Powerlifting score
Wilks Calculator
Score your powerlifting total against lifters of any bodyweight. Enter your bodyweight and your squat + bench + deadlift total.
By Tyler Talaga, RN · Updated
What is a Wilks score?
The Wilks score, created by Robert Wilks, adjusts a powerlifting total for bodyweight so lifters in different weight classes can be compared. The International Powerlifting Federation used it to pick its best lifters for decades before replacing it with its own formula in 2019, so most historical results and records are scored in Wilks.
This calculator uses the original Wilks formula. An updated version published in 2020 gives different numbers, so check which one a ranking uses before you compare.
How is Wilks calculated?
Your total in kilograms is multiplied by a coefficient that depends on your bodyweight (BW, in kg):
Wilks = total × 500 ÷ (a + b·BW + c·BW² + d·BW³ + e·BW⁴ + f·BW⁵)
| Coefficient | Men | Women |
|---|---|---|
| a | −216.0475144 | 594.31747775582 |
| b | 16.2606339 | −27.23842536447 |
| c | −0.002388645 | 0.82112226871 |
| d | −0.00113732 | −0.00930733913 |
| e | 7.01863 × 10⁻⁶ | 4.731582 × 10⁻⁵ |
| f | −1.291 × 10⁻⁸ | −9.054 × 10⁻⁸ |
Bodyweight is capped at 40–201.9 kg for men and 26.51–154.53 kg for women.
Worked example: a man weighing 83 kg (183 lb) with a 600 kg (1,323 lb) total scores 400.5 Wilks. The same total is 405.1 DOTS.
Wilks vs DOTS: which should you use?
Use Wilks to compare against older meet results and records. For current rankings, DOTS is the better choice: it was fitted to recent results and behaves more consistently for very light and very heavy lifters.
Neither formula adjusts for age. Masters lifters get a fairer comparison within their own age class.
Sources
- OpenPowerlifting. Wilks coefficients (opl-data, crates/coefficients/src/wilks.rs). gitlab.com/openpowerlifting/opl-data