IPF GL Calculator

By Jack Kyle — Jack Kyle writes about strength training and lifting math — calculators, programming and standards — with a focus on honest numbers and practical guidance.

Intro

The GL column on an IPF results sheet is Goodlift points — the IPF’s way of turning a total and a bodyweight into a single comparable score. Two lifters in different weight classes can finish with the same total, and GL points show which performance counts for more once bodyweight is taken into account.

This calculator works from the coefficients per the May 2020 IPF GL document (valid 1 May 2020 – 31 Dec 2023; check the IPF for any newer revision — the IPF adjusts these coefficients on a four-year cycle). Enter your bodyweight and your squat, bench, and deadlift total, select the male or female coefficient set, and the tool returns your GL points plus the coefficient it used. The result is a points number on the Goodlift scale, not a ranking, a placing, or a qualification mark.

GL points are easy to misread because they look like ordinary scores. A GL number only means something next to other GL numbers computed the same way, from totals lifted under the same conditions. Keep the system label attached to every score you quote, and check which scoring system a given meet used before comparing. The calculation follows the published document, and a human team reviewed this page before it was prepared for publication.

Calculator

Strength tools / IPF GL

IPF GL Points Calculator

Official IPF Goodlift points from sex, bodyweight, total and division.

Method: IPF GL Points = total x 100 / (A - B x e^(-C x bodyweight)), bodyweight in kg. Coefficients: IPF, "The IPF GL Coefficients for Relative Scoring", May 2020 (document states actual 1 May 2020 - 31 Dec 2023; this is the current published coefficient set — check the IPF for any newer revision). Classic men A=1199.72839, B=1025.18162, C=0.00921; classic women A=610.32796, B=1045.59282, C=0.03048; equipped men A=1236.25115, B=1449.21864, C=0.01644; equipped women A=758.63878, B=949.31382, C=0.02435. Estimates only.

Estimates only — see our Disclaimer.

How it works

The formula

GL points = total lifted × GL coefficient.

The coefficient = 100 ÷ (A − B·e^(−C·BW)), where BW is bodyweight in kg and e is the base of the natural logarithm. Coefficients from the May 2020 IPF document:

  • Classic (raw) men: A = 1199.72839, B = 1025.18162, C = 0.00921.
  • Classic (raw) women: A = 610.32796, B = 1045.59282, C = 0.03048.
  • Equipped men: A = 1236.25115, B = 1449.21864, C = 0.01644.
  • Equipped women: A = 758.63878, B = 949.31382, C = 0.02435.

The calculator applies the set for the sex and division you select and shows the coefficient, so the multiplication can be checked by hand. Worked example: a Classic male lifter at 93 kg bodyweight with a 600 kg total scores 78.5 GL points.

What to enter

  • Bodyweight. Your weigh-in bodyweight, in the same unit as your total. The coefficient is bodyweight-dependent, so use the weighed figure rather than a class label.
  • Total. Your squat + bench + deadlift total from one meet or testing day. Do not stitch together best lifts from different days.
  • Sex. Male or female coefficient set, matching the published GL tables.
  • Division. Classic (raw) or equipped — the published coefficient sets differ, because equipped totals run higher.

GL, DOTS, and Wilks

GL points, DOTS, and Wilks are three different scales. A 400 on one is not a 400 on another. DOTS is a separate powerlifting scoring system used by some federations as a successor to Wilks — it is not the IPF’s system. The IPF uses GL points, the Goodlift scale from the May 2020 IPF GL document. Which scale a given meet or ranking uses depends on that meet’s rules — check the published rules for the event you care about rather than assuming one scale applies everywhere.

Honest limits

  • The coefficient is fitted to group data. It describes an average relationship between bodyweight and strength, not your own build.
  • GL points compare powerlifting totals across bodyweights. They do not compare across sports, across sexes, or across different lift selections.
  • The score inherits every weakness in the total. A total from loose gym judging is not equivalent to a meet total, even if the numbers are identical.
  • Always label GL points as GL points. An unlabelled points number invites comparison with DOTS or Wilks scores, which are on different scales.

Sources

FAQs

What are IPF GL points?

GL points — Goodlift points — are a points score computed from a powerlifting total and bodyweight using the coefficients per the May 2020 IPF GL document. They let totals from different weight classes be compared on one scale. The scale is set so 100 points equals the reference elite performance for a given bodyweight — a GL score reads as a percentage of that elite reference.

Are GL points the same as DOTS?

No. GL points and DOTS are different scales with different coefficients. DOTS is a separate scoring system used by some federations as a successor to Wilks; it is not the IPF’s system. GL points are the IPF’s Goodlift scale. Never compare a GL number directly with a DOTS number.

Why do I need to select male or female coefficients?

The published GL coefficient sets are sex-specific. The bodyweight-to-strength relationship in the underlying data differs between men and women, so the calculator needs to know which published set to apply.

Can I compute GL points for a single lift?

GL points are defined for the three-lift total. Running a single lift through the formula produces a number, but it is not a GL score in the sense the document defines. For a single lift, compare raw weight or use a lift-specific reference.

My GL points look low next to a DOTS score. Is something wrong?

Not necessarily. GL and DOTS sit on different scales, so one number looking lower than the other means nothing on its own. Compare GL with GL and DOTS with DOTS, and label each score with its system.

See also