg | 40–150 kg | 500 | Tim Konertz, for the German federation BVDK |
| Wilks 2020 | 40–200.95 kg | 40–150.95 kg | 600 | World Powerlifting |
| Wilks (original) | 40–203.5 kg | 40–150.9 kg | 500 | IPF rules (2013 edition) |
The IPF’s original Wilks tables run to 205.9 kg for men; the formula matches them to four decimals up to 203.5 kg, so the calculator holds that value above it. None of the three formulas goes below 40 kg.
Scores compared
How do the three scores compare?
They use different scales and curves, so compare like with like. World Powerlifting’s top men’s score when it released Wilks 2020, 895 kg at 97.10 kg body weight, is 661.46 by Wilks 2020. The same total scores 558.11 by DOTS and 551.37 by the original Wilks.
| Lifter | Total | DOTS | Wilks 2020 | Wilks (original) |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Man, 97.10 kg | 895 kg | 558.11 | 661.46 | 551.37 |
| Woman, 52.50 kg | 425 kg | 514.61 | 616.95 | 525.91 |
| Woman, 71.80 kg | 533 kg | 531.46 | 633.55 | 521.19 |
| Man, 83 kg | 600 kg | 405.05 | 480.99 | 400.50 |
| Woman, 63 kg | 400 kg | 430.21 | 511.45 | 429.58 |
The first three are World Powerlifting’s published examples, with the Wilks 2020 scores it gives (2020 announcement and calculator page). Every other score is worked out with the formulas above.
Worked example
What does a worked example look like?
Take a man who weighs 83 kg with a 600 kg total. The DOTS polynomial at 83 kg comes to 740.645, so his coefficient is 500 ÷ 740.645 = 0.6751, and his score 0.6751 × 600 = 405.05. Wilks 2020 gives him 480.99 and the original Wilks 400.50.
- The polynomial term by term: −307.751 + 1,999.476 − 1,321.833 + 422.625 − 51.872 = 740.645
- Wilks 2020: coefficient 0.8016, score 480.99
- Original Wilks: coefficient 0.6675, score 400.50
- A woman who weighs 63 kg with a 400 kg total: DOTS 430.21, Wilks 2020 511.45, original Wilks 429.58
Which score
Which score should you use?
Use the one your federation uses, because its rankings and awards depend on it. The BVDK scores teams by DOTS and USA Powerlifting breaks team ties with it; World Powerlifting and Powerlifting Australia use Wilks 2020. The IPF used the original Wilks until 2018 and has used its own GL points since May 2020.
- IPF: GL points at all IPF-sanctioned events from 1 May 2020, replacing the formula it brought in in 2018
- USA Powerlifting: its 2026 rulebook keeps DOTS until a better formula is approved
- BVDK: DOTS replaced Wilks for team competitions from 2020
- World Powerlifting: Wilks 2020 works on the total or any one lift
Limits
What can a points score not tell you?
Each formula is fitted to past competition results, so it reflects the lifters in its data. That is why they disagree and why they get revised: World Powerlifting rebalanced Wilks in 2020, and the IPF replaced the formula it adopted in 2018. Compare scores only within one formula.
- DOTS was built from IPF World Championships and World Games results: raw and equipped, full meets and single lifts
- Its author weighted each class by how competitive it was, to compare classes and sexes fairly in mixed teams
- World Powerlifting says Wilks 2020 aligns men and women better and brings the extreme body-weight classes into line with the middle ones
- One DOTS formula covers raw and equipped lifting, so compare like with like
For coaches
How do coaches use DOTS with clients?
A DOTS score lets you compare a lifter’s progress when their body weight changes, such as during a cut before a meet. Trainaq does not calculate DOTS, but each client’s progress page shows their weight trend, their best estimated one-rep max per day on the lifts they train most, and recent personal records.
- Clients log every set in the free Trainaq app, with last time’s numbers shown
- PR alerts cover weight, estimated 1RM, reps and duration
- Weekly check-ins can ask for weight, waist and photos
Sources
Sources
- Konertz T. Die DOTS-Formeln – die neuen Wilks (the DOTS formulas, by their author, with the coefficients and body-weight ranges). Kraftsport Colonia.
- Bundesverband Deutscher Kraftdreikämpfer (BVDK). DOTS Punkte für Mannschaftswettkämpfe ab 2020 (DOTS points for team competitions from 2020). 2019, archived copy.
- USA Powerlifting. Rulebook, version 2026.2, items 1.9.5 and 1.9.5.1 (team ties decided by DOTS points). 2026.
- World Powerlifting. Wilks Formula Calculator: Wilks Formula 2020, with its coefficient tables for men and women.
- World Powerlifting. Wilks Formula 2 released. 27 February 2020.
- International Powerlifting Federation. Technische Regeln im Kraftdreikampf gemäß IPF (BVDK translation), valid from January 2013, section 12.5 and the Wilks tables.
- International Powerlifting Federation. IPF GL Formula (in force from 1 May 2020).
FAQ
DOTS and Wilks calculator FAQ
Is DOTS better than Wilks?
Neither is better for everyone. DOTS was built from IPF championship results, partly because its author found the original Wilks favoured very light and very heavy men and very light women. Wilks 2020 refits Wilks to newer data. What matters most is which one your federation uses for its rankings and awards.
Why is my Wilks 2020 score higher than my DOTS score?
Wilks 2020 is on a different scale: its formula puts 600 on top, where DOTS and the original Wilks put 500. In the examples on this page it comes out about a fifth higher. Compare Wilks 2020 scores only with other Wilks 2020 scores, and DOTS only with DOTS.
Can I use DOTS for a single lift?
Yes. DOTS was fitted to full powerlifting and single-lift results, and World Powerlifting says Wilks 2020 works on the total or any one lift. A bench press scores far fewer points than a total, so compare a bench score only with other bench scores, made with the same formula.
Does the calculator work in pounds?
Yes. Choose pounds and it converts your body weight and total to kilograms at 0.45359237 kg per pound, the exact definition of the pound, before applying the formulas. The scores match the kilogram ones, because every formula is defined in kilograms. Switching units also converts the numbers you typed.
Why are there separate formulas for men and women?
Each formula fits separate coefficients for men and women, from each group’s competition results. DOTS goes further: its author set them so that men and women can be compared, because it was made for mixed teams in Germany’s powerlifting league. Wilks 2020 was also rebalanced to align men’s and women’s scores.
What is a good DOTS score?
We found no federation that publishes DOTS grades. DOTS was set up close to the original Wilks: its author found them at most about 4% apart at 400 Wilks points. For Wilks 2020 totals, World Powerlifting calls 400 or more good, 500 great and 600 or more sensational.
