by Christian Duque
Akim Williams hit the ground running at the prestigious 2024 Big Man Weekend, winning the last contest of 2024 in top form. There’s no better way to end the year than to leave the fans with a reminder that this Top 6 Olympian is not to be overlooked. When it comes to working hard, I think that we have to recognize that Northeast bodybuilders really bring it on a whole new level.
Akim is the kind of guy who trains hard and doesn’t need a whole lot of social media postings to memorialize it. I remember meeting him once for a workout and interview at the East Coast Mecca Bev Francis Powerhouse Gym in Syosset New York. He started warming up if I’m not mistaken with 405 lb on the squat rack. He was doing those reps like they were literally nothing. After all, Akim was one of the biggest bodybuilders on the scene. I still remember seeing him all those years at the Arnold Classic and the Olympia. I mean he was literally larger than life. But the difference between Akim and a lot of the guys that were packing on tons of weight is that Akim had the potential to go very far in the sport – and did. Remember, not just anybody goes to the Olympia and cracks the Top 6. It’s a very very difficult endeavor and it was one that he pinpointed that year. That year that Akim took sixth he had said that he would do it and he did. It’s almost like a Babe Ruth type thing (where he pointed into the stands and hit the ball right at them).
The problem with Akim is that he is your straight up New York bodybuilder. They train legs on a whole different level than they do out west. In fact for years it was a joke that the guys in California couldn’t hold a candle to the guys in the Northeast when it came to wheel development. When it came to squats, leg presses, even leg extensions, those guys paled in comparison. And that’s probably because in New York, Connecticut – The Tri-State area, when winter hits there isn’t a lot to do. It isn’t like California where it’s always summer. In the colder States when snow is everywhere and people are trying to stay indoors, those are the perfect conditions for hardcore training. The gym becomes a sanctuary. And in the gym these guys take it to the next level. They’re not interested in taking it lightly or hitting up the juice bar and bullshitting for 2 hours post-workout. When they go to the gym every minute is accounted for. It is not a pastime, it is a way of life. It’s literally like a day in the office. Everything they do there compliments what they do in the kitchen, with the chiropractor, and posing in the mirror. That is why when we did the interview at Bev’s – we didn’t want to change anything about a normal day in the life of a top pro bodybuilder.
A lot of bodybuilders that I have interviewed over the years will spend a substantial amount of time trying to figure out what to train and what to say. For Akim like I said, it was second nature. And the same thing applied for all the expos. What I like about him is that he’s very focused on what he needs to do. He’s one of the most educated bodybuilders on the planet, but he understands that all of his education stops at the door when it comes to training. He doesn’t act as if he knows everything. I think he is one of the most humble bodybuilders out there because he’s constantly learning and his humility allows him to keep an open mind to different methodologies. He’s worked with some pretty good coaches that have pretty different ways of doing things. But I’ve never seen him at a contest looking anything less than his best. He’s never fat or out of shape. He always shows tremendous respect for the stage, which is a very old school attribute that is lost upon a lot of athletes today. A lot of top competitors have had instances where they looked absolutely laughable. And that’s a product of modern times where the stage doesn’t get the difference it deserves.
I have no doubt that Akim could have qualified at a show at the beginning of the season in 2025. I don’t think that doing this particular show meant that he couldn’t win a bigger one but I do think 2025 is going to be an interesting year with regards to the bigger shows. I think we could see Akim potentially do the New York Pro or the Arnold Classic. I think we could also see him do his very best Olympia outing since he took top six just a few short years ago. There has to be a reason for why he wants to qualify this early. A lot of times guys do that because they want to spend an entire year perfecting their physique. This is because they are trying to do something very special with the upcoming year. Maybe Williams just wanted to compete in December, but really who wants to prep this close to Christmas? And who wants to prep during Thanksgiving? Let me tell you something, I don’t think anybody wants to do a show in late November or early December. But I think that if Akim’s after spending as much time as possible bringing the best possible physique to the Olympia stage, it makes all the sense in the world. He’ll basically have a full year. And a full year for a guy like Akim is basically his way of writing his own ticket.
I think that his commanding win at The Big Man sends a very strong message to everyone else that will be Olympia qualified. When Akim hits the stage in Las Vegas Nevada in 2025 he’s going to make a major impact. He will have worked every bit of a year to get there and I have a feeling he’s going to shock the world. I’d like to send Akim huge congratulations – not only for doing this contest – but obviously for winning it in the way that he did. Nobody is saying it was a close one and nobody is saying that he didn’t deserve to win. This is going to be one for the record books and 2025 is most certainly going to be a huge year for The Brooklyn Beast, AKIM WILLIAMS!