Tag: Akim Williams
Akim Williams Reportedly Out Of 2022 Arnold Classic
Akim Williams has not yet commented on reports of his withdrawal.
Akim Williams is one of the quickest-rising bodybuilders in Men’s Open. He was preparing to compete in his fourth Arnold Classic competition but fans might have to wait until next year. Williams has reportedly taken his name out of the 2022 Arnold Classic, according to multiple outlets.
Williams has not yet made an official statement on his status for the competition. The Arnold Classic is scheduled for March 3-6 in Columbus, OH.
Akim Williams has continued to share workout videos on social media but has been short with his captions.
With Williams pulling his name out of the competition, this leave 10 bodybuilders vying for the Arnold Classic title in Men’s Open. It became with Rafael Brandao withdrew from the competition for undisclosed reasons. Then, both Nathan De Asha and Mohamed Shaaban were forced to pull out due to injuries.
2022 Arnold Classic Lineup
William Bonac
Maxx Charles
Brandon Curry
Samson Dauda
Regam Grimes
Steve Kuclo
Cedric McMillan
Fabio Giga Rezende
Justin Rodriguez
Brett Wilkin
It is still a lineup full of big names despite four competitors withdrawing. Curry continues to be one of the favorites to win the event after back-to-back runner-up finishes at the Olympia. McMillan will also make his return to the stage while Kuclo is looking to build off a third-place finish last year. Wilkin is considered a dark-horse to win the show and jumpstart his 2022 campaign.
Akim Williams finished fifth during the 2021 Arnold Classic. During his career, he has won three shows and continues to improve as time goes on. Williams’ first victory came during the 2016 Tampa Pro. In 2020, he was victorious during the 2020 Chicago Pro followed by a win during the 2021 Puerto Rico Pro. He has competed at the Olympia four times, including a sixth place finish in 2020.
After withdrawing from the Arnold Classic, Williams will have to find another way to qualify for the 2022 Olympia. He can do this by winning another show or earning system points. There is still plenty of time as the Arnold Classic typically begins the bodybuilding season.
Fans were looking forward to watching Williams perform in Columbus but they will have to wait a bit longer. It will be interesting to hear the reason for his withdrawal once the bodybuilder makes an official statement.
For more news and updates, follow Generation Iron on Facebook, Twitter, and Instagram.
Akim Williams Full Interview | Underdog Status & Insanely Heavy Lifts
[embedded content]
Watch the full uncut GI Exclusive interview with Akim Williams
Akim Williams turned heads at the Olympia 2020 when he stepped onto stage and eventually landed sixth place. Williams is a massive bodybuilder with a lot of potential. That potential in past years seemed to never come to fruition. His previous Olympia placings were 9th in 2019 and 15th in 2016. Now many are considering him to be the biggest threat in 2021.
Akim is also known for being one of the heaviest lifters currently competing in bodybuilding. That’s why we connected with Akim Williams for a long form interview to discuss in-depth all things bodybuilding.
Over the past few months we’ve released multiple GI Exclusive segments from our interview with Akim Williams. Now we’re releasing the full length interview including topics such as his underdog status and becoming more of an Olympia threat, his heaviest lifts, and 90s bodybuilding vs today.
Listen To Our Akim Williams Interview On The Generation Iron Podcast
Our full length interviews are now also in podcast form! Subscribe to the Generation Iron Podcast for candid, full length interviews with the biggest names in bodybuilding, fitness, combat, and strength sports.
Listen to the full Akim Williams interview here:
On Being The Underdog And The Big Change That Improved His Physique In 2020
During our interview with Akim Williams, we asked him what it was like to be labeled with the underdog monicker. What is it like when fans and experts predict low placings? Williams admits that he tries not to let it bother him. In fact, he looks at the positive. Being the underdog means he can fly under the radar. That’s exactly what happened in 2020. No one expected a top six finish from Williams. When he stepped on stage, many were shocked. He was immediately in the running for standout of the weekend.
But these sorts of improvements don’t just happen out of thin air. What exactly changed to bring Akim Williams up to the next level? What was he working on while he flew under the radar? Williams says that the biggest factor was confidence.
Beyond the Mr. Olympia, Akim Williams placed well at the Chicago Pro and Arnold Classic. He also landed a high placing at the New York Pro in 2019. This gave him proof that he could achieve what he’s been striving for all these years. It gave him confidence in his own abilities.
Beyond that, Akim Williams also discusses how he put more training into presentation and posing. He worked extremely hard on improving his posing routine to showcase his physique in the best possible way. He credits that focus and dedication during prep to his higher placing this year.
And of course, his better placing this year only gives Akim Williams more confidence going in 2021. With the conversation now talking up Williams more than ever – he has all the tools he needs to bring his best package this year. We can’t wait to see what he comes up with.
On His Heaviest Lifts And The Accident That Almost Crushed Him
During our video interview, we wanted to reflect back to his heaviest lifts and how you build up the mentality to keep pushing further. He explained that each new personal record created a hunger to beat it again. It wasn’t something that happened over night. Nor was it full on ego lifting that could lead to too much stress on his body. It was gradual improvements. Breaking PRs inch by inch until suddenly he was throwing up insane amounts of weight.
Of course, just because he didn’t dive straight into ego lifts doesn’t mean that these huge lifts weren’t dangerous. Akim Williams describes one moment where he was almost crushed doing a massive lift. It was less due to the weight being too heavy. Instead, he misread the movement of his spotter. He thought the weight was racked when it wasn’t and then the weight nearly crushed him completely.
Luckily, Williams only got by with a scrape – but it was a wake up call for training moving forward. While building personal best lifts can be exciting and empowering, Akim Williams is also a pro bodybuilder first. If he injures his body, he loses time from becoming a champion.
The accident made him reflect on what he stands to lose and how lifting lighter weight can benefit him in the future. Not only from injury but also as a tactic to better hone his conditioning and physique.
Wrap Up
We discussed far more topics with Akim Williams than we can cover in one article. That’s why you should check out the full uncut GI Exclusive hour long interview above. It provides great insight into a bodybuilder that is poised to be a big threat in the coming years at Olympia. The time for sleeping on Akim Williams is over – we can’t wait to see what he’ll do next!