DOTS vs Wilks
DOTS and Wilks both score a powerlifting total against bodyweight. DOTS is the newer formula, fitted to modern drug-tested raw lifters.
- Strength does not rise in step with bodyweight, so raw totals and total divided by bodyweight both mislead.
- An independent check of Wilks found it fair for the total but tilted in some single lifts, against the lightest and heaviest classes.
- DOTS, from 2019, uses a simpler curve fitted to drug-tested lifters competing raw.
- Any score is a fit to one population. Use it to track yourself over time, not to settle arguments.
Why a score is needed
A 60 kg lifter and a 100 kg lifter cannot be compared on the total alone: the heavier one has more muscle to lift with. Dividing by bodyweight overcorrects, though, because strength rises more slowly than bodyweight does. Scaling studies put it closer to bodyweight to the power of two thirds, which is why a plain ratio flatters the lightest lifters. Wilks and DOTS both replace that ratio with a curve fitted to real competition results.
What the evidence says about Wilks
The International Powerlifting Federation adopted Wilks without published data behind it. When Vanderburgh and Batterham tested it in 1999 against world-record holders and world championship medallists, they found no bias on the total or the bench press. The women's squat favoured the middle weight classes, and the deadlift worked against heavier lifters of both sexes. They judged it acceptable overall, partly because the lightest and heaviest classes hold fewer lifters.
What DOTS changes
DOTS was produced in 2019 by Tim Konertz for the German powerlifting federation. It uses a simpler, updated curve built from drug-tested lifters competing raw, without supportive lifting suits or shirts.
How to use it
Every one of these formulas is a fit to a particular set of competitors, so none is the final word on who is strongest. They are most useful for comparing you with yourself: if your DOTS rises while your bodyweight falls, you are getting stronger for your size, not just lighter.
Kriterion Premium scores your squat, bench and deadlift total with DOTS, so you can see whether you are getting stronger for your size through a bulk or a cut.
References
- Vanderburgh PM, Batterham AM. Validation of the Wilks powerlifting formula. Medicine & Science in Sports & Exercise, 1999;31(12):1869-1875.
- Jaric S. Muscle strength testing: use of normalisation for body size. Sports Medicine, 2002;32(10):615-631.
- Konertz T. DOTS (Dynamic Objective Team Scoring) formula. Bundesverband Deutscher Kraftdreikämpfer (BVDK), 2019.
Last reviewed 28 Sep 2026 · Next review due Sep 2029
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