Akim Williams shares the key elements that helped him improve his conditioning and become a much more dangerous competitor.
Akim Williams transformation in 2020 was a stunning one. Williams had always been a potential threat in pro bodybuilding, but his physique at the 2020 Olympia solidified that fact. It’s no longer potential. He is now a dangerous competitor on the stage. Honing in his conditioning with his massive size was a large part in that transformation. In our latest GI Exclusive interview, Akim Williams details how he improved his conditioning to bring it up to the next level.
The word conditioning has become a key word in bodybuilding as of late. It’s always been an important factor in pro bodybuilding. But it seems that in the modern era, it’s the number one element that has held promising bodybuilders back from success. Big Ramy was often a victim of poor conditioning for years. It was only in 2020 that he was able to improve his conditioning and bring in an Olympia win.
Akim Williams seems to be on that same path. A pro bodybuilder with incredible size and strength, Williams’ placings in past years were low due to lack of conditioning to go along with his size. That all changed in 2020. He placed sixth and showcased a much improved physique. Now everyone’s eyes are on him for 2021.
During our interview with Akim Williams, we asked him to detail the key elements and share his secret to improving his conditioning. What was the big change he made to bring a new and improved physique to the stage?
His answer was a combination of higher rep workouts and changing up his diet. Specifically, he brought in much more vegetables into his diet. This helped him retain less water in the long run. Water retention can be a killer for pro bodybuilders as it removes the hard grainy look from physiques. It makes the muscle look soft.
Additionally, the increase in vegetables of his diet improved his digestion. This let him eat more food to pack on more muscle. So Akim Williams was able to further improve his muscle size while also tightening his conditioning. This of course creates a combination that makes his physique dangerous for other athletes.
When speaking about increased repetitions, Akim Williams recounts how he used to focus on lifting heavy for impressive lifts. He was inspired by the Ronnie Coleman. This also lead Williams to be considered one of the strongest modern bodybuilders currently competing.
But being the strongest bodybuilder doesn’t win shows. He’s not a powerlifter. That’s why he finally broke free from his past habits and focused more on lighter weight with higher reps. He didn’t abandon heavy weight completely – but instead did a combination of the two throughout his training regimen.
Akim Williams attributes this change to his big improvements as well. He finally looked past ego lifts and focused more on doing what was best to win bodybuilding shows. It worked with his highest placing at the Mr. Olympia yet. And this is just the beginning.
Akim Williams plans to use what he learned to further improve. To use this high placing as a springboard in both his confidence and in realizing that his tactics are working. His goal is for his physique to only improve further and perhaps he will soon be a new Olympia champion. Only time will tell – but we’re excited to see what he brings to the table next.
You can watch Akim Williams’ speak in detail about improving conditioning by watching our latest GI Exclusive interview segment above.
