Wilks & DOTS calculator
Enter your bodyweight and the weight you lifted, a single lift or a powerlifting total, and get both scores powerlifting uses to compare strength across bodyweights: the classic Wilks and the newer DOTS.
Classic Wilks and DOTS coefficients, computed on kilograms internally. Benchmarks in the FAQ refer to a three-lift total.
Why bodyweight coefficients exist
Absolute strength grows with body size, but not proportionally: heavier lifters lift more in total while lighter lifters lift more per kilogram of bodyweight. Wilks and DOTS correct for this with polynomial formulas fitted on competition data, producing a score that makes a 60 kg lifter and a 120 kg lifter comparable on one number. That is how best-lifter awards are decided at meets.
Wilks vs DOTS in practice
The classic Wilks formula served for decades until analyses showed it slightly favored some bodyweight classes. DOTS refit the curve and is now the default in many federations, including for best-lifter scoring. The two rarely disagree by much for the same lifter, so for gym purposes either works; this calculator simply shows both. For everyday training questions, your estimated 1RM and strength level are usually the more actionable numbers.
Method and sources
Both scores are published coefficient sets used by powerlifting federations, and their behaviour has been tested against real competition data.
DOTS coefficients come from the German federation (BVDK) and are maintained by federations rather than published in a peer-reviewed paper, so no research citation exists for that specific set. Analyses of large competition databases show these formulas equalize lifters imperfectly at the extremes of bodyweight.
- Ferland PM, Allard MO, Comtois AS (2020). Efficiency of the Wilks and IPF Formulas at Comparing Maximal Strength Regardless of Bodyweight through Analysis of the Open Powerlifting Database. International Journal of Exercise Science, 13(4), 567–582 Used for: the premise of the page: how well bodyweight-adjusted formulas actually equalize lifters across weight classes, tested on competition data
- Wilks R (1994). Wilks coefficient, adopted by the International Powerlifting Federation. Powerlifting Australia / IPF technical rules (print source) Used for: the classic Wilks polynomial coefficients used in the calculator
Frequently asked questions
For a full powerlifting total: around 300 is a solid amateur benchmark, 400 is a strong competitive lifter, and 500 approaches elite. Scores from a single lift are naturally much lower than from a three-lift total, so compare like with like.
Both convert weight lifted into a bodyweight-adjusted score using polynomial coefficients, so lifters of different sizes can be compared. DOTS is the newer coefficient set, adopted by many federations because the classic Wilks slightly favored certain bodyweight ranges. The scores land close to each other; federations simply differ in which one they use.
Yes, the math works on any weight: enter your bench or deadlift alone and you get a coefficient-adjusted score for that lift. Just remember that published benchmarks usually refer to the squat, bench and deadlift total, not a single movement.
They answer the question a raw number cannot: who is pound-for-pound stronger. A 140 kg bench at 74 kg bodyweight scores higher than 160 kg at 120 kg. If you just want your level against typical gym standards rather than a competition coefficient, the strength level calculator is the simpler tool.
Build the total behind the score
APX plans your training and logs every set, so the coefficient has something to work with.
Download APX free