Wilks Score Calculator

The Problem with Absolute Strength

Imagine two athletes walking into a gym. One is a 300lb NFL lineman who bench presses 400lbs. The other is a 140lb gymnast who bench presses 250lbs.

In terms of Absolute Strength, the lineman wins (400 > 250). But everyone in the room is more impressed by the gymnast. Why? because of Relative Strength—the ability to move weight relative to your own body mass.

For decades, strength sports struggled to compare athletes across different weight classes. How do you fairly judge a competition between a heavyweight and a lightweight? The solution is the Wilks Score.

The History of the Wilks Formula

Before the 1990s, powerlifting federations used various flawed formulas (like the Schwartz or Malone formulas) to handicap lifters. In 1994, Robert Wilks, the CEO of Powerlifting Australia, developed a new coefficient system.

He analyzed valid competition results from thousands of lifters to create a "Polynomial Equation." This complex math formula produces a number (the coefficient) that adjusts a lifter's total based on their body weight.

How to Calculate Your Powerlifting Total

To use this calculator effectively, you need your "Total." In competitive powerlifting, your Total is the sum of your best successful attempts in three specific lifts, performed in this order:

1. Barbell Squat: Hips must drop below the knees.
2. Bench Press: The bar must pause on the chest before pressing.
3. Deadlift: The bar must be lifted from the floor to a standing lockout.

Do not use your gym "Touch and Go" bench press numbers. If you don't know your true competition max, you can estimate it using our 1-Rep Max Calculator based on your repetition work.

Strategy: Should You Cut Weight to Improve Your Score?

This is the most common debate in strength sports. Since the Wilks formula rewards you for being lighter, many athletes try to cut weight to boost their score.

However, the math is tricky. If you lose body weight, your coefficient goes up (giving you a multiplier boost). But if losing weight makes you weaker (because you lost muscle), your Total goes down.

The Mathematical Sweet Spot:

• If you are overweight with a high Body Fat Percentage, losing fat will almost always improve your Wilks score because you are shedding "dead weight" that doesn't help you lift.
• If you are already lean (under 10-12% body fat), cutting further often hurts your score because you sacrifice muscle mass and hydration leverage.

Wilks vs. DOTS vs. IPF Points

While the Wilks score was the global standard for 25 years, the landscape is changing.

In 2019, the International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) moved away from Wilks because statistical analysis showed it slightly favored very heavy lifters. They adopted "IPF Points" and later the DOTS Formula.

Despite this, Wilks remains the most popular metric for local meets, non-IPF federations, and general gym-goers because it has decades of historical data for comparison. If you want to know if you are stronger than a lifter from 2010, you use Wilks.

Standard Wilks Rankings

Where do you stack up? Based on data from OpenPowerlifting.org, here is where most recreational and competitive lifters fall.

How to Improve Your Score

Increasing your Wilks score requires a two-pronged approach:

1. Increase the Numerator (Strength): Focus on a progressive overload program. Use our Training Percentages to cycle between volume and intensity blocks.
2. Decrease the Denominator (Body Weight): Optimize your nutrition. Use our Macro Calculator to maintain high protein intake while slightly reducing calories to drop body fat without losing strength.