The unofficial designation of “world’s strongest bodybuilder” has been passed down from generation to generation, from the likes of Dorian Yates to Ronnie Coleman to titanic training partners Johnnie Jackson and Branch Warren—and more recently to Akim Williams, the 5’10” 290-pounder originally from Grenada who makes his home in New Jersey.
Here, the 34-year-old shares five tips that helped him earn a 550-pound bench, 850-pound deadlift, and 815-pound barbell squat while also building a muscular, world-class physique that has netted him 14 top-10 finishes since 2014, including the 2016 Tampa Pro title. He’s proof that in bodybuilding, you can have it all: the trophies and bragging rights in the training trenches.
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James Davis / M+F Magazine
Follow a Pyramid Scheme
“You’ll want to include higher-rep sets and lower-rep sets. For example, start with a set of 10 to 12 reps, then add weight for eight reps, then more weight for six reps, and finally a set of three reps at about 85% of your one-rep max, before dropping the weight down to around where you started for a final set of 12.
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Don’t Explode
“During a single, you’ll be going all out and pushing explosively. But a three-rep set is different—you want to maintain full control of the weight on the way up and down, so you’re not just generating momentum.”
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Robb Reece
Know When to Lighten the Load
“If you’re stuck on a plateau, sometimes the best option is to take a week or two and do higher reps for that exercise, as many as 15 per set. The blood flow you get from the pump will help push nutrients into the muscles and allow them to recover and repair themselves.”
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Focus on the “Down” Time
“The muscle can handle more weight on the way down than it can on the way up. You can acclimate to a new weight by doing a set of two to three negatives with a training partner, or add two to three negatives to the end of a set after you hit positive failure.”
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Ian Spanier and Alex Ardenti
5. Double Up
“Say you want a better bench, do it twice a week, and also make sure you’re hitting all the angles—flat, incline, and decline. If your bench isn’t progressing, it may be because your upper or lower chest is weak.”
