Powerlifting Total Calculator

Understanding Powerlifting Ratios and Benchmarks

Comparing SBD totals directly across different body weights is unequal, which is why powerlifting classes athletes into weight divisions. A lighter lifter lifting 4 times their body weight possesses higher relative neuromuscular efficiency than a heavier lifter lifting 3 times their body weight, even if the absolute total is lower. To account for this, the sport uses formulas like Wilks, DOTS, and IPF GL Points to calculate a coefficient weight-adjusted relative score.

Your Powerlifting Totalis simply Squat + Bench Press + Deadlift added together — it's the single number used to rank lifters within a weight class in every sanctioned meet (IPF, USAPL, USPA, etc.). But a raw total on its own doesn't tell you much unless you compare it to your bodyweight, because a 90 kg lifter totalling 500 kg is doing something very different from a 140 kg lifter totalling 500 kg. That's exactly what coefficient scores like Wilks, DOTS, and IPF GL Points solve — they convert your total into a bodyweight-adjusted score so lifters of any size can be compared fairly, and they're also how “Best Lifter” awards are decided at competitions.

Wilks vs DOTS vs IPF GL Points — Which Score Should You Use?

All three formulas do the same basic job — turn your total into a bodyweight-neutral score — but they were built at different times using different lifter data, so they behave differently at the extremes.

Worked Example

Powerlifting Total Standards by Bodyweight (Raw, Men)

These are general raw-lifting benchmarks for men; women's standards are typically 65-70% of the equivalent men's totals at the same relative training level. Individual results vary by limb length, training age, and technique.