Medical Disclaimer: This calculator provides a general estimate based on established research and is for educational purposes only, not a substitute for medical advice. Individual results can vary based on health conditions, so consult a qualified healthcare professional or registered dietitian before making significant changes to your diet, exercise, or health routine. Read our full Medical Disclaimer.
How Powerlifting Scores Are Calculated
A powerlifting score adjusts your total for bodyweight, so lifters of different sizes can be ranked on one list. Each formula divides your result by what a lifter of your bodyweight is expected to lift. This calculator leads with IPF GL Points, the score the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) uses, and shows two other common scores beside it.
What IPF GL Points Measure
IPF GL Points (also called Goodlift or GLP) compare your result with the average elite result at your bodyweight. The IPF sets that elite level to 100 points for every bodyweight¹. So a score of 90 means your total is 90% of the elite level for your size. The IPF uses separate constants for men and women, classic and equipped lifting, and full power and bench only, because each of these "greatly affect the result"¹.
The Formula
IPF GL Points = Result (kg) x 100 / (A - B x e^(-C x BW))
DOTS = Total (kg) x 500 / (fourth degree polynomial of BW)
Wilks 2020 = Total (kg) x 600 / (fifth degree polynomial of BW)
BW is bodyweight in kilograms and e is the base of the natural logarithm (about 2.718). The IPF published these GL constants in May 2020¹:
Category | A | B | C |
Men, classic powerlifting | 1199.72839 | 1025.18162 | 0.00921 |
Men, equipped powerlifting | 1236.25115 | 1449.21864 | 0.01644 |
Men, classic bench press | 320.98041 | 281.40258 | 0.01008 |
Men, equipped bench press | 381.22073 | 733.79378 | 0.02398 |
Women, classic powerlifting | 610.32796 | 1045.59282 | 0.03048 |
Women, equipped powerlifting | 758.63878 | 949.31382 | 0.02435 |
Women, classic bench press | 142.40398 | 442.52671 | 0.04724 |
Women, equipped bench press | 221.82209 | 357.00377 | 0.02937 |
The DOTS and Wilks 2020 constants come from the OpenPowerlifting source code⁴ ⁵.
How This Calculator Computes Your Result
Choose your sex, units (kg or lb), equipment (classic or equipped) and event (full power or bench only), then enter your bodyweight and lifts. Pounds are converted to kilograms first (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg). If you lifted in knee wraps, choose classic, because GL has no wraps category.
As in the IPF rules, the GL coefficient is rounded to 6 decimals and your score is shown to 3 decimals¹. The tool also shows the elite reference result, the total that would score exactly 100 at your bodyweight.
DOTS and Wilks 2020 are shown to 2 decimals. Each holds bodyweight inside its own limits⁴ ⁵, and the tool tells you when that happens.
What Your Result Means
Read your GL score as a percentage of the IPF's average elite level for your sex, equipment, event and bodyweight¹:
IPF GL Points | What it means |
Above 100 | Your result beats the IPF's average elite result for your bodyweight |
100 | Your result equals the average elite result |
80 | Your result is 80% of the elite result |
50 | Your result is half the elite result |
Here is the elite reference total (100 GL) for classic powerlifting at common bodyweights (our calculation from the IPF constants¹):
Bodyweight | Men, total for 100 GL | Women, total for 100 GL |
50 kg | 552.9 kg | 382.6 kg |
60 kg | 609.8 kg | 442.4 kg |
70 kg | 661.7 kg | 486.5 kg |
80 kg | 709.0 kg | 519.0 kg |
90 kg | 752.2 kg | 543.0 kg |
100 kg | 791.6 kg | 560.7 kg |
120 kg | 860.2 kg | 583.4 kg |
For example, a man at 83 kg with a 600 kg classic total scores 83.056 GL, 405.05 DOTS and 480.99 Wilks 2020. A woman at 63 kg with a 380 kg classic total scores 83.138 GL. Both are at about 83% of the elite level for their own category, so GL ranks them almost level.
Which Federations Use Which Formula
Federation | Formula | What the source says |
IPF | IPF GL Points | In use from 1 May 2020 at all IPF sanctioned events; national federations are encouraged to use it² |
USA Powerlifting (USAPL) | DOTS | Used to break ties in team scoring; stays in use until a better formula is approved⁷ |
World Powerlifting | Wilks 2020 | Released the update in 2020 and ranks its top lifters with it⁶ |
German federation (BVDK) | DOTS | Created DOTS for team events where men and women compete on one team⁴ |
The original Wilks formula (500 point scale) is a separate, older score, and this calculator does not show it.
Why Different Formulas Give Different Answers
Each formula is a curve fitted to different results, for a different job. GL was built from the best results at official IPF international and European competitions from 2011, with one curve per category¹. DOTS uses one curve per sex and was made for mixed teams⁴. Wilks 2020 rebalanced the old Wilks curve with new data and moved to a 600 point scale⁵ ⁶.
An evaluation published by the IPF tested five formulas on IPF world and European championship results. GL ranked first and DOTS second, ahead of both Wilks versions and the 2018 IPF formula³. The scores sit on different scales, so a 400 DOTS and an 80 GL cannot be compared.
Classic Total for 100 IPF GL Points by Bodyweight
The total that scores exactly 100 GL, the IPF's average elite level, at each bodyweight. Your GL score is your total as a percent of this line.
- Men, total for 100 GL
- Women, total for 100 GL
Show data table
| Bodyweight (kg) | Men, total for 100 GL (kg) | Women, total for 100 GL (kg) |
|---|---|---|
| 50 kg | 552.9 | 382.6 |
| 60 kg | 609.8 | 442.4 |
| 70 kg | 661.7 | 486.5 |
| 80 kg | 709.0 | 519.0 |
| 90 kg | 752.2 | 543.0 |
| 100 kg | 791.6 | 560.7 |
| 120 kg | 860.2 | 583.4 |
A Note on Accuracy
IPF GL Points, DOTS and Wilks 2020 are fitted curves, not physical laws. GL was built on elite IPF lifters, so it is least tested at very light or very heavy bodyweights and for lifters far from elite level. None of the three adjusts for age. The GL constants used here are the IPF's 2020 set, which the IPF said it would review on a four-year cycle¹.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good IPF GL score?
A score of 100 means your total matches the IPF's average elite result for your bodyweight and category¹. There is no official scale below that, so a higher score is better and the fairest comparison is with your own past results.
How do you calculate IPF GL points?
Multiply your total (or bench) in kilograms by 100, then divide by A - B x e^(-C x bodyweight), using the IPF constants for your sex, equipment and event¹. This calculator picks the right constants and shows the coefficient it used.
What is the difference between IPF GL, DOTS and Wilks?
GL compares you with elite IPF lifters in your exact category on a 100 point scale, while DOTS and Wilks 2020 use one curve per sex on 500 and 600 point scales¹ ⁴ ⁵. Scores from different formulas cannot be compared with each other.
Is the IPF GL formula fair across weight classes?
In an IPF evaluation on world and European championship results, GL scored best of the five formulas tested³. It is still a model, and it was built on elite lifters only.
Sources
IPF GL Coefficients for Relative Scoring, International Powerlifting Federation, 2020
IPF Formula, International Powerlifting Federation
Evaluation of Wilks, Wilks-2, DOTS, IPF and GoodLift formulas, Kopayev et al., 2020
DOTS source code (dots.rs), OpenPowerlifting Project
Wilks2020 source code (wilks2020.rs), OpenPowerlifting Project
Wilks Formula 2 Released, World Powerlifting, 2020
USA Powerlifting Rulebook, USA Powerlifting, 2026