Wilks Calculator
The Wilks score was powerlifting’s standard way to compare lifters of different bodyweights for over two decades: one number from your total (squat + bench + deadlift) and bodyweight. Many gyms, meets, and training logs still use it, even though most federations have since moved to DOTS.
This calculator computes the classic Wilks formula and, unlike most, also places your score on the real distribution of 279,351 male and 130,569 female Raw full-power competitors from the OpenPowerlifting database.
Total = your best squat + bench + deadlift. Estimate your maxes first
How Wilks is calculated
Wilks = 500 / P(bw) x total, where P is a fifth-degree polynomial in bodyweight (kg) with sex-specific coefficients and the total is in kg. This page uses the classic coefficients as published in the OpenPowerlifting project, with bodyweight clamped to 40 to 201.9 kg for men and 26.51 to 154.53 kg for women.
The percentile placement uses the same method as our DOTS calculator: OpenPowerlifting bulk data, Raw full-power entries only, one best score per lifter, interpolated on a 25-point grid (accurate to roughly one percentage point).
What counts as a good Wilks score
Among Raw full-power competitors in the database, the median best Wilks is about 350 for men and about 304 for women. The old gym benchmarks hold up against real data: a 300 Wilks marks a well-trained lifter, 400 beats about 79% of male competitors, and 500 remains an elite marker (top 1%).
Frequently asked questions
What is a good Wilks score?
Against Raw full-power competitors in the OpenPowerlifting database, the median best Wilks is about 350 for men and 304 for women. A Wilks of 400 beats about 79% of male competitors, and 500 is roughly the top 1%. The traditional talking points (300 good, 400 great, 500 elite) match the real distribution closely.
Why did federations replace Wilks with DOTS?
The original Wilks coefficients, fitted on 1990s data, systematically favored some bodyweights over others at the extremes. DOTS refit the same idea on newer data to remove those distortions. For lifters of ordinary size the two scores are usually within a few points.
Should I use Wilks or DOTS?
Use DOTS if you compete, since that is what most federations score with today. Use Wilks when you want continuity with older logs, historical results, or a gym tradition. This site calculates both, and both pages place your score on the same real competition data.
Does this use the old Wilks or Wilks-2 coefficients?
The classic (original) Wilks coefficients, since that is what people mean by a Wilks score in almost all contexts. The 2020 revision (sometimes called Wilks-2) never reached wide adoption because most federations jumped straight to DOTS.