What is a powerlifting total?

Your powerlifting total is the sum of your best successful squat, bench press and deadlift — the single number that decides a meet.

What's a good powerlifting total?

It depends on bodyweight and experience. As a rough male-oriented guide, a total around 3× bodyweight is intermediate, 4× is advanced and 5×+ is elite; women's standards run lower.

How is total-to-bodyweight ratio used?

Dividing your total by your bodyweight gives a relative-strength figure that lets a lighter and a heavier lifter be compared more fairly than raw kilograms alone.

Do the three lifts need to be on the same day?

For a competition total, yes — all three are contested in one session. For tracking, you can use your best recent gym singles, but it won't be a true meet total.

How do I compare totals across weight classes?

Use a coefficient like Wilks or DOTS, which scales your total by bodyweight so lifters in different classes can be ranked. See the Wilks Calculator for the score.

Powerlifting Total Calculator

Add your best squat, bench press and deadlift into a single powerlifting total, then see it expressed as a multiple of your bodyweight — the relative-strength figure lifters actually compare.

How it works

The powerlifting total is simply the sum of three lifts: total = squat + bench + deadlift. In a meet you get three attempts at each; only your best successful attempt on each lift counts toward the total.

Because a heavier lifter can usually move more weight, raw totals aren't directly comparable across body sizes. Dividing the total by bodyweight gives a relative-strength ratio (e.g. a 5× total), and coefficients like Wilks or DOTS refine that comparison further.

Worked example

A lifter squats 150 kg, benches 100 kg and deadlifts 200 kg. Their total is 150 + 100 + 200 = 450 kg. At a bodyweight of 90 kg, that is 450 ÷ 90 = 5.0× bodyweight — an elite-range ratio on the male-oriented bands below.

Strength bands by ratio

Approximate total-to-bodyweight ratios. These are a rough, male-oriented guide; women's standards are lower for the same band.

Level	Total ÷ bodyweight
Beginner	<2×
Novice	2–3×
Intermediate	3–4×
Advanced	4–5×
Elite	5×+

Frequently asked questions

What is a powerlifting total?: Your powerlifting total is the sum of your best successful squat, bench press and deadlift — the single number that decides a meet.
What's a good powerlifting total?: It depends on bodyweight and experience. As a rough male-oriented guide, a total around 3× bodyweight is intermediate, 4× is advanced and 5×+ is elite; women's standards run lower.
How is total-to-bodyweight ratio used?: Dividing your total by your bodyweight gives a relative-strength figure that lets a lighter and a heavier lifter be compared more fairly than raw kilograms alone.
Do the three lifts need to be on the same day?: For a competition total, yes — all three are contested in one session. For tracking, you can use your best recent gym singles, but it won't be a true meet total.
How do I compare totals across weight classes?: Use a coefficient like Wilks or DOTS, which scales your total by bodyweight so lifters in different classes can be ranked. See the Wilks Calculator for the score.

Related calculators

Disclaimer. This is an estimate and comparison tool for general information only. Strength bands are approximate and male-oriented; competition totals follow the rules of your federation. Not medical advice.