Akim Williams: Beast on the Rise!
Akim Williams: Beast on the Rise!
Interview by Ron Harris
As strange as it might sound, I love being proven wrong. There have been many times when I essentially wrote off a bodybuilder because he or she failed to make the improvements needed to move up the ranks; whether it was in the form of overall mass, a certain lagging body part or two, or failure to achieve proper contest condition. When someone suddenly shows up having made said improvements, it’s exciting to see. Akim Williams was a true beast of a man, competing around 270 pounds with insanely huge arms and legs and a dainty waist. However, I was never impressed with his degree of definition. That all changed starting in June of 2018, when his new coach Oscar Ardon brought him to Toronto more ripped than I’d ever seen him. Though he was narrowly edged out by Juan Morel, it was clear this was a version of Akim we’d never seen before: deep cuts and crisp, dry striations. Since then, he earned four more runner-up spots and a win, and most recently broke the coveted top six at the Mr. Olympia. I spoke with him a few weeks later about how he’s been able to be one of the few to break out of that second-tier status, and how he plans to continue to climb the ladder all the way to the top.
You leveled up again in 2020. You started the season at the Arnold with seventh place, which wasn’t bad. But in October, you came down to Atlanta in better condition for the Chicago Pro and got your second career pro win. The Mr. Olympia was when things got really interesting. Most pros dream of getting to that stage and never do. Most of those who do never make the top six, because that’s a whole other level for only the elite. You finally cracked it this year at your third Olympia appearance. What was it like to be in that first callout with Big Ramy, Brandon Curry, Phil Heath, Hadi Choopan and William Bonac?
My main goal going into the 2020 Mr. Olympia was to be in that first callout. Of course I wanted to place as high as possible, but I knew I had what it takes to be in that first callout. Hearing my name with all those incredible men you just mentioned felt fantastic.
You had been ninth place the year before, and this lineup was tougher because we had Ramy and Phil back up there again. What improvements did you make that allowed you to do better this time?
Switching up my training style thanks to my coach Oscar Ardon is now starting to make a real difference in how my physique looks. I also have a lot more confidence in myself because I’ve been doing this a while and have 25 pro shows under my belt now with many high placings. Oscar and I figured out the formula for getting me in shape a couple of years back and we’ve been refining it. Now I know what it takes to get to the top level and be compared with the very best guys at the biggest shows. The combination of those three things has helped me improve my physique and showcase it a lot better.
You’ve been with Oscar for three years now, and it seems like at first he had to take youdown much lighter than you had been competing at previously to get your conditioning right. You were about 245 at the 2018 Toronto Pro when you finally showed up ripped. Now you’re competing at 265 again with that same condition.
Right, like I said it took a few shows to get the formula right. Size had never been a problem for me, and now that we put it all together, I’m able to bring the total package of mass and hardness.
You have a reputation of being one of the strongest men in the sport. For years you trained with crazy heavy weights and low reps. That obviously worked for you because you’re one of the biggest men today. But looking back, do you think you could have built just as much size going a bit lighter and doing more reps?
No. I think I needed to train the way I did not only for the size I have, but the muscle density. I see a lot of these guys who train with more volume and don’t go so heavy. Some of them have plenty of size, but they lack the density that people like Ronnie Coleman and I have. If I were talking to a young bodybuilder coming up about the best training style, I’d tell him to do a combination of both.
We all love Ronnie, and it’s been tough to see all the issues he’s been through with all the spinal surgeries and difficulty walking. Do you think if you had kept training with just low reps, that would have been your future too?
Definitely. I really pushed the envelope on some lifts. One time I was squatting 900 pounds. I had a spotter behind me, and I thought he was going to help me re-rack the weight at the end of the set. He took his hands off the bar because he thought I had it. I missed the rack and it fell straight down. I almost got crushed. That made me take a step back. There was no special equipment like that monolift that powerlifters use. It’s nerve-wracking walking that bar out from the rack, and worse walking it back in after you just squatted it for reps.
Let’s give you proper credit. When Ronnie did his famous 800-pound squat, he had a full powerlifting squat suit on. What did you have for assistance gear?
I had a belt and knee sleeves that were just for warmth and a little support, not tight like knee wraps are.
It sounds like you dodged a bullet. That could have resulted in a catastrophic injury like the double quad tear poor Jean-Pierre Fux had.
I must have had an angel watching over me. I never asked that guy to spot me again though, and he never wanted to spot me again!
Speaking of dodging bullets, so many people who were at the 2020 Olympia came down with COVID-19 right afterward. Did you catch it there too?
Yes I did. I was fine for the first couple of days I was back home, then it took a turn for the worse. About four to five days after I left Orlando I had a really high fever. That was the worst. I was waking up drenched in sweat like I’d just done an hour of cardio. I almost went to the hospital, but after two days the fever went down and I started feeling better.
Did you have all the classic symptoms of the Rona?
No. I never lost my senses of taste or smell. I did experience the fatigue. Even things like brushing my teeth were exhausting. I think a lot of us who competed got it because all the dieting had us so drained that our immune systems were probably weakened.
So that was your 2020. You missed qualifying for this year’s Olympia by one place, so where do you want to take care of that?
I really want to do the Arnold Classic again and I’m waiting to hear about a date for that. I would have loved to do the New York Pro, because that’s a show I’ve wanted to win since I was an amateur. The timing just doesn’t work because it’s in May and I need a break before I start another prep so soon. I started prepping for the Arnold in December of 2019, did that, and then kept dieting because no one knew when we would have a show to compete in. I competed in October and December, so it wound up being just over a full 12 months of prep with no break or off-season. A lot of pros spent most of 2020 in prep waiting and hoping for shows. If the New York Pro somehow got moved to the fall, I would probably do it.
Just curious, what’s the heaviest you ever got up to in the off-season, and is there a weight now you like to stay at instead?
I got up to 320 pounds at 5-foot-10. It was great for being in the gym and lifting heavy, but not so great the rest of the time. I was bench pressing 500 and squatting 800 for good reps. But walking around, or bending over to tie my shoe, it was rough. I don’t let myself get over 290 now. I actually feel better at 280-285.
As heavy as you train, I don’t recall ever hearing about you getting injured. Have you ever been hurt?
I hurt my shoulder badly before I even started competing. When I first started lifting, I got very strong very fast. Muscles have that potential, but your tendons need much longer to become thicker and stronger. I was trying to press a pair of 160-pound dumbbells overhead for shoulders and slipped out of the groove because I couldn’t control them. I think I only weighed 185 pounds at the time. That shoulder was never the same again.
Did you ever work up to 160s again?
Nope. I’ve done the 150s for 10, but when you do something and get really hurt, that fear sets in. There’s no reason to do more weight anyway, especially with dumbbells. Once they are that big and heavy, the risks outweigh the rewards.
I still remember the very first interview we did years ago where you were telling me how even though you didn’t gain a lot of size and weight at first, you did get freakishly strong very fast. Weren’t you bench pressing 405 within a month of starting out training?
Almost. I started out at the gym on the Brooklyn campus of Long Island University at about 160 pounds when I was 21. Within a month, I could bench press 375, and I stayed with that for a little while. Then one day I said just put four plates on and let me see if I can do it. I got three reps. People were shocked because I wasn’t very big, and there was only one other guy there who could do it. We had this big football player named CJ who was about 280 pounds. He could outlift everybody there easily. One day he came in and saw the 405 on the bar and he was like, who’s doing this? Who’s lifting my weight? Someone pointed me out. I was up to about 185 or 190, roughly 100 pounds lighter than him. He couldn’t believe it, and he wasn’t too happy about it.
How long did it take before all that ungodly size finally came to match that strength?
It wasn’t until I started competing, because until then I had no idea how bodybuilders ate. I just loved lifting. I was eating one or two meals a day with a couple of snacks maybe. Once I started eating five to six times a day, I grew fast.
Since Big Ramy won, people have been speculating as to who might be able to challenge him at his own game. You are one of the few men in the sport right now with the height, size and structure to push him. What will it take for you to stand next to Ramy and give him a real fight?
I got feedback from two of the judges from the Olympia, all positive. One thing I was told could help me get up into the top five or top three is to improve the thickness and detail in my lower lats and lower back. I looked back at what Dorian Yates did for his back, and I’ve been doing more underhand barbell rows along with deadlifts where the bar never touches the floor. I can already see a difference in my back. Another thing that’s helping is hyperextensions. In the past I would only do them for the last few weeks before a contest. Now I do them at the end of every back workout. It takes time, but my back is getting better.
Do you still make the drive up to Oscar’s private gym in Brooklyn?
I head up there a couple of times a week. It’s so peaceful and quiet in there, plus Oscar trains me and he’s the best. You think you knew how to train and train hard until that man puts you through a workout. The best part is – no mask!
Is your back the main focus now in your off-season?
Yeah. You know how they say shows are won from the back? I’ve always been hesitant to hit the rear double biceps pose because I know it’s not a good pose for me, especially compared to my front double biceps. My goal is to make it one of my best poses.
I’m being dead serious here when I say that when your back poses are as good as your front poses, all your fellow competitors are going to have a lot more trouble dealing with you. If someone asked me even four years ago if you could win the Mr. Olympia, I would have asked what they were smoking. Now I don’t think it’s so crazy after all, if you make those improvements to your back.
Thanks. I know my back has been the main reason I haven’t been able to beat the top guys, and I know I can bring it up now that my training has changed.
Any last words, anyone you need to thank?
I’m so grateful for having Oscar Ardon in my life, not only coaching me but also training me in person. He’s already taught me so much. I also have to thank Gerard Dente, owner of MuscleMeds and MHP. He’s been backing me 100 percent and has been so supportive, even throughout this pandemic. We stuck it out together. Everyone at that company is like family to me. It’s amazing to have people like that in my corner, and I can’t wait to make them all proud later this year.
Instagram @akim_bkbeast_williams
Coaching services: http://www.trainwithakim.com
Akim’s MuscleMeds® Stack
Carnivor™ Beef Protein
Bioengineered beef protein isolate.
1-2 shakes per day including post-workout.
Pre-workout
NitroTest™ androgenic pre-workout amplifier.
Stemtropin stem cell and GH activator.
Intra-workout
Amino Decanate
Clinical strength amino acid formula.
For more information, visit musclemedsrx.com
Akim: Boost Stem Cells to Build More Muscle With Stemtropin
New supplement research shows that the natural compound sea buckthorn can increase stem cell production.
One of the newer and more innovative supplements that Akim Williams has added to his stack to support muscle building, strength and recovery is Stemtropin, a natural stem cell and GH-boosting formula. New stem cell research has uncovered the important role stem cells have in muscle building and regeneration. Increasing the number of stem cells can have a positive effect on muscle building and recovery, especially when used in combination with resistance weight training. New supplement research also shows that the natural compound sea buckthorn can increase stem cell production – and Akim is among an elite group of pro bodybuilders who are using stem cell therapy to maximize the results of their training.
“Boosting both growth hormone and stem cells will have a positive impact on muscle growth and recovery,” Akim said. “Since I began using Stemtropin, I have seen a noticeable difference.”
Growth hormone is another well-researched muscle-building stimulator, and a major regulator of protein anabolism and tissue growth. Stemtropin contains clinically proven ingredients that have been shown to boost growth hormone (GH) by 72 percent. Stemtropin contains a full clinical dose of 500 milligrams of sea buckthorn, which has been shown to increase stem cell production 20 percent in just two hours after a single dose.
Akim Williams 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 Tampa Pro
Winner
2016 Arnold Classic Asia
Ninth Place
2016 Kuwait Pro
10th Place
2016 Mr. Olympia
15th Place
2017 New York Pro
Fifth Place
2017 California Pro
Fifth Place
2018 New York Pro
10th Place
2018 Toronto Pro
Second Place
2018 Muscle Mayhem Kansas Pro
Second Place
2019 Arnold Classic
Ninth Place
2019 Arnold Classic South America
Third Place
2019 Indy Pro
Second Place
2019 New York Pro
Second Place
2019 Bigman Weekend Pro
Second Place
2019 Mr. Olympia
Ninth Place
2020 Arnold Classic
Seventh Place
2020 Chicago Pro
Winner
2020 Mr. Olympia
Sixth 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
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