What is Wilks score?

What is Wilks score?

The Wilks score is a single number that lets you compare two powerlifters who compete at different bodyweights on equal footing. A 60 kg lifter's 400 kg total and a 140 kg lifter's 700 kg total mean very different things pound-for-pound — the Wilks formula converts both totals into one coefficient-adjusted score so meets can crown a 'best lifter' regardless of weight class.

How it works

The Wilks formula works by feeding a lifter's bodyweight into a polynomial equation to generate a coefficient, then multiplying that coefficient by the lifter's total. Because strength potential doesn't scale in a straight line with bodyweight, lighter lifters get a larger coefficient and heavier lifters get a smaller one, which is meant to level the field between weight classes. Meet directors and federations use the resulting score to decide 'Best Lifter' awards when the raw kg totals on the board would otherwise favor the heaviest competitors.

The formula

Wilks score = total (kg) × 500 / (a + b·BW + c·BW² + d·BW³ + e·BW⁴ + f·BW⁵)

BW is bodyweight in kg; a-f are sex-specific constants. The 2020 revision changed the numerator to 600 and rebalanced the coefficients so extreme bodyweights score more fairly — most calculators now default to 'Wilks 2020.' No lifter does this math by hand; an online calculator or meet software handles it instantly.

How to apply it

• Compare across weight classes: Multiply your total by your bodyweight-based coefficient to get a single number you can stack against any other lifter's Wilks score, regardless of weight class.
• Award 'Best Lifter': Many non-IPF federations still rank a meet's best overall performance by whoever posts the highest Wilks score, not the highest raw total.
• Track your own progress: Because bodyweight is baked into the formula, your Wilks score shows whether you're getting stronger relative to your bodyweight, not just adding kilos to the bar.
• Compare across sexes: Separate male and female coefficient sets let a meet combine men's and women's 'Best Lifter' rankings on one scoreboard.

Worked example

Say a 74 kg lifter totals 600 kg and a 105 kg lifter totals 750 kg in the same raw meet. Here's how their Wilks scores stack up despite the very different totals on the board.

Lifter B's bigger total converts to a higher Wilks score here, even at a heavier bodyweight — small changes in either total or bodyweight can flip the ranking, which is exactly the comparison the formula is built to make. Coefficients shown are approximate for illustration.

Wilks score vs DOTS score

IPF-affiliated federations (like USAPL) use neither — they use their own IPF GL Points formula.

By goal

• Raw lifters chasing Best Lifter: Check which coefficient your federation uses (Wilks, DOTS, or IPF GL) before meet day — they can rank the same totals differently.
• Lifters cutting or gaining weight: A bodyweight change shifts your coefficient even if your total stays flat, so track Wilks alongside — not instead of — your absolute total.

Common misconceptions

• "A higher Wilks score always means you're 'stronger' in an absolute sense." Wilks measures strength relative to bodyweight and the historical dataset it was built from — it doesn't capture absolute load-bearing capacity, technique, or event-specific demands.
• "Every federation still uses Wilks." Most IPF-affiliated federations moved to IPF GL Points and many non-IPF Raw federations moved to DOTS; Wilks 2020 is still common but no longer universal.
• "You can eyeball your Wilks score from an old chart." The formula was revised in 2020 with new coefficients and a different numerator, so pre-2020 Wilks tables and calculators give different numbers than current ones.

Related terms

Wilks score FAQ

What is a good Wilks score?

Roughly 300 is a solid intermediate raw lifter, 400+ is a strong national-level competitor, and 500+ is elite/world-class — but 'good' depends heavily on your federation, division and years of training.

Is a higher Wilks score always better?

Yes for comparing lifters within the same formula and ruleset, but you can't directly compare a Wilks 2020 score to an old pre-2020 Wilks score or to a DOTS/IPF GL score — the numbers use different math.

How do I calculate my Wilks score?

Enter your bodyweight, sex and total (squat + bench + deadlift) into an online Wilks calculator — the polynomial math is too complex to do reliably by hand, so no competitive lifter calculates it manually.

What's the difference between Wilks and DOTS?

Wilks (revised 2020) was built from historical equipped-lifting data, while DOTS (2019) was built from modern drug-tested Raw data — most Raw federations now prefer DOTS or IPF GL Points for that reason.

Does Wilks score apply to Olympic weightlifting?

No — Wilks is specific to powerlifting's squat-bench-deadlift total. Olympic weightlifting uses a separate bodyweight-adjustment system called the Sinclair coefficient.

References

1. Vanderburgh PM, Batterham AM. Validation of the Wilks powerlifting formula. Med Sci Sports Exerc, 1999. PubMed 10613442
2. Wilks coefficient. Wikipedia
3. The Wilks Formula. Powerlifting Australia
4. Evaluation of Wilks, IPF, DOTS and Goodlift formulas for equating strength scores across sex and bodyweight. International Powerlifting Federation, 2020 (PDF)
5. Bulk CSV documentation — scoring formulas (Wilks, DOTS, IPF GL). OpenPowerlifting