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DOTS Calculator
Turn your squat, bench and deadlift total into a single DOTS score — and see how strong you are relative to your bodyweight.
Total = best squat + bench + deadlift. Runs entirely in your browser.
Your DOTS score
Approximate strength bands
| DOTS | Level |
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Watch your score climb
Lift5x5 tracks every lift and your strength over time, so you can see your total — and your DOTS — go up session after session. Free, no ads.
Get the free appWhat DOTS measures
Raw total alone isn't a fair comparison — a 120 kg lifter will almost always out-total a 60 kg lifter, even if the smaller lifter is far stronger for their size. DOTS solves this by scoring your total against a curve fitted to thousands of competitive lifters at every bodyweight. The result is one number that lets a featherweight and a heavyweight compare strength on equal footing.
The formula
DOTS multiplies your total by 500 and divides by a fourth-order polynomial of your bodyweight, with separate coefficients for men and women (both in kilograms). It was published in 2019 as a refinement of the older Wilks coefficient, correcting biases that penalised lifters at the lightest and heaviest bodyweights. This calculator converts pounds to kilograms automatically before applying the formula.
Don't have a tested max?
Most 5x5 lifters rarely test a true one-rep max — and they shouldn't, since training with 5 reps drives faster beginner progress with less risk. Estimate each lift from your working weight with the one rep max calculator, add the three together for your total, then drop it in above. To see where you rank lift by lift, use the strength standards calculator.
Frequently asked questions
What is a DOTS score?
DOTS (Dynamic Objective Team Scoring) is a formula that turns your powerlifting total into a single number you can compare fairly across bodyweights. A lighter and a heavier lifter with the same DOTS score are, relative to their size, equally strong. It is the modern replacement for the older Wilks coefficient and is used by many federations and by OpenPowerlifting.
What is a good DOTS score?
As a rough guide for raw lifters: under 200 is novice, 200–300 is intermediate, 300–400 is advanced, 400–500 is elite, and 500+ is world-class. These bands are approximate — they vary by federation, sex and tested vs untested — but they give you a realistic sense of where you stand.
DOTS vs Wilks — which should I use?
DOTS is newer (2019) and was designed to fix biases in the original Wilks formula, especially at very light and very heavy bodyweights. Most modern comparisons and many federations have moved to DOTS. If your federation still reports Wilks, use that for their rankings — but for a fair general comparison, DOTS is the better choice.
What counts as my total?
Your total is the sum of your best squat, bench press and deadlift — typically your one-rep max on each. If you train 5x5 and rarely test a true max, estimate each lift from your working weight with our one-rep max calculator, then add the three together.