Masheen

Numbers and scores

DOTS

Dynamic Objective Team Scoring Also called DOTS score, DOTS points, DOTS formula, powerlifting DOTS

DOTS is a points score from a weight lifted, usually a powerlifting total, and the lifter's bodyweight, so lifters of different sizes can be compared.

DOTS80 kg man, 400 kg total275.8100 kg man, 450 kg total277.0
100 kg man, 450 kg total: 277.0 DOTS. An 80 kg man totalling 400 kg scores 275.8 DOTS; a 100 kg man totalling 450 kg scores 277.0. They are 1.2 points apart.

In plain words

DOTS is one number that ties a lift to a bodyweight. The sum takes the weight lifted, multiplies it by 500, and divides by a figure that comes from a curve of bodyweight, with one curve for men and one for women. That lets an 80 kg lifter and a 100 kg lifter share one list. The lift is usually a powerlifting total. Tim Konertz wrote the score for the German federation BVDK after the IPF moved from Wilks to its own points. Bodyweights past the ends of the curve (below 40 kg, or above 210 kg for men and 150 kg for women) score as the edge.

An example

Two men stand on the scales. One weighs 80 kg and totals 400 kg across squat, bench press and deadlift: 275.8 DOTS. The other weighs 100 kg and totals 450 kg: 277.0 DOTS. Fifty kilos more on the bar, 20 kg more bodyweight, and the scores are 1.2 points apart. On the total the heavier man is well ahead; on DOTS they are nearly level.

Often confused with

Wilks Wilks is the older score with the same purpose; DOTS is newer and uses a different curve, so the two numbers differ for the same lift.
Wilks Wilks is a points score for a lift, usually a powerlifting total, multiplied by a coefficient that depends on the lifter's bodyweight and sex.
Powerlifting total A powerlifting total is the sum of your best squat, best bench press and best deadlift, each a single rep.
Strength standards Strength standards are tables that sort a lift into named levels, such as novice, intermediate and advanced, by how the weight compares with bodyweight.
One-rep max A one-rep max, or 1RM, is the heaviest weight you can lift for one full rep of an exercise, and no more.

Sources

  1. OpenPowerlifting project, coefficients source code: dots.rs Read

Updated . How these pages are researched and corrected: editorial policy. Every term in the glossary.