The Wilks 2 Calculator works exactly like the classic version — bodyweight and total in, a comparable score out — but runs the March 2020 revised coefficients instead of the original 1994 set. If you’ve landed here confused about why your score doesn’t match a number you calculated somewhere else, the coefficient version is almost always the reason.
Why Wilks needed a revision
The original Wilks formula was fitted to the competition data available in the early-to-mid 1990s. Three decades of additional competition results later, statisticians and federations noticed the original polynomial systematically under- or over-rewarded lifters at the extreme ends of the bodyweight spectrum — very light lifters and super-heavyweights weren’t being scored as accurately as lifters in the middle of the distribution, where most of the original fitting data was concentrated. The 2020 revision recalculated the coefficients using a much larger, more current dataset specifically to correct that imbalance.
Step-by-step: how to use the calculator
- Select your sex — separate coefficients apply for men and women.
- Pick kg or lb to match how you’re entering your numbers.
- Enter your bodyweight at the time of the lift.
- Enter your total — squat + bench + deadlift, competition or gym numbers.
The result calculates live in your browser as you type, with no data sent anywhere and no account required.
Worked example: seeing the difference directly
Take the same lifter used in our classic Wilks example — 82.5kg bodyweight, 600kg total. Run those exact numbers through this calculator and you’ll get a score that differs from the classic Wilks result by a small but real margin. Neither number is “wrong” — they’re two different, deliberately calibrated systems answering a similar question with different underlying data. The gap tends to be small near typical middleweight bodyweights and grows more noticeable the further you get from that range, which is exactly the imbalance the 2020 revision was built to address.
How to know which version you actually need
This comes down entirely to what your federation, meet director, or leaderboard is using — there’s no universally “correct” choice in the abstract:
- If your meet results sheet or federation’s official software already shows a Wilks number, ask (or check their documentation) which coefficient set it uses before assuming.
- If you’re tracking your own progress privately over a long period, pick one version and stick with it consistently — switching versions partway through a training log will make your own historical numbers look like they jumped or dropped for no reason.
- If you’re comparing yourself to a specific person’s public number, match their version exactly, or the comparison is meaningless.
A note on DOTS as an alternative
Since the 2020 Wilks revision, many federations have moved away from Wilks entirely in favor of DOTS, a separate formula built specifically from tested (not equipped) lifter data. If you’re not tied to Wilks by a specific federation’s rules, it’s worth calculating your DOTS score alongside your Wilks 2 score — for most bodyweights they tell a similar story, and knowing both means you’re covered regardless of which one your community actually uses.
How the 2020 coefficients were actually built
Rather than a simple patch to the original formula, the 2020 revision involved refitting the entire polynomial from a substantially larger and more recent pool of competition results than the original 1990s dataset had available. The goal wasn’t to change the philosophy of the formula — it’s still a bodyweight-fitted polynomial working the same way — but to correct systematic bias that had crept in for lifters far from the average bodyweight the original curve was fitted around. In practice, this means lifters near a typical middleweight bodyweight see the smallest shift between versions, while lifters at the lighter and heavier extremes see the largest.
Where you’ll actually encounter Wilks 2 in practice
Some federations and meet software switched over immediately after the March 2020 publication; others took longer, and a few smaller or regional organizations may still reference the original coefficients in older documentation. If you’re unsure which version a specific leaderboard, app, or spreadsheet is using, the safest approach is to calculate your own total through both versions and note which one matches the number already shown — that tells you definitively which coefficients that source is running, without needing to track down their internal documentation.
Not always dramatically, but yes, generally — the two versions almost never produce identical numbers for the same lifter, even though they can be close for lifters near a typical middleweight bodyweight.
Is Wilks 2 the same as what people call “Wilks 2020”?
Yes, these refer to the same March 2020 coefficient revision — different sources just use different shorthand names for it.
Do any federations still officially use classic Wilks?
Some do, particularly ones that haven’t updated their scoring software or rulebook since before 2020. Always check your specific federation’s current rules rather than assuming.
Where to go next
Try the same numbers in the classic Wilks Calculator to see the exact size of the gap for your bodyweight, or read DOTS vs Wilks vs IPF GL for the full picture across all three major scoring systems.