Akim Williams is known for his insanely strong lifts.
Akim Williams is a pro bodybuilder on the rise right now. After numerous years of hyped potential, he finally landed in the top six at the Mr. Olympia 2020. Not only that, but there was a noticeable overall improvement in his conditioning and aesthetic. He’s been marked by many commentators as the bodybuilder to watch in 2021.
Akim Williams is also known for his incredibly heavy lifts. He has been dubbed one of the strongest bodybuilders currently competing. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Akim Williams goes into detail about his heaviest lifts and also the dangerous accident that made him stop going quite as heavy.
In many ways, Akim Williams is similar to Ronnie Coleman. He brings extreme mass to his physique and lifts heavy like a powerlifter. In fact, Williams was influenced by Ronnie Coleman’s training videos. It’s the very reason why he lifts so heavy.
As time has passed, Williams has realized that training massive and heavy isn’t always the best tactic to win bodybuilding competitions. He has pulled back in recent years for both his safety and to further improve his physique. It worked. Now he’s rising up in placings and a true threat to his peers.
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.
You can watch Akim Williams go into detail about his heaviest lifts and his big accident in our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
