Lift Rivals guide
Wilks Score Explained
Learn what a Wilks score measures, how the original formula converts a powerlifting total and bodyweight into points, and where its limits matter.
On this page
The Wilks score is a bodyweight-adjusted powerlifting score. It combines an athlete's competition total, bodyweight, and sex category into one points value so totals from different weight classes can be compared. A higher score represents a stronger total under that formula.
Wilks is a scoring convention, not a percentage, a strength standard, or a prediction of future performance.
What goes into a Wilks score
The original Wilks calculation uses three inputs:
- the athlete's bodyweight in kilograms;
- the athlete's powerlifting total in kilograms;
- the formula's male or female coefficient set.
The total normally means the best successful squat, bench press, and deadlift added together. A single lift should only be entered if the calculator or ranking explicitly supports single-lift scoring.
The original Wilks formula
The bodyweight coefficient is:
Coefficient = 500 ÷ (a + bx + cx² + dx³ + ex⁴ + fx⁵)
Here, x is bodyweight in kilograms and a through f are the published coefficients for the applicable sex category. The final calculation is:
Wilks points = total in kilograms × coefficient
Because the denominator is a curved polynomial, Wilks does more than divide a total by bodyweight. It attempts to model how expected totals change across body sizes.
Worked example
Using the original men's coefficients, a 100-kilogram athlete with a 600-kilogram total has a coefficient of approximately 0.60859.
600 × 0.60859 = 365.15 Wilks points
If another athlete scores 375 under the same Wilks formula and comparable rules, the second score is higher even if that athlete's bodyweight and raw total differ.
Do not compare this 365.15 result with a DOTS, Wilks 2020, or IPF GL number. Different systems can produce similar-looking values that are not on the same scale.
Why formula version matters
“Wilks” often refers to the original formula, but a revised Wilks 2020 formula also exists. Some federations have moved to DOTS, IPF GL, or another system. A ranking should state exactly which formula and version it uses.
The International Powerlifting Federation currently publishes IPF GL Points for its sanctioned events rather than the original Wilks formula. Always use the scoring method named in the current rules for the federation or platform you are reading.
What Wilks can and cannot compare
Wilks is useful for comparing totals across bodyweights when all entries use the same formula and compatible competition rules. It does not correct differences in equipment, judging, drug-testing policy, weigh-in timing, or event type.
It also cannot make a gym estimate equivalent to a judged total. The quality of the underlying lift record still matters.
Common calculation mistakes
- Entering pounds without converting to kilograms.
- Using a single lift where a three-lift total is expected.
- Choosing the wrong coefficient set.
- Mixing original Wilks with Wilks 2020.
- Comparing Wilks points directly with DOTS or IPF GL points.
- Using a bodyweight from a different date than the performance.
Keep the original total, bodyweight, equipment, category, and score name visible beside the result.
Wilks versus DOTS and IPF GL
All three systems adjust for bodyweight, but they were fitted differently and serve different rule sets. DOTS is common in modern open powerlifting comparisons. IPF GL is the official points system published by the IPF for covered events. Wilks remains useful for historical results and organizations that still specify it.
Read DOTS score explained before comparing the two.
Sources and calculators
The OpenPowerlifting Wilks implementation publishes the original coefficients and bodyweight bounds used in its calculation. The IPF GL formula page explains the IPF's current alternative.