How this instrument works
A heavier lifter can move more absolute weight than a lighter one without necessarily being stronger pound for pound, which makes raw totals a poor way to compare lifters across weight classes. The Wilks coefficient solves that by scaling total lifted against a bodyweight-dependent multiplier, so a 60 kg lifter and a 140 kg lifter can land on a roughly comparable scale rather than being judged on kilograms moved alone.
That multiplier comes from a fifth-degree polynomial — six regression constants, labeled a through f — fitted to historical competition results by Robert Wilks. Strength doesn't scale with bodyweight the same way for men and women, so Wilks fitted two separate sets of constants, one from men's results and one from women's; selecting Sex on this page decides which polynomial the calculator reaches for before it computes anything else.
The International Powerlifting Federation used Wilks as its official scoring formula for over two decades, then retired it at the end of 2018 and adopted 'IPF GL Points' as the sport's current standard from 1 May 2020 onward — a newer formula built to compare extreme weight classes more evenly. This page deliberately computes the older, classic Wilks number rather than GL Points, because 'Wilks' is still the term lifters search for and the coefficient still appears on leaderboards, apps and spreadsheets across federations that never switched formulas.
- Select Sex — Male or Female — since the coefficient uses a different six-constant polynomial for each.
- Enter Bodyweight (kg) at the time of the lift, to one decimal place if you have it.
- Enter Total lifted (kg) — the sum of your best squat, bench press and deadlift.
- Read Wilks score — a single number you can compare against lifters at any other bodyweight.
- Re-run with a different bodyweight or total to see how the coefficient shifts across weight classes.
Worked example — an 83 kg lifter with a 500 kg total
Select Male, enter 83 into Bodyweight (kg) and 500 into Total lifted (kg) — a men's competition total of 500 kg (squat + bench + deadlift combined) at an 83 kg bodyweight, a realistic national-level raw total. The men's polynomial denominator works out to 749.0643, giving a coefficient of 500 ÷ 749.0643 = 0.6675.
Multiplying that coefficient by the 500 kg total gives a Wilks score of 333.7497. For comparison, a heavier men's lifter with a 400 kg total at 100 kg bodyweight scores lower, at 243.4356 — proof that a bigger total alone doesn't guarantee a bigger Wilks score once bodyweight is factored in.
Questions
Is Wilks still the IPF's official scoring formula?
No — the International Powerlifting Federation retired Wilks at the end of 2018 and has used IPF GL Points as its official formula since 1 May 2020, built to compare weight classes more evenly than Wilks could. Wilks nonetheless remains the formula most widely recognized and searched for, and plenty of federations, meets and training apps still report it alongside or instead of GL Points, which is why this instrument computes the original coefficient rather than the newer one.
What counts as 'total lifted' in this calculator?
Total lifted is the sum of a lifter's best successful squat, bench press and deadlift from a single competition or session — the same three-lift total used in raw and equipped powerlifting meets. If you only compete in one lift, such as bench-only, enter just that lift's weight instead; the formula still scales it against bodyweight the same way.
Why do men and women use different Wilks formulas?
Because the relationship between bodyweight and achievable total doesn't scale identically between sexes, Robert Wilks fit two separate six-constant polynomials from historical competition data — one from men's results, one from women's. Selecting Sex on this page decides which set of constants the coefficient uses; picking the wrong one will still return a number, just not a meaningful one.
What's considered a good Wilks score?
As a rough guide, a Wilks score in the 300s marks a solid intermediate raw lifter, 400+ is strong regional or national-level lifting, and elite international competitors often clear 450 to 500 or more. Context matters — a beginner's first-meet total might sit closer to 200, and scores run higher for equipped lifting than raw, so treat these as broad bands rather than a strict grading scale.
How is Wilks different from Wilks 2 or DOTS?
Wilks 2 and DOTS are newer bodyweight-adjustment formulas built to fix known distortions in the original Wilks curve, particularly around the lightest and heaviest weight classes, where the classic formula tends to favor certain bodyweights over others. This instrument deliberately calculates the original, still widely searched-for Wilks coefficient rather than a successor formula — the underlying idea of dividing by a bodyweight polynomial is shared across all three.
Can I compare Wilks scores across different powerlifting federations?
Loosely, yes — Wilks was designed to be federation-agnostic, since it only needs bodyweight, sex and total lifted, none of which depend on a specific organization's rules. In practice, drug-tested versus non-tested federations, and raw versus equipped divisions, produce systematically different totals at the same bodyweight, so a fair comparison still needs to account for those conditions rather than the Wilks score alone.