JULY 2019 /MUSCLE & FITNESS 29MOVING FROM NEW YORK TO LOS
ANGELES:“I’m interested in doing
collaborations with people out here,
because Los Angeles is the mecca
for fitness in the United States. I’m
rotating between several gyms weekly
right now, just trying to get my name
out there a little more. I’ve done
several collabs in the last couple of
weeks already.”DIVERSIFYING HIS CAREER: “Mentally,
I was getting burned out. Powerlifting
can be draining. Bodybuilding is kind
of a mental break. It’s just something
fresh for me. And it’s a way to expand
my name. A powerlifter also winning
bodybuilding shows or a strongman
competition? That’s different.”BALANCING BODYBUILDING AND
POWERLIFTING:“Whenever I’m 12
weeks out from a meet, I talk to my
trainer, John Gaglione. Right now, I’ve
figured out how long it takes me to
peak, so I’m better at getting stronger
in a shorter period of time. To keep
balance, I start my prep for a body-
building show about 16 weeks out and
make sure to keep the basic barbell
squat, bench, and deadlift in every
workout. At the beginning of my
prep, I start with high reps, then
drop by two each week until I’m
at about three. Then after I do my
squats or bench or deadlift, I can
progress later in my workout to
machines, short rest periods, and
very little weight.”LARRY WHEELS ON...
I think it’s too much
of a risk.”
But beyond his
concerns about setting
the wrong kind of
example, Williams has
found a sense of
contentment with his
new-found status as a
social media role
model. He moved with
his girlfriend to Los
Angeles in part so he
could collaborate with
more colleagues in
both the powerlifting
and bodybuilding
worlds (and, he freely
admits, to escape the
New York City
weather). Thanks to
sponsorships and
online training
programme sales, he
no longer has to worry,
he says, about “going
to a job I hate to do.”
He’s planning to move
his mother to Los
Angeles, as well, so
she can help him run
the business end of
his enterprise.
All that Williams
has to do now is
continue to focus on
his training. His
options are wide open.
Could he leave
powerlifting behind for
good as he transitions
to bodybuilding? He’s
considering that
possibility. Could he
conquer the
bodybuilding world
and then become the
World’s Strongest
Man? That’s another
long-term goal. He’s
set up to go after it all.
“That leaves no
excuses,” he says.
“But now I have no
fear. I have all the
time in the world
now to fight for my
goals. Making a
living off social
media is by far the
best part of it.”
WHEELS IN MOTION