About the Wilks Calculator
In powerlifting, heavier lifters lift more weight, so raw totals cannot say who is stronger for their size. A 100 kg lifter totalling 600 kg and a 75 kg lifter totalling 550 kg are hard to compare by eye. The Wilks score, devised by Robert Wilks, solves this by multiplying a lifter's total by a coefficient that falls as bodyweight rises, putting lifters of every weight class on one scale. For decades it decided "best lifter" awards at meets around the world.
This Wilks calculator works out your Wilks score and your DOTS score, the newer formula many federations now use, from your powerlifting total — squat, bench press and deadlift — and your bodyweight, for men or women, in kilograms or pounds. It also shows the coefficients and your total as a multiple of bodyweight.
How to Use the Wilks Calculator
Choose male or female.
Enter your bodyweight and choose kg or lb.
Choose Enter total and type your total, or Enter each lift and type your best squat, bench press and deadlift.
The Formulas
Wilks = total × 500 ÷ (a + b·x + c·x² + d·x³ + e·x⁴ + f·x⁵)
DOTS = total × 500 ÷ (a + b·x + c·x² + d·x³ + e·x⁴)
x = bodyweight in kg; the total is in kg
a to f are fixed constants, different for men and womenThe part after "total ×" is the coefficient. Pounds are converted to kilograms first, because both formulas are defined in kilograms.
Step-by-Step Example
A man weighing 90 kg totals 600 kg.
Wilks coefficient at 90 kg 0.6384
Wilks score 600 × 0.6384 = 383.04
DOTS coefficient at 90 kg 0.6466
DOTS score 600 × 0.6466 = 387.96The same 600 kg total scores about 427.5 Wilks at 75 kg bodyweight and about 365.2 at 100 kg: the lighter lifter gets the higher score for the same weight lifted.
From individual lifts: an 83 kg man who squats 200 kg, benches 130 kg and deadlifts 240 kg has a total of 570 kg and a Wilks score of about 380.5.
Coefficients by Bodyweight
Men Wilks DOTS Women Wilks DOTS
60 kg 0.8529 0.8440 50 kg 1.2846 1.2530
70 kg 0.7494 0.7512 60 kg 1.1149 1.1085
80 kg 0.6827 0.6895 70 kg 0.9948 1.0113
90 kg 0.6384 0.6466 80 kg 0.9150 0.9422
100 kg 0.6086 0.6155 90 kg 0.8641 0.8915
110 kg 0.5885 0.5923
120 kg 0.5749 0.5743Wilks, DOTS and Other Formulas
The original Wilks formula was criticised for favouring some weight classes over others, especially the lightest and heaviest lifters, as the sport grew and records moved on. It was updated in 2020 (sometimes called Wilks 2), and around the same time the DOTS formula gained wide use in amateur federations because it is simpler and fitted to more recent results. The International Powerlifting Federation uses its own IPF GL points instead. All of these aim to answer the same question, and for most lifters they give similar rankings, but the numbers are not interchangeable: always compare scores from the same formula.
What Is a Good Wilks Score?
There is no official scale, but as a rough guide, scores around 300 are typical of well-trained amateur lifters, around 400 is competitive at national level, and 500 or more is world class. A beginner might score 200 or less. Because a score depends on the federation's rules — equipment, depth standards and drug testing — compare yourself with lifters competing under the same conditions, ideally in the same federation and the same era.
Wilks for Women
Women have their own set of constants, reflecting differences in strength relative to bodyweight. A 60 kg woman totalling 300 kg has a Wilks coefficient of about 1.1149 and a score of about 334.5. The scales are designed so that a man and a woman with similar scores are similarly strong for their sex and size, which is how mixed "best lifter" awards have been decided.
Why Heavier Lifters Score Lower per Kilogram
Muscle strength depends largely on the cross-sectional area of the muscles, which grows more slowly than bodyweight as people get bigger. A lifter twice as heavy is therefore not twice as strong: in practice heavier lifters lift more in total but less for each kilogram they weigh. The Wilks and DOTS formulas describe this curve mathematically, based on the best totals across weight classes, so that the coefficient falls steeply for light lifters and more gently for heavy ones. Above the formulas' upper bodyweight limits, the coefficient is held constant.
Tracking Your Score Over Time
A Wilks or DOTS score is also a good way to track progress when your bodyweight changes. If you cut from 90 kg to 83 kg while keeping your total the same, your score rises, showing a gain in relative strength. If you gain weight and your total rises only a little, your score may fall even though you are lifting more. Recording your score after each meet or test makes these trade-offs clear and helps when choosing a weight class to compete in.
Understanding Your Result
The headline is your Wilks score.
The DOTS line gives your DOTS score for the same total and bodyweight.
The total line restates the total and bodyweight, with kilogram conversions when you entered pounds.
The coefficients line shows both coefficients and your total as a multiple of bodyweight.
When Should You Use This Calculator?
Use it to compare your strength with lifters in other weight classes.
Use it to track your progress when your bodyweight changes.
Use it to check a meet result or estimate a best-lifter placing.
Common Mistakes
Mixing formulas. A Wilks score and a DOTS score are different numbers.
Using gym lifts to compare with meet totals. Competition standards are stricter.
Forgetting to convert pounds. The formulas use kilograms, which the calculator handles for you.
Comparing across sexes with the wrong constants. Choose the correct sex.