Wilks calculator.
Get your Wilks score - the bodyweight-adjusted number that lets lifters of different sizes be compared fairly. Enter bodyweight, sex and a lifted total (or a single lift) and this tool returns the score using the updated Wilks 2020 formula. Works in kilograms or pounds, with the exact coefficients shown so you can check the maths.
score a lift
Sum of squat, bench and deadlift - or a single lift, the maths is the same.
383.50
Rough level: Intermediate
| Rough level | Wilks 2020 score (loose guide) |
|---|---|
| Beginner | under 230 |
| Novice | 230 - 349 |
| Intermediate | 350 - 459 |
| Advanced | 460 - 579 |
| Elite / competitive | 580 and up |
These bands are informal community orientation, not official standards. They grew up around the original Wilks formula, which reads lower, so they are adjusted upward here for the Wilks 2020 scale and remain approximate. The honest use of any strength score is tracking the change in your own number over time.
the short answer
A Wilks score turns a lifted total into a bodyweight-adjusted number so lifters of different sizes compare fairly. This tool uses the Wilks 2020 formula: score = total (kg) x 600 / P(bodyweight in kg), where P is a 5th-degree polynomial fitted separately for men and women. A 100 kg man who totals 700 kg scores 700 x 600 / 822.64 = 510.5.
How this Wilks score calculator works the number.
The calculator takes bodyweight and a lifted total, converts both to kilograms if you entered pounds, then divides the total by a bodyweight coefficient. In full it is score = total x 600 / P(bodyweight), so a 90 kg man totalling 500 kg scores 500 x 600 / 782.27 = 383.5, and the same lifter at a 600 kg total scores 460.2. Heavier lifters get a smaller coefficient and lighter lifters a larger one, which is exactly what makes a 60 kg and a 120 kg lifter comparable on one scale.
Because the score is defined in kilograms, the pound toggle converts your input at 1 lb = 0.45359237 kg before anything is computed, so a lifter who thinks in pounds and one who thinks in kilos land on the same number. Read the raw score against the loose level table in the result panel above to turn it into "intermediate", "advanced" or "elite" orientation, then re-score at the end of a training block and compare - the change is the part that actually tells you the programming worked. If you want the newer scoring system many federations now default to, run the same lift through the DOTS calculator.
Original Wilks, Wilks 2020 and DOTS - the honest version.
There are three scoring systems worth knowing and they are easy to mix up. The original Wilks was fitted in the mid-1990s as a 5th-degree polynomial with a 500 numerator, and analysis of large results databases later showed it drifted at the extremes - it flattered very heavy men and was harsh on very light and very heavy women. Wilks 2020 is Robert Wilks's own update: the same 5th-degree shape refit on newer data and rescaled with a 600 numerator, so it corrects much of that bias but reads roughly 15 to 20 percent higher than the original for the same lift. DOTS is a separate answer to the same problem - a 4th-degree refit that most federations and open databases adopted as their default around 2019 to 2020. This calculator uses Wilks 2020; if you need the number a specific federation reports, check which of the three it actually uses first. The IPF itself scores by none of them any more - since 2020 its official formula is Goodlift, and the IPF GL points calculator gives you that number.
Both Wilks versions share the shape score = total x N / P(x), where x is bodyweight in kilograms, N is the numerator, and P is the polynomial below. The Wilks 2020 numerator is N = 600. These are the published Wilks 2020 coefficients.
Wilks 2020 (5th-degree)
P(x) = a + bx + cx² + dx³ + ex⁴ + fx⁵
| Men | Women | |
|---|---|---|
| a | 47.4617885411949 | -125.425539779509 |
| b | 8.47206137941125 | 13.7121941940668 |
| c | 0.073694103462609 | -0.0330725063103405 |
| d | -0.00139583381094385 | -0.0010504000506583 |
| e | 0.00000707665973070743 | 0.00000938773881462799 |
| f | -0.0000000120804336482315 | -0.000000023334613884954 |
Worked check, men: at 100 kg, P = 47.4617885411949 + 8.47206137941125(100) + 0.073694103462609(100²) - 0.00139583381094385(100³) + 0.00000707665973070743(100⁴) - 0.0000000120804336482315(100⁵) = 822.64, so a 700 kg total scores 700 x 600 / 822.64 = 510.55. Women, at 60 kg: P = 454.88, so a 400 kg total scores 400 x 600 / 454.88 = 527.61.
The polynomials are fitted on adult competitive bodyweights. Far outside that range a 5th-degree curve can behave oddly, so read scores for very light or very heavy lifters as approximate. For a fuller picture of how coaches use scores like this in day-to-day programming, see our guide to powerlifting coaching software.
One number that makes a whole squad comparable.
Raw totals mislead a coach. A 100 kg client adding 10 kg to their total and a 60 kg client adding 10 kg are not the same event, and a leaderboard of raw totals just ranks bodyweight. A Wilks score fixes both at once: put every client on the same scale and the squad board suddenly rewards relative progress, which is what keeps the lighter lifters engaged instead of parked at the bottom. It also travels with a client through a weight change - during a cut a falling total can hide the fact that relative strength is holding, and a stable Wilks score is the evidence you show the client to keep them from panicking.
Where this stops scaling is the admin. Running one client through a calculator is fine; re-scoring twenty clients every time bodyweights and top sets update is an evening lost. Inside Coachway a coach sets strength targets and tracks lifts per client in the workout builder, with bodyweight check-ins living in the same profile, so benchmarking the squad is a glance at existing data instead of a spreadsheet session. Pair a Wilks score with the strength standards calculator to see where each lift ranks, and estimate maxes from ordinary sets with the bench press calculator so nobody needs a max-out day to get a number.
Coachway is EUR 69 / month for up to 5 clients, then EUR 9 per additional client, with every feature included and a 14-day trial that needs a card to start. The point is simple: handle everything around one client from one tab, not six.
Benchmark every client without rebuilding the spreadsheet each week.
No charge today - cancel anytime under Billing.Frequently asked questions.
What is a Wilks score?
A Wilks score converts a lifted total into a bodyweight-adjusted number so lifters of different sizes can be compared fairly. It multiplies the weight lifted by a coefficient based on bodyweight and sex. A 100 kg man who totals 700 kg scores about 510 on the Wilks 2020 formula, and a lighter lifter with a smaller total can land on the same score - that is the point of the adjustment. The score itself has no unit.
What Wilks formula does this calculator use?
It uses Wilks 2020 (the updated formula Robert Wilks published to replace the original), calculated as score = total in kg x 600 / P, where P is a 5th-degree polynomial fitted separately for men and women. The exact coefficients are printed on this page so the maths is checkable. Enter pounds and the tool converts to kilograms internally (1 lb = 0.45359237 kg) before the formula runs, so the score comes out the same in either unit.
What is a good Wilks score?
There is no official cut-off, so treat any band as loose orientation. As a rough guide on the Wilks 2020 scale, around 350 reads as a solid intermediate lifter, 460 as advanced, and 580 and up as competitive or elite. Because the original community reference points grew up around the older Wilks formula - which reads lower - these bands are adjusted upward and should be read as informal, not a verdict on any lifter.
Can I calculate a Wilks score from a single lift?
Yes. The formula multiplies whatever weight you enter by the bodyweight coefficient, so you can score a full squat, bench and deadlift total or a single lift. Just compare like with like - a single-lift score only means something against other single-lift scores for the same movement, not against a 3-lift total.
Why is my Wilks 2020 score higher than an old Wilks score?
Wilks 2020 was rescaled with a 600 numerator where the original 1990s formula used 500, and its polynomial was refit on newer data. The result is that Wilks 2020 scores read roughly 15 to 20 percent higher than the original Wilks for the same lift. If you are comparing against an old record or a gym leaderboard, check which formula it uses before reading anything into the gap.
A Wilks score is a comparison tool, not a measure of health or ability, and the polynomials are fitted on adult competitive lifters. This tool is general fitness information, not medical advice.
Keep building the plan: compare the newer scoring system with the DOTS calculator, see where a lift ranks with the strength standards calculator, estimate working weights with the bench press calculator, and read our guide to powerlifting coaching software.
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