Wilks Score Calculator
Enter your sex, body weight, and lifted total (squat, bench press, and deadlift combined, or any single lift total) to get your Wilks score using the original 1994 Wilks formula.
How It Works
The Wilks formula calculates a coefficient from your body weight using a fifth-degree
polynomial, then multiplies your lifted total by that coefficient to get a score comparable
across body weights. The coefficient is 500 / (a + b·x + c·x² + d·x³ + e·x⁴ + f·x⁵),
where x is body weight in kilograms and a through f are constants that differ for men and
women in the original 1994 formula this calculator uses.
Worked Example
A man weighing 83 kg with a 500 kg total: plugging 83 kg into the men's polynomial gives a coefficient of about 0.6675. Wilks score = 0.6675 x 500 = about 333.7. A woman weighing 63 kg with a 300 kg total gives a coefficient of about 1.0740, for a Wilks score of about 322.2, even though her total is much lower, because the coefficient adjusts for body weight and sex.
Why This Score Exists
Raw totals are not a fair way to compare lifters of different sizes. Bigger bodies can generally move more absolute weight, so a 120 kg lifter with a 700 kg total is not automatically stronger, relative to their size, than a 65 kg lifter with a 500 kg total. Ranking lifters purely on the number on the bar would always favor heavier competitors, regardless of how much work they actually put in relative to their own body weight. This is the exact problem the Wilks score was built to solve, and it is why it exists as a separate number rather than everyone just comparing totals directly.
Powerlifting competitions run on a body weight class system, but even within a single meet, the best lifter award usually goes to whoever posts the highest Wilks score, not the highest raw total, since that is what actually reflects strength relative to body weight across the whole field. A 74 kg lifter and a 105 kg lifter competing in different weight classes can still be compared head to head this way. The same idea applies outside competition too: if you train with partners of different sizes, comparing Wilks scores instead of raw numbers on the bar gives a more honest sense of who is pound for pound stronger.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a Wilks score used for?
It normalizes a lifted total against body weight, using a formula-derived coefficient, so lifters of different sizes can be compared on a level basis. It is commonly used in powerlifting competitions to rank lifters across weight classes.
Which version of the Wilks formula does this calculator use?
This calculator uses the original 1994 Wilks coefficient formula with separate polynomial coefficients for men and women, which is still the version most widely referenced and used for general comparison purposes. It is not the newer Wilks 2 (2020) coefficient update.
What total should I enter?
Enter your competition total, meaning the sum of your best successful squat, bench press, and deadlift attempts. You can also enter a single lift total if you just want to compare one lift rather than a full meet total.
Why does the formula need a fifth-degree polynomial?
The relationship between body weight and relative strength is not a straight line or a simple ratio, so the original Wilks formula was built by fitting a fifth-degree polynomial curve to competition data in order to model that relationship closely across the full range of body weights.
Does a higher Wilks score always mean a stronger lifter?
It means a higher lifted total relative to body weight, according to this formula. It is a useful, widely accepted comparison tool, but like any single formula it has known quirks at the extreme ends of the body weight range.
Can I use this for a single all-time personal record, not just a meet total?
Yes. The formula does not care what the total represents, it simply multiplies whatever total you enter by the coefficient for your body weight and sex.