Your Guide to Monster Pecs! With IFBB Pro Akim Williams
Your Guide to Monster Pecs
With IFBB Pro Akim Williams
Where Have All the Great Chests Gone?
If you’re familiar with either my training articles or my posts on the MD No Bull Forum, you know that one of my pet peeves is the lack of impressive pectoral development in today’s pros and top amateurs relative to days gone by. It strikes me as beyond bizarre that today’s best bodybuilders have backs and legs that put those of their predecessors to shame, yet the old-timers on average destroyed the current crop when we talk about chests. We have more than a few guys in the IFBB today whose physiques would look markedly more balanced and proportional if only they had thicker chests, and I won’t even name names. Yet in the 1970s, when training equipment and nutrition knowledge was rudimentary by today’s standards, I can’t recall one— not one!— bodybuilding champion whose chest was anything less than thick slabs of dense beef. Arnold, Lou Ferrigno, Franco, Serge Nubret, Sergio Oliva, Mike Katz, Robby Robinson, Ken Waller, and on and on— those chests were no joke. And to give credit where credit is due, in more recent years we have also seen some excellent chests, such as the one belonging to eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, whose pecs were stacked to the max when he stepped onstage. Now we have another pec king to pay tribute to in the form of Akim Williams from New York City. His chest looks thick and dense from all angles— even in a front double biceps pose, when you could otherwise be distracted by his 23-inch guns! I spoke with this immigrant from the Caribbean island of Grenada to find out how he crafted those pecs that are as thick as bricks.
Chest Had a Head Start
When Akim first started weight training at 21 years old and 160 pounds (he’s hit 307 in the off-season), he didn’t train back or legs at all. He didn’t do shoulders or arms either. In fact, in the first few months, Williams only did what the rest of the guys in the weight room at the Brooklyn campus of Long Island University were doing, and that was bench press. He did it three or four times a week, and he got very strong in just a couple of months. “I remember there was a pretty big guy who worked out there, he was about 270 pounds,” Akim says. “And everyone thought he was Hercules because he could do a few reps with 315, with a spotter helping him. They really freaked out when I was doing 315 for reps on my own, weighing over 100 pounds less than him.” Thanks to the sole focus on it, Akim’s chest was the first body part to develop. Eventually, he started training all the major muscle groups, but chest remains a strong point both literally and in terms of appearance.
Incline Dumbbell Press
MD likes to keep it real, so I have to tell you that Akim rarely if ever presses with dumbbells. “I feel them more in my shoulders, but the bar lets me hit my chest perfectly,” he notes. Many others have discovered the opposite to be true, which should point out the need for all of us to experiment with various types of equipment and use the tools that work best for us. It was thanks to MD that Akim started leading off his chest workouts with incline barbell presses. “Two of the best chests in the sport belong to Branch Warren and Johnnie Jackson,” he explains. “I read up on their chest training and also watched their training videos together on the MD site, and I noticed that they started with incline presses. Johnnie in particular is someone I always related to because he was so strong, and I liked to emphasize strength in my own workouts.” That’s an understatement.
True story: I was on the monthly MD conference call/editorial meeting to come up with the features for the next issue, and the possibility of this very feature came up as one to consider. I happened to have my Facebook news feed on the monitor in front of me, and Akim had posted a video just moments before from his chest workout that day: a set of barbell incline presses with 495 pounds for a triple. “Akim just put up 500 on the incline bar,” I casually mentioned to Steve and the rest of the MD crew on the call. Nobody seemed too surprised.
Flat Dumbbell Press
As you may have assumed, Akim doesn’t do his flat presses with dumbbells, instead sticking with the same barbell flat press he has been doing since day one in the gym. For this exercise, he doesn’t go quite as heavy, both out of safety considerations and sheer body mechanics. “I keep my reps around 10-12 on the flat bench, because I definitely don’t ever want to tear a pec,” he tells us. “And to be honest, I’ve never been quite as strong on a flat as I am on the incline.” Akim sticks to 315-365 most of the time, and puts more focus into getting the best contractions and stretches possible. His best triple on the bench, for those keeping score at home, was 450 pounds.
Seated Bench Press Machine
Machines play a key role in Akim’s chest training. The Hammer Strength decline press is one of his favorites, mainly because it provides an angle of pressing he won’t do with a barbell anymore. “I used to do declines a lot, and I loved the pump I got from them,” he says. “But one day I was pressing 405 and felt a weird pop in my shoulder. It scared me, and I’ve stayed away from barbell declines ever since.” Often Williams will do several sets with the Hammer Strength decline press machine, then a few more on a seated bench press machine. “With these, I like to keep my rest periods between sets shorter, so my chest gets tighter and more pumped. There’s no balancing required, so I can just concentrate on the feeling in my pecs.”
Cable Crossovers
To finish off his chest, Akim usually heads over to a pec flye machine. If he’s close to a contest, he will opt instead for the cable crossover station. Either way, the goal is to torch the pecs with a searing lactic acid burn and fill them to bursting with blood. “The reps will be a lot higher than usual on those, like 15-20,” he notes.
The Chain Gang
Akim trains every body part twice a week, reminiscent of the great Ronnie Coleman. One of his chest days will resemble the other in all ways, with one exception: chains. Akim was introduced to using chains in training by a man who had been a former NHL player and who also held the over-65 bench press record in the state of Florida. “I love how they give you constant tension, pulling down on the bar and giving you a totally different feel as you lower and press.” Since the chains were at his university gym, Akim used to pack two 60-pound lengths, or 120 pounds of chain, into a gym bag and take it on the subway to use at Synergy Fitness in Manhattan. How’s that for dedication? “I find them very valuable for increasing strength … and for me, getting stronger has translated into larger, denser muscles.”
Facebook @IFBB Pro Akim Williams
Instagram @IFBBProAkimWilliams
Akim’s MHP Stack
- Hyper Crush RTD – pre-workout
- Dark Matter – post-workout
- Activite Multi-Vitamin – with lunch
Adrenaline Drive – pre-cardio
BCAA STRONG – intra-cardio
For more information, visit mhpstrong.com
Akim’s Top 4 Tips for Monstrous Pecs
1. Use a Full Range of Motion
“I definitely believe in going heavy, but not if you are sacrificing range of motion. You need to get a good stretch in order to stretch the muscle fascia and allow more growth to happen, and you also need full contractions to get the best pump. You are better off doing a full range of motion with 300 pounds than you are getting half reps with 400 or more.”
2. Don’t be Afraid to Hit Some Lower Reps
“We are told to do 10-12 reps, eight at the lowest, to build the most muscle size. I can tell you that I have built most of my mass doing sets in the three to six rep range. You can and should be incorporating some very heavy weights for maximum density and thickness. As long as you take your time warming up, stay focused on what you’re doing and keep your form tight, you don’t need to be scared.”
3. Start With Inclines
“Anyone who’s been training a while will tell you that the upper chest is much harder to build than the middle and lower regions. So if you wait until later on in the workout to work the upper chest with inclines, you’re really putting yourself at a disadvantage. Start with incline presses while you’re fresh and strong. Once I started doing that, my upper chest began looking fuller and rounder within a month or two, and now it’s so much more complete from top to bottom.”
4. Don’t Settle for Mediocre Pecs!
“For whatever reason, not a lot of guys these days put the work in to build the best chest they can. As long as there is some development, they figure that’s good enough. But having some thickness in a side chest pose isn’t enough. Your goal should be to have a chest so thick that it doesn’t flatten out to nothing when your hands are up overhead in a front double biceps or an abdominals and thigh pose. When your chest still looks thick in those, you know you’ve got some serious pecs.”
Chest Routine
Incline Barbell Press 6 x 15, 12, 10, 10, 8, 6, 3
Flat Barbell Press 4-5 x 10-12
Hammer Strength Decline Press 4 x 10-12
Seated Bench Press Machine 4 x 10-12
Pec Flye Machine 4 x 15-20
Contest History
2010 Bill Grant Classic Novice Winner
2010 Brooklyn Grand Prix Heavyweight Winner
2010 Eastern USA Light Heavyweight winner
2011 Junior Nationals Fourth, Heavyweight
2011 IFBB North American 11th, Heavyweight
2012 Eastern USA Super Heavyweight and Overall Champion
2012 USA Championships Fifth, Super Heavyweight
2012 NPC Nationals Ninth, Super Heavyweight
2013 IFBB North American Super Heavyweight and Overall Champion
2014 New York Pro 11th Place
2014 Chicago Pro Fifth Place
2014 Golden State Pro Seventh Place
2015 Chicago Pro Third Place
2015 Tampa Pro Eighth Place
2015 Europa Dallas Third Place
2016 Chicago Pro Sixth Place
2016 Baltimore Grand Prix Second Place
2016 Tampa Pro Winner
2016 Arnold Classic Asia Ninth Place
2016 Mr. Olympia Weekend 15th Place
2017 New York Pro Fifth Place
2018 New York Pro 10th Place
2018 Toronto Pro Second Place
2018 Muscle Mayhem Pro Second Place
2019 Arnold Classic Ohio Ninth Place
2019 Indy Pro Second Place
2019 Arnold Classic South America Third Place
2019 New York Pro Second Place
Ron Harris got his start in the bodybuilding industry during the eight years he worked in Los Angeles as Associate Producer for ESPN’s “American Muscle Magazine” show in the 1990s. Since 1992 he has published nearly 5,000 articles in bodybuilding and fitness magazines, making him the most prolific bodybuilding writer ever. Ron has been training since the age of 14 and competing as a bodybuilder since 1989. He lives with his wife and two children in the Boston area. Facebook Instagram
DISCUSS THIS ARTICLE ON THE MD FORUM
FOLLOW MUSCULAR DEVELOPMENT ON:
FACEBOOK: MuscularDevelopment Magazine
TWITTER: @MuscularDevelop
INSTAGRAM: @MuscularDevelopment
YOUTUBE: http://bit.ly/2fvHgnZ