Wilks Score Calculator In Kg And Lbs | Calculate Strength

What Does Wilks Mean?

The Wilks score was developed by Robert Wilks, which estimates your weightlifting abilities and allows you to compare it with that of others (1).

How Do You Calculate Wilks?

Different formulae are used to calculate the Wilks score for men and women, as men are statistically stronger than women (4). Therefore, if a man and woman of the same body weight lift equal weights, the Wilks score of the woman would be higher than that of the man.

The Wilks calculator helps us estimate and compare our weightlifting abilities with other lifters, irrespective of body weight and gender. Unlike the bench press calculator, this calculator is not generally used to track one’s progress but to decide who is the superior weightlifter (1).

The three variables used in the Wilks score calculator are as follows (1):

• Body weight (in kilograms or pounds)
• Gender (There are different variables used to calculate the Wilks coefficient according to gender, as mentioned in the table below.)
• Weight lifted (in kilograms or pounds)

Wilks calculator KG

The formula used to calculate the Wilks coefficient is (1):

Wilks coefficient = 500 / (a + bx² + cx³ + dx⁴ + ex⁵ + fx⁶)

where

x = Body weight of the lifter measured in kilograms.

The following table introduces the a to f values for the male and female gender (1):

After the Wilks coefficient is calculated, the Wilks score is obtained by multiplying the Wilks coefficient with the weight lifted (in kilograms).

Wilks Score (points) = Wilks coefficient * Weight lifted in kilograms

Example:

If a male weightlifter with a body weight of 90 kg lifts a weight of 250 kg, the Wilks score would be 159.60.

Wilks Calculator Age

The Wilks calculator does not take age into consideration.

What Is A Good Wilks Score?

Generally, lifters with a Wilks score exceeding 410 are categorized as the stronger group, while those in the less strong category have a Wilks score below 370 (3). A Wilks score RAW of 250 is considered good for a beginner powerlifting professional.

What Is A Good Wilks Score For Males?

As mentioned above, a Wilks score RAW of 250 is considered good for a beginner powerlifting professional, irrespective of whether the professional is male or female.

Highest Wilks Score

The highest Wilks score of 664.95 was set by Chakera Holcomb at the Kern US Open in 2018. She broke the record Wilks score of 638 set earlier by Eva Dunbar.

Chakera’s record-breaking achievement consisted of three huge lifts, which were a 284 kg squat, a 165 kg bench press, and 274 kg deadlift in the women’s 82 kg weight class.

IPF Points Calculator

The International Powerlifting Federation (IPF) has decided to use a new IPF formula to calculate the IPF Relative Points in place of Wilks score, which was developed more than 25 years ago with data gathered between 1988 and 1994 that was not very extensive (1).
While the new formula is more complex, it still uses the lifter’s body weight and their Powerlifting Total or Bench Press Total to compute points (1).

However, the reason the Wilks calculator is still widely mentioned and used is that it has a long history of being a popular and accepted method for comparing lifters across various powerlifting organizations. The Wilks calculator is not necessarily outdated, but it is an older formula that predates the IPF points system (1).

The choice between using the Wilks calculator or the IPF points calculator often depends on the specific powerlifting federation or organization hosting the competition. Different organizations may have their preferences for which scoring system to use. Additionally, some lifters and fans of the sport may have grown accustomed to the Wilks system and continue to use it for reference.

It is worth noting that both calculators aim to achieve similar goals: to provide a standardized way to compare lifters’ performances across different weight classes. Ultimately, the choice between the two comes down to the preference of the organizing body and the lifters themselves. Each system has its merits, and neither is inherently superior; they simply serve as tools for assessing performance in the context of specific powerlifting events.