IPF GL points explained

What IPF GL points are

Powerlifting totals cannot be compared directly across bodyweights: a 59 kg lifter and a 120 kg lifter who both total 600 kg have not performed equally relative to their size. IPF GL points (the "GL" stands for Good Lift, the referee's command) are the International Powerlifting Federation's official answer to that problem. They convert a total into a single size-adjusted number so that results can be ranked across weight classes at a meet, and across meets over time.

The IPF adopted GL points in 2019, bringing them into use from the 2020 season, to replace its previous scoring approach — the older IPF points formula and, before that, Wilks — within IPF competition. GL points were refitted on more recent IPF competition data and, crucially, are published as separate coefficient sets for different lifting formats rather than one universal set.

The GL points formula

A GL score is calculated in one expression. The total lifted is scaled by 100, then divided by a denominator that depends only on bodyweight through an exponential decay term:

total_kg

the competition total (best squat + bench + deadlift, or best bench for bench-only), in kilograms

bodyweight_kg

the lifter's bodyweight in kilograms — the only variable inside the denominator

A, B, C

three published fitted coefficients that define the bodyweight curve for a given sex, lift type and equipment class

100

the fixed numerator scale factor that sets the overall size of the score

As with Wilks, the total lifted never enters the bodyweight term: two lifters at the same bodyweight, sex, lift type and equipment class share the same denominator, so their GL scores differ only by their totals.

Where the coefficients come from

The three coefficients A, B and C are not universal constants. The IPF publishes a distinct set for each combination of:

• Sex — separate curves for men and women.
• Lift type — full power (squat + bench + deadlift) versus bench-press-only.
• Equipment class — classic (raw) versus equipped (supportive suits/shirts).

That gives several parameter sets in the official documentation. Because the exact fitted values are revised over time as the IPF refits them on new data, the responsible thing is to read them directly from the current IPF GL points documentation for the revision year you are working with, rather than treating any single printed table as permanent. A calculator should state which revision it implements. We do not reproduce a full coefficient table here for that reason — our calculator holds the sets it uses and names its source revision.

Worked example: how bodyweight enters

Rather than invent coefficient values, it is clearer to see how the formula behaves. Hold a total fixed at total_kg and watch the denominator D = A − B·e^(−C·bw):

1. At very low bodyweight, e^(−C·bw) is near its largest, so B·e^(−C·bw) is large and D is small. A small denominator makes total × 100 / D large — lighter lifters are scaled up.
2. As bodyweight rises, the exponential term shrinks toward zero, so D climbs toward its ceiling of A. A larger denominator reduces the score — heavier lifters are scaled down.
3. At high bodyweight the term is nearly flat: D ≈ A, so the GL score of a heavyweight is close to total × 100 / A and further bodyweight adds little adjustment.

So the same total yields a higher GL score for a lighter lifter and a lower one for a heavier lifter, with the effect tapering off at the top of the range — exactly the size-normalising shape the formula is built to produce. Plug real numbers into the IPF GL Points calculator to see the value for a specific case with the published coefficients applied.

Why GL replaced Wilks in the IPF

The IPF previously used the Wilks formula, then a short-lived "IPF points" scheme, before moving to GL points. Two things drove the change. First, the earlier fits were based on older data and a single structure; GL points were refitted on more recent IPF results. Second — and this is the practical difference — GL points model classic and equipped lifting separately, with their own coefficient sets, whereas the older approach did not separate the formats as cleanly. Equipped lifting produces systematically different totals from raw lifting, so giving each its own curve makes the score fairer within each format.

What a GL score can be compared with

This is the single most important rule for reading any of these numbers: a GL score only means something against another GL score from the same coefficient set and version. In practice that means the same sex, the same lift type (full power vs bench-only), the same equipment class (classic vs equipped), and the same revision of the coefficients. Comparing a classic GL score with an equipped GL score, or a GL number with a Wilks or DOTS number, is comparing different scales — the figures are not interchangeable.

What a GL score does not tell you

Frequently asked questions

Related tools and reading

Sources

• International Powerlifting Federation, IPF Technical Rules and IPF GL points documentation — GL points formula and the published per-sex, per-lift-type and per-equipment-class coefficient sets. Checked 24 Aug 2026.