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Stage Pro
Extreme Akim!
The Brooklyn Beast Is Coming for the Arnold and the Olympia Titles!
Interview by Giles Thomas
With some men, we all knew from the minute they hit the pro stage that a Mr. Olympia title was well within their grasp. Phil Heath certainly fits that description, as did Lee Haney and Dorian Yates before him and most recently, Big Ramy, though it took him a while. For others, the journey to the top of Mount Olympus is longer, and few among us were predicting a Sandow in their future. That could be said about champions like Ronnie Coleman, Shawn Rhoden, and Brandon Curry. That leads us to Akim Williams, who I personally never believed would be a threat for the Mr. Olympia title – until now. After moving up to sixth place in 2020, he is now poised to potentially leapfrog his way to winning the biggest show in our sport. Did I say show? Because just two weeks before the 2021 Mr. Olympia, he will also be on stage in Columbus, Ohio for the Arnold Classic, the second-most prestigious event for an IFBB Pro League Pro. Giles Thomas spoke to him shortly after the third pro win of his career, the Puerto Rico Pro in Nassau, Bahamas, about his rising stock. –Ron Harris
Let’s start with your Puerto Rico Pro win last weekend. That turned out to be a better show than most of us thought it would be.
It was actually a very impressive show. I wasn’t expecting the level of competition that came out for it. There were some guys with great shape who brought the condition too. I hate to say it, but I assumed it would be an easy show, but it was one of the better ones we’ve had this season.
I spoke with Jamie the Giant, and he went in thinking it would be an easy way to qualify with either a win or a top spot to pick up points. Nobody was talking about Puerto Rico, so he didn’t think too many guys would show up. But it turned out to be a really good lineup.
I would say every man in the top 10 was in shape, which you rarely see at smaller shows. And I have to give a shout-out to Tim Gardner and his team. Considering they ran the show outside the USA and with all the Covid stuff still going on, they did an amazing job. We athletes just had to have our Covid test done prior to get a visa, and it all went smoothly.
I was looking at your Instagram, and originally it seemed as if you were planning to do the Chicago Pro and try to win that for the second year in a row. That would have been three weeks after Puerto Rico. What made you change your plans?
Once I started dieting, my coach Justin Miller and I were really playing it by ear. This is our first prep together, so we were seeing how quickly I responded and got in shape. By the time Puerto Rico was coming up, we knew I didn’t need another month. The way I was looking, we knew I was ready to win something as soon as possible. That would give us a little more time to rest up and then prep for the Mr. Olympia too, of course.
I remember speaking to MHP and MuscleMeds owner Gerard Dente at the 2019 Olympia, the year you got ninth. He was telling me, “Akim is 265 and totally shredded.” I remember thinking, he was 249 in Toronto and wasn’t quite hard enough there, so this will be a disaster. But you came out and you did look really good. Ever since then, I think you’ve been figuring out that magic formula of condition with the roundness and fullness.
I have been. Going into the last Olympia, I knew I was bringing a package that would get me into that first callout. After that, I didn’t really know where I would place. I had done an interview the night before at the Meet the Olympians event where I said that exact same thing. It was amazing to see it come to fruition 24 hours later. That in itself was a blessing and an achievement.
There are levels of achievement as a pro. Winning a pro show and going to the Olympia is one, and then you want to make top 10. After that, the next level is to crack the top six. The final level is to do what Ramy did from 2018 to 2020, which is to go from top six to winning. I think because he came back with more condition and polish, there is now so much chatter around you. People are talking about how you have a real chance to win it this year.
I believe in myself and I believe in all the hard work I have put in over the years. I keep getting better. I’m one of the few athletes who brings a different package to the stage every season. I’ve never looked the same from one year to the next. I have always improved, and I plan to keep that trend going for the Arnold and the Olympia. I know that the more I compete, the better I get.
What did you weigh in Puerto Rico? And did your waist get smaller? It looked to me as if it might have.
I was right around the 260 mark. I’m not sure if my waist got smaller, maybe. Once I start dieting it comes in pretty tight. My waist has been small my whole life, and it never grew even though I put on so much more mass over the years. It’s something I was blessed with, because I know not many guys my size have a small waist. I have been working on getting better separation in my abs, so that might have made a difference visually this time.
Where do you think your physique has improved since the Olympia last December?
My back, especially my upper back, has a lot more detail. I want to keep building on that for the Arnold and the Olympia because I know it’s the area the judges want to see me improve.
I think your quads have better separation and quality too now.
Legs have never been a problem for me, but a lot of these guys now have incredible legs, so I need to keep working hard on them. I can’t let up and focus more on other body parts. I have to train everything equally.
The last element Big Ramy needed was overall conditioning. With you I feel it’s back detail. Once you nail that, I think it’s the final thing you need to move up to the top three or even to win. If your back gets a lot more detailed, I think you would be unstoppable. I also think you might have the best side chest in the world right now. The only two poses I see that could be better are your rear lat spread and rear double biceps, and to be Mr. Olympia you need to win all the poses.
Thanks for the kind words, and I agree with you. In some ways I feel like I’m just learning how to train my back properly this year, so I’m excited to see how much better it can get. Trust me, I’ve heard what people have said about me and I know it’s the area I need to step up.
Most of the Mr. Olympia competitors are purely focusing on that show and bypassing the Arnold Classic. Why are you doing it?
I give the Arnold the same level of credibility as the Olympia. If I have a chance to step on that stage and pull off a win right before the Olympia, why not? Why not try and make history and win them both one after another? It’s exciting just to think about.
There’s a lot of buzz about three men doing the Mr. Olympia who the fans think could do very well: yourself, Iain Valliere, and Nick Walker. Does that type of support motivate you?
Stuff like that doesn’t faze me because I remember not long ago when people were saying I would never be one of the top guys. I don’t pay any attention to it. They might love you now, but if you don’t do as well as hoped at even one show, all of a sudden, they write you off and you suck. I just focus on me and what I can control, which is working on my physique and displaying it at my best to the judges. Hopefully they recognize the improvements I’ve made and judge me accordingly. But yeah, I don’t worry about what anyone says about me on social media, be it good or bad. I just stay in my lane and focus on me.
I’ve seen that Justin doesn’t only oversee your diet, he also supervises your training, correct?
Yes. I’ve had the luxury of training with him and George Peterson III at Bev’s for my back days these last few months, and they come down to New Jersey so George can train legs with me. It’s been beneficial for both of us. He’s got one of the best backs in the world, so watching what he does for it has changed a lot about how I train back.
You’re with MHP and MuscleMeds, a company that has stood the test of time when so many others have come and gone.
Gerard was a top-level bodybuilder himself. He cares about bodybuilders, and he stayed true to his roots. I think that guarantees long-term success. The people who buy and use the products want to build their bodies, and Gerard has walked the walk. I’m grateful to work for someone who really understands the whole process the way he does.
Obviously, there are supplement company owners who have never even trained. I don’t think a lot of the younger buyers even realize that owners like Gerard, Rich Gaspari, and Lee Labrada were all superb bodybuilders back in the day. Enough about them. Back to you, mate. How excited are you about competing in the Arnold Classic and the Mr. Olympia in a couple of months?
I’ve known pros who work hard their entire careers and never got to stand on either of those stages even once. It’s a dream for all bodybuilders to compete in those two shows, and I will be doing it on September 25 and October 7. It’s an honor and a privilege that I don’t take lightly.
The Olympia will be the pinnacle of the season for you. You have been there three times taking 15th, ninth, and sixth places in your first three attempts. They say the third time’s the charm, but could it be the fourth time in this case?
All I can say is that I’m in a great position right now. In the other years I was still trying to qualify much closer to the Olympia. The Puerto Rico win was 13 weeks before the Arnold and 15 weeks before the Olympia. I have more time to recharge and then focus on the big shows than ever before. I feel really good both physically and mentally. Only time will tell of course. I will focus on showcasing my strengths, big full muscles with a small waist, and better condition than ever. The goal is to bring a package that forces all the judges’ eyes to go to me and stay there. That’s what I will be working on from now until then.
Instagram @akim_bkbeast_williams
Coaching services: https://trainwithakim.com/
Complete 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
2021 Puerto Rico Pro
Winner
Akim’s MuscleMeds® Stack
Carnivor™ Beef Protein – 1-2 shakes per day including post-workout
NitroTest™ – pre-workout
Stemtropin – nighttime
FEAST MODE– before largest meal
VITAMIN T™– daily in morning with breakfast
AMINO DECANATE– intra-workout
For more information, visit musclemedsrx.com
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