My Training Partner Lifted 200kg Less Than Me. Our Wilks Scores Were Almost Identical.
My training partner is 60kg. I'm 83kg. At our last in-house meet, I put up a 500kg total across squat, bench, and deadlift. She put up 300kg — two hundred kilos less than me, on paper the less impressive lift of the day.
Then the meet director read out the Wilks scores for "Best Lifter" and we were separated by less than a point. Same event, same three lifts, totals 200kg apart, and the number that actually mattered said we'd lifted about the same relative to our own bodyweight.
A Wilks score is a formula that adjusts a powerlifter's total (squat + bench + deadlift) for bodyweight, producing one number that lets lifters of completely different sizes be compared fairly. This guide is for anyone who's ever looked at a scoreboard, a gym leaderboard, or a friend's numbers and wondered whether the biggest total in the room is actually the strongest lift. By the end, you'll know exactly how to calculate your own Wilks score, what counts as a good one, and why more gyms and meets are leaning on it than ever. Use the Wilks Score Calculator to get your own number in seconds.
⚠️ Disclaimer
This article is for informational purposes only and does not constitute medical or fitness advice. Always consult a qualified coach or healthcare professional before starting a new training or competition programme.
What Is a Wilks Score and Why Does Raw Total Lie to You?
Raw total is the easiest number to compare at a meet — it's the one on the scoreboard, the one people shout about between flights. It's also almost meaningless once you're comparing a 56kg lifter to a 120kg lifter. Bigger bodies can move more absolute weight; that's basic physics, not superior strength. Without adjustment, every "biggest total" conversation is really just a conversation about who happened to weigh the most.
The Wilks score (also called the Wilks coefficient) is a formula developed by Robert Wilks of Powerlifting Australia in 1994 that converts a lifter's total into a bodyweight-adjusted number, so lifters of any size and either sex can be ranked on the same scale. The International Powerlifting Federation used it as its official scoring system for over two decades — from the early 1990s until 2020 — and it remains the most widely recognized strength-comparison formula outside sanctioned competition, still posted on gym leaderboards and used to crown "Best Lifter" at local meets worldwide.
How Do You Calculate Your Wilks Score?
The Wilks formula runs your bodyweight through a fifth-degree polynomial to get a coefficient, then multiplies that coefficient by your total. The polynomial constants differ for men and women because strength-to-bodyweight ratios differ by sex, and there are two published constant sets in circulation: the original 1997/2004 coefficients (still the most commonly cited) and the 2020 revision, which improves accuracy for lifters at the very light and very heavy ends of the bodyweight spectrum.
Wilks Score = Coefficient × Total (kg)
Here x is bodyweight in kilograms and a–f are the published constants for your sex. Nobody does this by hand — you plug in your numbers and the calculator returns the coefficient instantly — but seeing it worked once makes the result trustworthy instead of mysterious.
Worked example — me, at 83kg bodyweight, 500kg total (original formula, male constants): Coefficient = 500 ÷ 749.09 ≈ 0.6675 Wilks Score = 0.6675 × 500 = ≈334
Worked example — my training partner, at 60kg bodyweight, 300kg total (original formula, female constants): Coefficient = 500 ÷ 448.43 ≈ 1.1150 Wilks Score = 1.1150 × 300 = ≈334.5
That's the exact gap from the intro: a 200kg difference in total, effectively a dead heat once bodyweight is factored in. In pounds, that's roughly a 1,102lb total at 183lb bodyweight versus a 661lb total at 132lb bodyweight — the currency changes, the conclusion doesn't.
Key Takeaway
Wilks coefficients get smaller as bodyweight rises, because heavier lifters need less of a boost to compete fairly with lighter ones. A 60kg lifter's coefficient (around 1.12) is nearly double an 83kg lifter's (around 0.67) — which is exactly why a smaller total can still post the higher Wilks score.
What's a Good Wilks Score?
Scores aren't officially tiered by any federation, but the powerlifting community has settled on informal bands that show up consistently across gyms, forums, and coaching resources:
| Wilks Score | Level | Typical Description |
|---|---|---|
| Below 250 | Beginner | Still learning the three competition lifts |
| 250–350 | Intermediate | Consistent training, solid technique |
| 350–450 | Advanced | Competitive at local and regional meets |
| 450–500 | National / Elite | Ranks well nationally |
| 500+ | World Class | Among the strongest lifters in the world for their category |
A Wilks score around 300 is a realistic target for a dedicated intermediate lifter, 350–400 is genuinely competitive at national-level open meets, and only a small number of lifters worldwide ever cross 500. My 334 and my training partner's 334.5 both sit at the very top of "Intermediate" — which, honestly, was a better summary of where we both actually stood than either of our raw totals gave away on their own.
Why Is Everyone Suddenly Talking About Wilks?
Powerlifting has quietly become one of the fastest-growing strength sports of the last few years, driven by strength training's move from niche gym-bro pursuit to mainstream fitness habit — and a lot of that growth is happening among lifters who never would have set foot on a competition platform a decade ago. More women are competing than ever, more gyms are running their own in-house meets instead of sending lifters to a sanctioned event, and more total beginners are showing up to a first meet alongside lifters who've competed for years.
That mix is exactly the situation Wilks was built for. When a meet has a 52kg lifter and a 140kg super-heavyweight on the same platform, raw total tells you almost nothing useful about who actually had the better day. A shared, bodyweight-adjusted number is what makes "Best Lifter" awards, gym leaderboards, and even friendly bragging rights fair across a genuinely mixed field — which is a big part of why the score keeps showing up on results sheets even outside formal competition.
💡 Pro Tip
If you're tracking progress solo rather than chasing a meet, recalculate your Wilks score every time you retest your totals — not just when your total goes up. Cutting bodyweight while holding your total steady raises your coefficient and your score, which is a genuinely useful signal that your relative strength improved even if the numbers on the bar didn't move.
What's the Difference Between Wilks and IPF GL Points?
In 2020, the IPF retired Wilks as its official scoring system and switched to IPF GL Points, a newer formula recalculated from modern, drug-tested competition data. Wilks didn't disappear — it's still the number most gyms, non-IPF federations, and casual lifters actually use.
| Wilks | IPF GL Points | |
|---|---|---|
| Introduced | 1994 (revised 1997/2004/2020) | 2020 |
| Used officially by | Most non-IPF federations, gyms | IPF and its national affiliates |
| Common today because | Widely published, easy to look up | Official IPF meet results |
| Best for | Comparing raw totals across bodyweight/sex generally | IPF-sanctioned competition rankings |
⚠️ Note
If your meet results sheet shows a different score than you calculated here, check which formula the federation used. IPF-affiliated meets score with GL Points; most everywhere else — USAPL predecessors, gym meets, online leaderboards — still defaults to Wilks.
Frequently Asked Questions
What is a good Wilks score for a beginner?
Most beginners score below 250 in their first year, simply because technique and total both take time to build. Crossing into the 250–350 "Intermediate" band is a realistic first milestone after 1–2 years of consistent, structured training on the three competition lifts.
Does the Wilks formula work for a single lift, like just squat or deadlift?
Yes — the formula itself doesn't care what the "total" represents. You can plug in a single lift instead of squat + bench + deadlift combined if you only want to compare, say, your deadlift alone against another lifter's deadlift, adjusted for bodyweight.
Why do men and women use different Wilks constants?
Strength-to-bodyweight ratios differ between sexes on average, so Robert Wilks fit separate polynomials to men's and women's competition data when developing the formula. Using the wrong sex's constants will meaningfully skew the resulting score.
Should I use the original or 2020 Wilks coefficients?
For bodyweights roughly between 50–140kg, the original 1997/2004 coefficients and the 2020 revision produce very similar scores, and the original remains the most widely cited version in gyms and on lifting forums. The 2020 update is more accurate specifically at the very light and very heavy ends of the bodyweight range.
How do I actually raise my Wilks score?
Increase your total through progressive training while keeping bodyweight stable — the score rewards strength relative to bodyweight, not raw poundage alone. Some lifters also see their Wilks score rise after a controlled weight-class cut, since a lower bodyweight can produce a higher coefficient even if the total dips slightly.
Try It Yourself
Raw total tells you who lifted the most weight. Wilks tells you who lifted the most weight relative to their own body — and that's usually the more interesting question, whether you're settling a "Best Lifter" award or just comparing notes with a training partner half your size.
Run your own numbers with the Wilks Score Calculator — enter your sex, bodyweight, and total to get your coefficient and score in both the original and 2020 formulas.
Also worth running:
- One Rep Max Calculator — estimate the single-lift maxes that add up to your competition total
- Protein Intake Calculator — recovery and strength gains stall without enough protein to support the training
- Body Fat Calculator — useful context if you're weighing up a weight-class cut to chase a higher coefficient
