scores
Federation scores · DOTS / Wilks / IPF GL.
DOTS, Wilks 2020, and IPF GoodLift coefficients computed in parallel from competition total + bodyweight + sex. DOTS (Konertz / BVDK 2019) is the de-facto raw-open standard on OpenPowerlifting and USPA; the IPF's own official coefficient since 2020 is IPF GoodLift, which replaced Wilks after the IPF's formula review found Wilks systematically under-scored heavier lifters (IPF formula evaluation, 2020).
federation scores
DOTS = de-facto raw-open standard (OpenPowerlifting / USPA); IPF GL = IPF official since 2020; Wilks kept for parity with older write-ups. They use different reference populations — same total, different ranks.
openpowerlifting.org meet-data · 2026-04 percentile-snapshot bundled at build · CC0
method notes
DOTS source: Konertz / BVDK 2019. IPF GL source: IPF GoodLift 2020 raw-open table. All three are exposed because the same total ranks differently in each — interpretation belongs to the lifter.
how to use it
- Pick sex — pick male (M) or female (F). The coefficient tables differ by sex.
- Enter total and bodyweight — enter your competition total (sum of best squat + bench + deadlift, in kg) and your bodyweight on weigh-in day in kg.
- Read all three coefficients — DOTS (active row), Wilks 2020, and IPF GoodLift are computed in parallel. DOTS is the de-facto raw-open standard on OpenPowerlifting and US raw federations; IPF GoodLift is the IPF's own official coefficient; Wilks 2020 is shown for parity with older scoreboards.
What is a good DOTS score?
There's no single cut-off, but real meet data gives an honest anchor. Across 977,010 raw full-power meet entries in the OpenPowerlifting public dataset (CC0, snapshot 2026-05-16), the median competitor's DOTS is highest in the peak years — about 389 for men at age 28 and 344 for women at age 23 — and falls off on either side. So a DOTS near 389 (men) or 344 (women) puts you level with the typical competitor at the strongest age; it is not a fixed 50th-percentile line, because "good" rises and falls with age and bodyweight. For your actual percentile against a like-for-like cohort, use the rankings calculator.
| Sex | Peak age | Median DOTS | Lifters |
|---|---|---|---|
| Men | 28 | 389.4 | 24,875 |
| Women | 23 | 343.8 | 17,004 |
The commonly quoted tier labels — ≈350 regional, ≈450 national, ≈500+ international, ≈575+ elite for men (≈300/400/450/500 for women) — are community conventions, not percentiles from this dataset; treat them as rough waypoints. For how the median competitor's DOTS falls across the full 18–80 age range, see Strength Age; for your own percentile by lift, the rankings calculator.
frequently asked
- What is DOTS, and how does it relate to Wilks and IPF GoodLift?
- DOTS is a strength-comparison coefficient by Konertz / BVDK (2019). It is the de-facto raw-open standard on OpenPowerlifting and on US raw federations such as USPA — but it is not an IPF formula. The IPF's own official coefficient has been IPF GoodLift (IPF GL Points) since 2020, when the IPF's formula review retired Wilks for systematically under-scoring heavier lifters (IPF formula evaluation, 2020). LiftGauge computes DOTS, Wilks 2020, and IPF GoodLift in parallel so you can see how the same total ranks under each system.
- DOTS vs Wilks vs IPF GoodLift — which should I use?
- Use DOTS for general raw-open comparison — it is the de-facto standard on OpenPowerlifting and US raw federations. Use Wilks 2020 (the revised coefficients, not the original Wilks) when comparing against meet results that still use the Wilks scoreboard. Use IPF GoodLift for IPF-affiliated meets — it is the IPF's official coefficient since 2020 and the only one of the three with separate raw and equipped tracks.
- What is a good DOTS score?
- There's no fixed cut-off, but meet data gives an honest anchor: the median competitor's DOTS peaks at about 389 (men, age 28) and 344 (women, age 23), then declines with age — so matching that means lifting like the typical competitor at the strongest age, not clearing a fixed percentile. The familiar tier labels — ≈350 regional, ≈450 national, ≈500+ international, ≈575+ elite for men (≈300/400/450/500 for women) — are community conventions rather than percentiles from this dataset, and they shift with age and weight class. See Strength Age for the median DOTS at every age, and /rankings for your actual percentile.
- Do these scores work for equipped lifters?
- DOTS and Wilks 2020 are calibrated on raw data and will under-rank equipped totals. IPF GoodLift has separate raw and equipped tracks so it is the better choice for equipped comparison. For multi-ply or untested federations the coefficients drift further; treat them as approximate across federations.
- Why use bodyweight coefficients at all?
- Because total kg alone is dominated by mass — a 120 kg lifter will out-total a 60 kg lifter even at equal relative strength. Coefficients adjust for the well-documented sub-linear scaling of strength against mass (Lietzke 1956; Vanderburgh 1999) so lifters across weight classes compare on a single number.
- How is IPF GoodLift different from Wilks 2020?
- IPF GoodLift was developed for the IPF in 2020 with a constrained polynomial fit aimed at the IPF's own competition data; Wilks 2020 is a re-fit of the original Wilks formula on a larger modern dataset. They agree to within ~3 % across most weight classes but diverge at the extreme ends. DOTS is the most general-purpose of the three.