Weight Ratio

Not all double bodyweight squats are created equal. Someone that weighs 100 lbs and squats 200 lbs is not as impressive as a 200lb person squatting 400lbs. It does not increase linearly. In the 56kg weight class, people have clean and jerked triple bodyweight, but no true super heavy weight has clean and jerked double body weight. For this reason, equations have been made to compare athletes of different weight classes. In powerlifting, it’s called a Wilks, and for weightlifting, it’s called Sinclair. For Wilks, there is a long equation that will give you your Wilks total based on your total of squat, bench, and deadlift using your weight. Sinclair uses your total from snatch and clean and jerk as well as your body weight. Your Sinclair number will tell you how much you would total if you weighed the same as the person holding the world record for highest total ever. But why is the strength to weight ratio not linear? This concept is explained by the Square-Cube law. Put simply, as an object grows, it’s surface area and volume don’t grow at the same rate. A cube that is 1in in height has a surface area of 6in^2 and a volume of 1in^3. If the cube was 10x taller (10in), the surface area increases 100x (600in^2) and the volume increases 1,000x (1,000in^3). So, the volume (the athlete's’ weight) increases much faster than the surface area (cross sectional area of their muscle). This is overly simplified, but it is the core concept that explains why weight ratios don’t scale. They can be great as a goal to get to a bodyweight snatch or a double bodyweight squat, but that means little in comparing or assessing athletes.