Tag: Strongman

Larry Wheels Transformation Program To Become The Strongest Version of Yourself

Larry Williams aka Larry Wheels is an American strongman, bodybuilder, and powerlifter. He is best known for his incredible strength and muscle mass.
Larry Wheels has fast become one of the most popular faces in the bodybuilding and powerlifting world. The guy lifts a shit ton of weight like it ain’t nothing but a peanut. Wait, I think I’ve heard this somewhere before, but I digress. 
Wheels has been getting a lot of eyeballs for his crazy lifts. In fact, Ronnie Coleman, an 8X Mr. Olympia and one of the strongest bodybuilders of all time, went on record to praise the powerlifter’s strength. 

Larry Wheels Stats

Name: Larry Williams
Height: 6’1″ 
Weight: 245–255 pounds
Birthday: 3 December 1994 
Profession: Powerlifting 

Larry Wheels Powerlifting Record

Raw 2,275lbs total (810 lbs squat, 610 lbs bench press, 855 lbs deadlift) at 275 lbs of body weight

The numbers mentioned above are from a 2017 powerlifting meet. Larry has since bested his PRs. His current best numbers are:

Squat: 950 pounds
Bench Press: 675 pounds
Deadlift: 937 pounds

Wheels’ Instagram feed is nothing short of a work of art. Like a fine painter, he tries to outdo his masterpiece every time he has a go on the canvas.
Larry has a tendency to push himself too hard. Although we have seen Larry Wheels lift insane weights without a care in the world, it has not gone so well for his training partners.
In the recent past, Ryan Crowley and Mike Edwards have met with accidents on the bench press while training with Larry Wheels. On top of that, Wheels himself has suffered an injury while benching. 
Statistically speaking, a majority of Larry Wheels’ injuries occur on the bench press. 
We have advice for people training with Wheels; do not hit the bench!

The Larry Wheels Story
Wheels grew up in extreme poverty in Bronx, New York. He started training for personal safety. He wanted to look bigger and stronger so nobody could bully him.
Since Larry could not afford a gym membership initially, he began doing push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups every day at home. With the help of his mother, he later built himself a basic weight set consisting of two 40 lbs concrete blocks and a broomstick.
Fast forward several years and training at a gym, Larry Wheels is now a professional powerlifter. He also made two powerlifting world records in 2017, making a name for himself in the sport in the process.
“Because cinder blocks were so heavy, I’d have to swing the weight up. It wasn’t pretty, but I did manage to do three sets of curls and military presses.” – Larry Wheels
Related: Larry Wheels Shares Throwback Video Before He Had Any Muscle

Larry Wheels Diet
Growing up, Wheels did not have the resources to find himself a professional coach who could help him with his training and nutrition program. But that did not push Larry to give up his passion for lifting weights.
He learned everything about the sport through trial and error. Going by his physique and strength, it would be safe to say that Wheels has his shit figured out. 
Larry Wheels Diet Plan
Wheels eats 8-9 meals every day. When trying to bulk up, he consumes around 5,500 calories a day. Beef, rice, and avocados are the staples in Larry’s high-calorie diet.
However, when cutting down for a show, Larry Wheels limits his calories intake to 4,400 calories a day. The staples for his shredding diet include salmon, chicken, sweet potatoes, and rice.
Must Read: Larry Wheels Accepts And Completes Hafthor Bjornsson’s Bench Press Challenge
It should be noted that Larry’s cutting diet can be an average bodybuilder’s bulking diet. Larry William’s bulking diet looks something like this:
Meal 1

Eggs 
Oatmeal 
Fruit Juice

Meal 2

Whey Protein

Meal 3

Cookie Crisp Cereal
Milk

Meal 4

Whey Protein

Meal 5

Grilled Chicken Burger
French Fries

Meal 6

Lasagna 
Yogurt

 Meal 7

Whey Protein

 Meal 8

Larry Wheels Workout Program
Since Wheels came from humble beginnings, he could not afford a gym membership in his early years. After landing a job, the powerlifter paid for his first gym membership and started seeing dramatic progress in his physique.
Although he was getting bigger and stronger, Larry lost interest in bodybuilding after six months of joining a gym and decided to train for strength instead. 
Training Principles
Larry Wheels’ workout routine revolves around the following principles:
1. Train Like a Powerlifter
Wheels is more jacked than most powerlifters and stronger than most bodybuilders. He is one of the few successful powerbodybuilders. To achieve his incredible strength and muscle size, Larry alternates between powerlifting and bodybuilding programs.
We will be breaking down his training part into two sections:

Larry’s Powerlifting Program
Larry’s Bodybuilding Program

By the end of this article, you will have a concrete plan of how to build size and strength like Larry Wheels.
Related: Larry Wheels Strict Curls 231 Lbs, Closes in on World Record
2. Rest is Key
In his initial lifting days, Larry barely took any rest. He believed that the more he trained, the bigger and stronger he is going to get. Although it worked for him initially, Larry soon hit a plateau. 
According to him, he was stuck at 190 lbs, and the needle on the weighing machine would not budge no matter how hard he trained or how much he ate.
He started seeing progress in his strength and size only after he reduced his workout frequency.

Larry Wheels Powerlifting Program
Wheels follows a three-day powerlifting training program. Traning heavy three days a week and taking the remaining four days off allows him enough time to recover from his intense training sessions.
Here is what his training routine looks like:

Monday: Squat
Wednesday: Bench Press
Friday: Deadlift

After lifting heavy on the big 3 in his powerlifting program, Larry performs a few assistance exercises for his upper and lower body.
As per Larry, he squats and bench presses once per week and deadlifts on alternate weeks. The low-frequency training program gives his body the optimal time it requires to recover from his workouts. It also puts less wear and tear on his body and helps him avoid injuries.
Check Out: Larry Wheels Hits Massive Deadlift PR and Bleeds from His Neck!
Monday: Squat

Reverse band back squat: 3 sets of 1 rep
Plank: 3 sets to failure
Glute ham raise: 3 sets to failure

Larry Wheels performs this workout a few weeks before his powerlifting meets. The Instagram icon goes super-heavy on squats.
Note: we would not encourage beginners or intermediate lifters to emulate what he does in the gym.
Larry likes the reverse bands as they let him get used to the feeling of an ultra-heavy weight on his back, and they take some of the pressure off his back and legs in the bottom position.
Watch: Larry Wheels Sets New Personal Best With Massive 950lb Squat
Wednesday: Bench Press

Bench press: 3 sets of 1 rep
Super yolk push press: 3 sets of 5 reps
V-handle Seated cable row: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Standing cable external rotation: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Larry begins his second workout with a 1RM (one rep max) on the bench press. 
Remember: Wheels performs a thorough warm-up routine before starting his workouts. Do not make the blunder of attempting a 1RM without your joints properly warmed up.
Watch: Larry Wheels Sets PR With 44 Reps Of 308 Pounds On Bench Press
Friday: Deadlift

Deadlift: 1-10 reps

For his deadlift workouts, Larry does not perform any accessory exercises. He works up to a heavy set of 1-10 reps on the deadlift and then calls it a day.
As we said earlier, Larry Wheels only performs the deadlift every alternate week. On the weeks he does not deadlift, Larry does other upper body exercises.
Watch: Larry Wheels Sets Deadlift PR With 7 Reps of 347kg

Larry Wheels Bodybuilding Program
When Larry trains like a bodybuilder his goal is to build muscle size while maintaining his overall strength levels. His bodybuilding training split includes:

Day 1: Chest
Day 2: Back
Day 3: Shoulders
Day 4: Legs
Day 5: Arms
Day 6: Off
Day 7: Off

Wheels is a freak of nature. He currently weighs around 300 lbs and usually sports a six-pack throughout the year. You could not say the same thing for most pro athletes.
Larry trains each muscle group on a separate day so he can perform more volume per muscle. 

Day 1: Chest Workout

Incline dumbbell bench press: 3 sets of 5-10 reps
Standing cable fly: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Incline bench press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Rope cable pushdown: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Wheels stays true to his powerlifting background even in his bodybuilding-style workouts. He does incline bench press with 200+ pound dumbbells. 
Day 2: Back Workout

Barbell row: 3 sets of 5 reps
Wide-grip Lat pull-down: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Pull-up: 3 sets to failure
Hammer strength low row: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Why just five reps on the barbell row, you ask?
Larry being Larry, performs barbell rows with almost 600 lbs. Now, do not load up your barbell with the same weight. Be mindful, and use a weight that can help you reach failure around five reps, safely.
Wheels does pull-ups in the middle of his workout. For this exercise, perform as many reps as you can with just your bodyweight. However, if you can still do more than 20-reps, feel free to add resistance by using a dip belt.
Check Out: Larry Wheels Shares Exercise To Build A Massive Back
Day 3: Shoulders Workout

Seated barbell overhead press: 3 sets of 1 rep
Machine Viking press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Seated dumbbell overhead press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Standing dumbbell lateral raise: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

To kick off his shoulder workout, Larry performs seated military press with almost 500 pounds. He limits the first exercise to a 1RM and does not perform 5-10 reps as he does in his other workouts.
For the next three exercises, Wheels pumps up the volume and performs a higher number of reps for a better pump and muscle fiber recruitment and activation. 
If you never heard of the Viking press before, you are not alone. Larry Wheels picked up this exercise while training with the professional strongman competitor, Hafthor Bjornsson aka Thor. 
Next Read: Larry Wheels Sets New PR With 140lb Shoulder Press For 17 Reps
Day 4: Legs Workout

Machine leg extension: 3 sets of 8-12 reps
Squat: 3 sets of 15 reps
Leg press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Seated leg curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Walking lunges: 3 sets of 10-15 reps (each leg)

If you did not already know, Larry Wheels has incredible squatting strength. He likes to pre-exhaust his wheels with the leg extensions at the beginning of his workouts so he does not have to go super heavy on the squat (see what we did there?).
Follow the same workout with the same intensity, and you will surely be limping around for a few days. 
Day 5: Arms Workout

V-handle Cable pushdown: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Seated dumbbell French press: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Incline skull crusher: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Incline EZ-bar spider curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps
Unilateral machine preacher curl: 3 sets of 10-15 reps

Although Larry Wheels has mountains for arms, he rarely goes heavy on arm day. He believes that since his arms are a secondary muscle group in his chest, shoulder, and back workouts, he does not need to push himself too hard on his arm day. While working his guns, Larry likes to train for muscle pumps. 
Day 6: Rest Day
Day 7: Rest Day

Training Advice
Training like Larry Wheels is no joke. The Instagram sensation has endured many injuries on his way to stardom. You can check out some of his injury videos here, here, here, here, here, and here. Also, he faced a medical emergency while filming for Strength Wars: The Movie.
These are an awful lot of injuries for a single athlete. That tells you something about Larry Wheel’s training style. We recommend not going too hard on yourself, especially if you are a beginner. 
If you are a newbie, you would be better off starting with a beginner’s training routine and then progressing to Larry Wheels’ training and diet program under the guidance of a professional. 
Next Read: ‘Strength Wars: The Movie’ Clip – Larry Wheels Vs NDO Champ
Supplements
You certainly cannot lift the way Larry Wheels does without using supplements. Not only do sports supplements support your workouts, but they also help you recover post-training. Wheels’ supplement stack includes:

Creatine: Improves strength, increases lean muscle mass, and helps your muscles recover more quickly during exercise.
BCAA: Helps in building and repairing muscles throughout the day.
Multivitamin: Fills nutritional gaps and makes sure people get their daily allowance of under-consumed nutrients.
Whey Protein: Helps improve muscle protein synthesis and promote muscle growth.
Pre-workout: Psyches you up for your workouts, helps you recover and delays the onset of fatigue.

Who is your favorite powerbodybuilder? Let us know in the comments below. Also, be sure to follow Generation Iron on Facebook and Twitter.