Add up your squat, bench, and deadlift maxes to get your powerlifting total, plus your Wilks score.
| Lift | Weight | % of Total |
|---|
Your powerlifting total is the simplest way to measure overall strength: the sum of your best squat, bench press, and deadlift, each performed in a single all-out attempt under standard competition rules.
In competition, your total only counts your best successful attempt on each lift — not an estimate. If you're using estimated 1RMs from this calculator's other tools, remember the resulting total is also an estimate, and the margin of error compounds slightly across three separate lifts.
Most raw lifters land somewhere close to a rough 1 : 0.7 : 1.2 ratio between squat, bench, and deadlift, though individual leverages and training history shift this considerably. A total that's unusually lopsided toward one lift often points to an imbalance worth addressing in your programming — not necessarily a weakness, but a signal worth tracking.
A raw total is only meaningful when you know the bodyweight behind it. Two lifters with the same total but very different bodyweights have very different levels of relative strength. Enter your bodyweight above to see your estimated Wilks score alongside your total, which lets you compare your strength fairly against lifters in other weight classes.
It varies enormously by bodyweight and sex, which is exactly why the Wilks score exists — to make totals comparable. As a rough guide, a total around 3× bodyweight is a solid intermediate benchmark for many raw lifters, with beginners typically well below that and advanced lifters well above it.
Tested, competition-style single attempts give the most accurate total. Estimated 1RMs from a rep-max calculator are a reasonable stand-in for tracking progress between meets, but treat the resulting total as an estimate rather than a guaranteed number.
Competition lifts follow strict standards (depth, lockout, pause) that training-floor lifts don't always meet. A total built from gym maxes often runs a bit higher than what the same lifter would successfully total under meet judging.