What the Wilks score is
The Wilks score (or Wilks coefficient) is a way to compare powerlifting totals between athletes of different bodyweights and sexes. A heavier lifter can almost always move more absolute weight, so raw totals alone can't tell you who is "pound-for-pound" stronger. The Wilks formula, devised by Robert Wilks of Powerlifting Australia in the mid-1990s, corrects for this by scaling each lifter's total by a coefficient derived from their bodyweight. It was the International Powerlifting Federation's official scoring formula until 2019, when it was replaced by IPF GL Points, but the original Wilks coefficient remains one of the most widely used strength comparison metrics.
The formula
Your Wilks score is your competition total multiplied by a coefficient:
Wilks Score = Total × 500 / (a + b·x + c·x² + d·x³ + e·x⁴ + f·x⁵)
where x is bodyweight in kilograms and Total is the sum of your best squat, bench press, and deadlift. The six constants a through f differ by sex. For men: a = −216.0475144, b = 16.2606339, c = −0.002388645, d = −0.00113732, e = 7.01863×10⁻⁶, f = −1.291×10⁻⁸. For women: a = 594.31747775582, b = −27.23842536447, c = 0.82112226871, d = −0.00930733913, e = 0.00004731582, f = −0.00000009054. The polynomial in the denominator captures the empirical, non-linear relationship between bodyweight and strength potential, so the coefficient falls as bodyweight rises.
Why the coefficient shrinks as you get heavier
Lighter lifters get a larger multiplier and heavier lifters get a smaller one. For a male lifter the coefficient is roughly 0.85 at 60 kg, about 0.72 at 75 kg, 0.67 at 82.5 kg, 0.638 at 90 kg, and about 0.609 at 100 kg. Multiplying by 500 in the numerator sets the scale so that a very strong lifter lands in the hundreds. This is why a 90 kg man with a 600 kg total (0.638 × 600 ≈ 383) and a lighter lifter with a smaller total can end up with similar Wilks scores.
How to read your score
Wilks bands are approximate but useful. For men: around 200 is a beginner, 300 is a solid intermediate, 400 is advanced and regionally competitive, and 500+ is elite / world-class. For women the scale runs lower in raw numbers because the female coefficients are larger: roughly 200 is intermediate, 300 is advanced, and 450+ is elite. Because the coefficient already accounts for bodyweight, two lifters with the same Wilks are considered to have comparable relative strength even if one outweighs the other by 40 kg.