Flex 2018-03-01 Flex Magazine | Page 119

JUST HOW BADLY DO YOU WANT BIGGER, STRONGER LEGS? GO REP FOR REP WITH AKIM WILLIAMS’ OLD-SCHOOL WORKOUT TO FIND OUT. Here is one angle of my monster squats with Team @blackstonelabs_official shoot today out in Boca, FL. This was #8plates and a #quarter total of #815lbs…. Think it’s safe to say that we have officially done some #ronniecoleman shit maybe even a lil bit more insane. —Posted to Akim Williams’ Instagram page Q Great bodybuilding champions are admired for the hardware they’ve earned onstage. And rightfully so—being crowned the best at what you do is a testament to hard work, talent, and perseverance. Still, that reverence comes with an undeniable disconnect. That is, seeing the finished product doesn’t provide a glimpse into the intensive, difficult work that went into it. As when you watch the scoreboard intently instead of the game itself, it can be hard to forge a deep, visceral connection with the stomach-churning, sweat-soaked, exhaustive efforts that went into building and refining the bodies on display. That’s why, in bodybuilding, strength matters. While few among us can relate to stripping down to posing trunks and stepping before a panel of judges to flex our way to stardom, any one of us can immediately recognize a feat of strength like a 550-pound bench press, an 850-pound deadlift, or an 815-pound squat. It’s also why the title of “world’s strongest bodybuilder,” despite being a completely arbitrary, unofficial designation, is still a thing. One that has passed from the likes of Dorian Yates and Ronnie Coleman to Johnnie Jackson and Branch Warren. And now, stepping into that always-heated conversation, there’s IFBB pro Akim Williams—owner of the three personal bests listed above. FLEXONLINE.COM 117