DOTS Calculator
Turn your squat, bench and deadlift into one bodyweight adjusted score, and see the rank it puts you in.
DOTS compares lifters across bodyweights using the coefficients published by the IPF. Use competition style lifts for a meaningful number: a squat to depth, a paused bench, a locked out deadlift.
Example: a 500 kg powerlifting total at 80 kg bodyweight scores about 344.8 DOTS points, an intermediate rank.
How this is worked out
A raw total tells you nothing on its own, because a 500 kg total from a 60 kg lifter and a 500 kg total from a 120 kg lifter are not the same achievement. DOTS fixes that by dividing your total by a curve fitted to what lifters at each bodyweight actually lift.
The curve is a quartic polynomial with separate coefficients for men and women, published by the IPF and used by federations and by OpenPowerlifting. Nothing here is invented: the same coefficients that score a meet score this page.
Ranks come from the tiers Workout With Me uses, so the number you get here is the one your profile would show. They are broad on purpose. A DOTS score is precise to a decimal place and your training week is not, so a tier you sit inside for months is more useful than a figure that moves every session.
DOTS = total x 500 / (a x bw^4 + b x bw^3 + c x bw^2 + d x bw + e)
What DOTS actually measures
It measures your squat, bench and deadlift total relative to what is typical at your bodyweight. A higher score means you are stronger for your size, not stronger in absolute terms.
That distinction matters when you compare yourself to anyone. Two lifters in the same gym with the same total can be twenty percent apart on DOTS, and the lighter one is the one whose training is going better.
It also makes your own progress readable across a bulk or a cut. If your total holds while your bodyweight drops, your DOTS goes up, and you got relatively stronger even though nothing on the bar changed.
DOTS ranks and what each one takes
The six tiers, with the total you would need to reach the bottom of each at a typical bodyweight. Beginner and novice cover the first year or two for most people. Intermediate is where a lot of consistent lifters settle. Advanced and above start requiring the training to be genuinely well run rather than merely consistent.
The example totals fall as bodyweight falls, which is the entire point of the formula. A lighter lifter needs less on the bar to reach the same tier because that is what the population data says is comparably hard.
| Rank | DOTS | Total at 80 kg, male | Total at 65 kg, female |
|---|---|---|---|
| Beginner | 0 to 150 | 1 kg (2 lb) | 1 kg (2 lb) |
| Novice | 150 to 250 | 218 kg (481 lb) | 142 kg (313 lb) |
| Intermediate | 250 to 350 | 363 kg (800 lb) | 237 kg (523 lb) |
| Advanced | 350 to 450 | 508 kg (1,120 lb) | 332 kg (732 lb) |
| Elite | 450 to 550 | 653 kg (1,440 lb) | 426 kg (939 lb) |
| World class | 550 and up | 798 kg (1,759 lb) | 521 kg (1,149 lb) |
Example totals are what it takes to reach the bottom of each tier at that bodyweight. They fall as bodyweight falls, because DOTS is designed to make a lighter lifter and a heavier one comparable.
DOTS chart for men
Bodyweight down the side, total across the top. Read across to see what adding to your total is worth, and down to see what carrying extra bodyweight costs at the same total.
| Bodyweight | 300 kg total | 400 kg total | 500 kg total | 600 kg total | 700 kg total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 253.2 | 337.6 | 422 | 506.4 | 590.8 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 225.3 | 300.5 | 375.6 | 450.7 | 525.8 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 206.9 | 275.8 | 344.8 | 413.7 | 482.7 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 194 | 258.6 | 323.3 | 388 | 452.6 |
| 100 kg (221 lb) | 184.7 | 246.2 | 307.8 | 369.3 | 430.9 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 177.7 | 236.9 | 296.1 | 355.4 | 414.6 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 172.3 | 229.7 | 287.2 | 344.6 | 402 |
DOTS for male lifters. Read across for what adding to your total is worth, and down for what carrying more bodyweight costs you at the same total.
DOTS chart for women
The same chart with the female coefficients. The same bodyweight and total produce a higher score than on the men's chart, because the curve is fitted to a different population rather than adjusted by a flat handicap.
| Bodyweight | 300 kg total | 400 kg total | 500 kg total | 600 kg total | 700 kg total |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 60 kg (132 lb) | 332.6 | 443.4 | 554.3 | 665.1 | 776 |
| 70 kg (154 lb) | 303.4 | 404.5 | 505.6 | 606.8 | 707.9 |
| 80 kg (176 lb) | 282.7 | 376.9 | 471.1 | 565.3 | 659.6 |
| 90 kg (198 lb) | 267.5 | 356.6 | 445.8 | 534.9 | 624.1 |
| 100 kg (221 lb) | 256 | 341.3 | 426.7 | 512 | 597.3 |
| 110 kg (243 lb) | 247.3 | 329.7 | 412.2 | 494.6 | 577 |
| 120 kg (265 lb) | 240.7 | 320.9 | 401.2 | 481.4 | 561.7 |
DOTS for female lifters. The coefficients differ from the male set, so the same total and bodyweight produce a higher score here.
DOTS compared to Wilks
Wilks came first and is still what a lot of older meet results and gym conversations use. It was fitted to data from the eighties and nineties, and it drifted: it treated the lightest and heaviest lifters less fairly than the middle of the range as the sport changed around it.
DOTS was fitted to a much larger and more recent dataset and behaves better at the extremes, which is why most federations and record boards moved to it. If you are comparing yourself to an old number, expect them to disagree, and expect the disagreement to be largest if you are very light or very heavy.
Using it as a training metric
The useful version of DOTS is not the number, it is the direction. One score is a snapshot with all the noise of whatever week you tested in. A year of scores is a genuine record of whether your training worked.
Workout With Me computes it from your logged lifts rather than asking you to enter them, so the trend builds itself as you train and your rank updates when your lifts actually do.
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Key Takeaways
- DOTS scores your squat, bench and deadlift total relative to your bodyweight, so lifters of different sizes can be compared.
- It uses a quartic curve with separate coefficients for men and women, published by the IPF and used at meets.
- A higher DOTS means stronger for your size. It is not a measure of absolute strength.
- Six rank tiers run from beginner to world class, matching the ones in the Workout With Me app.
- It replaced Wilks at most federations because it treats very light and very heavy lifters more fairly.
- Use competition style lifts, or the score is comparing your setup to everyone else's depth and pauses.
What is a DOTS Score?
DOTS is a bodyweight adjusted score for powerlifting. It divides your combined squat, bench press and deadlift total by a polynomial fitted to what lifters of each bodyweight typically lift, producing one number that lets a light lifter and a heavy lifter be compared fairly.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good DOTS score?
Around 300 puts most lifters in the intermediate tier, which is a solid few years of consistent training. Above 400 is advanced and uncommon in a general gym. Above 500 is competitive at a serious level. Below 200 is normal for a beginner and is the fastest moving part of anyone's lifting career, so it is worth recording rather than being discouraged by.
How is DOTS calculated?
Your squat, bench and deadlift are added into a total. That total is multiplied by 500 and divided by a quartic polynomial of your bodyweight, using coefficients that differ for men and women. The polynomial describes what lifters at each bodyweight typically achieve, so dividing by it expresses your total relative to your size.
Is DOTS better than Wilks?
For most purposes yes. Wilks was fitted to older and smaller data and became less fair at the extremes of bodyweight as the sport changed. DOTS was fitted to a much larger recent dataset and behaves better for very light and very heavy lifters, which is why most federations and record boards moved to it.
Can I use gym lifts or do they have to be competition lifts?
You can enter anything, but the score only means something if the lifts are comparable to everyone else's. That means a squat to depth, a bench with a pause and a flat back, and a deadlift locked out under control. A high squat and a bounced bench will produce a number that flatters you and compares to nothing.
Does DOTS work for women?
Yes. There is a separate set of coefficients fitted to female lifters, and this calculator uses them when you select female. The same bodyweight and total produce a different score on each set, because each curve is fitted to its own population rather than one curve being adjusted by a flat percentage.