Phillip-Michael Williams, New Men’s Physique Pro!
I first met Phillip-Michael Wi
lliams at Powerhouse Gym East Lansing. I was there with a friend of mine who was shooting Phillip and his longtime training partner, NPC Physique Competitor Logan Barnhart. I was very impressed with his look and his attention to detail during training.
Seizing the moment we did a few videos and I invited him to my 3rd Physique, Figure, & Bikini Seminar. At that event, Phillip joined the panel and it became quite clear to everyone there that this young man wasn't just another guy in a great shape; he has a real knowledge of nutrition and supplementation that set him apart form the rest. So it came as no surprise to me, that he turned professional at this year's IFBB North American.
I hope you enjoy this interview with IFBB Men's Physique Pro Phillip-Michael Williams.
Christian Duque: Hey Phillip, first and foremost, congrats on turning Professional, I can't say I'm surprised, but I'm very proud of you. Please take this time to introduce yourself to the RxMuscle.com audience.
Phillip-Michael Williams: Thank you Christian, My name is Phillip-Michael Williams, 20 years old from Ballston Spa, New York. Currently I attend Michigan State University where I am studying Criminal Justice. I train at on campus gym which is available to the students.
CD: Let's talk about what inspired you to start training. Take us back to those first few times you stepped foot in the gym with the desire to transform your body. What were your initial goals? Did you always see yourself stepping on stage?
P-M W: Well I first starting lifting weights for football my sophomore year in high school about 5 years ago. Until graduating from high school I never really performed any other exercises except the basic compound movements such as bench press, squat, hang clean and push press. But these exercises gave me a great base.
I focused a lot on bench press because that was like the ultimate bragging right with the guys on the team. I had a bench set up in my basement and would lift every other day, sometimes I would add more than i could handle without a spotter. (Usually just dumped it off, which happened 80% of the time! lol) Dangerous? Yes. But lifting by myself and putting what seemed impossible weight at the moment on the bar pushed me to new limits. I made some crazy gains down there and thought I was a badass and all.
So one day my cousin 
who is in his mid 30s came over. I went to impress him, showing him my max press. He then went under and repped my max for like 10-12. I was shocked, embarrassed and confused. I didn’t know someone could be THAT strong and not be very big. He then went on to tell me that he had been reading Arnold's "The New Encyclopedia of Modern Bodybuilding" and told me about things like rear delts, triceps and lats when I just thought of them as just the shoulders, arms and back. I didnt know I had any of those muscles. haha
I bought the book the next day and read the whole thing in two days. I was hooked. My idols shifted from Allen Iverson and LeBron James to Serge Nubret and Frank Zane. My inital goals were to never compete nor to impress girls like guys my age usually do. I just wanted to self improve and keep on getting bigger and create a physique in my own image. To me it was an art and still is to this day.
CD: You trained at Powerhouse East Lansing up until recently, what was the vibe like there for competitors? And where do you train today?
P-M W: I liked Powerhouse East Lansing a lot and still visit it occasionally on the weekends. It’s got that Pumping Iron atmosphere where everyone is just having fun and trying to get better. Some days I would be there for six hours just talking after my workout. It’s the only gym in the area that has dumbbells up to 150lb which is key for a lot of the bodybuilders and some of the Men's Physique guys.
Also the manager lets competitors pose in the back room, which is unheard of at most commercial gyms. The staff there is amazing as well and always keeps the place well-kept.
Today I train at Michigan State University's campus gym. It is only a 5-minute walk away from my dorm so it’s ideal. Plus the gym is owned by the university so all of the equipment is top of the line Hammer Strength. Lots of guys from around the area come to this gym because of the Hammer Strength as it gives you different angles than the barbell, cables and dumbbells.
CD: You know quite a bit about the sport of bodybuilding, as well as MPD. Would you say you're a fan as well as an active participant in the fitness industry? Also, who do you think will be in this year's Mr. Olympia top 3, and who do you have to win?
P-M W: I'm a huge fan of both divisions. Every time there is a pro show or an NPC national show, I’m glued to the forum and watching the callouts and the pics as they are uploaded. But my top 3 for bodybuilding are Phil, Jay and Kai. In that order, too. I've been following Jay's progress online and he has shocked me on how fast he has comeback.
Jay is the comeback kid of the history of the sport, so I believe him and Phil will once again be going at it. For MPD there are just too many guys that all have the potential to win.
CD: Okay, so let's talk diet. Do you tend to write down all your meals or do you simply eat according to your body's response? Also, what does your diet normally look like – balanced, low-fat, or low-carb?
P-M W: Well, my coach, Omar Ventura out of San Jose, California, does all my nutrition for my show. I like Omar because he understands I am young and that I don’t know my body as well as some of his other clients. He usually has me write down how I feel/look after different foods and times of the day. He has taught me so much over the past few months and I have a better connection with my body. 
I've found out that I respond better to a low fat, moderate carb, high protein diet. My normal off-season nutrition is the same foods as my contest prep diet just a larger amount.
CD: Speaking as a Pro Physique Competitor, what's your take on bulking? Should men competing in Physique go crazy during their off-season to put on mass or is this just a recipe for disaster? Is there a place for bulking in Physique?
P-M W: I don't like the word bulking, just an excuse to getting fat to me. I usually say self improving.
For the Physique guy who has a 9-5 job and competes once or twice a year, then i think he can "bulk". But most of the guys I know that are the top pros are in the fitness industry. I'm an avid Physique Star Radio fan hosted by Ian Lauer. Most of his guests on the show stay "shoot ready" year round and compete multiple times a year.
Also if you count your macronutrients, it is easy to "lean bulk" which is what I do. I don’t see the point of gaining 20-30 lbs. for about 5-6 months when you can only expect a percentage of that is muscle, naturally. That means the rest of that is pure fat! Lol
CD: Now let's talk about supplements. Even if you don't give brand names, what's your take on protein powder, amino acid drinks, and especially (the latest fad) Pre-Workout Drinks. Which do you use and/or which would you recommend to guys in the gym?
P-M W: Right now, I'm currently using creatine, multi-vitamins, fish oils, whey protein and beta alanine. I barely use my whey protein unless I’m traveling. I'd rather have whole meals than whey protein, which is just powdered food. I don’t understand why guys today still believe in this anabolic window post workout and the need for a shake. The thing with supplements is that you don’t need them.
If your sleep, diet and training are 100% then you should be good. But I don't eat red meat every day, so I supplement with creatine. I know I don't get enough micronutrients with all my foods so I take a multi-vitamin. I can't afford a lot of fatty fish so i take a fish oil. I'm not a big fan of pre workout drinks. I don't like the idea of relying on a chemical to focus. I never needed them as an athlete in high school, I don't need them now. If I'm really tired and down I just drink a cup of black coffee.
CD: We've waited long enough, let's talk about the big show. But before we talk about the actual contest, talk to us about why you decided to compete in Pittsburgh as opposed to Nationals, or even taking the rest of the year off?
P-M W: I was really bummed out after taking 8th place at Junior Nationals in June. I was mentally lost and ashamed with myself. I told myself I had to compete again and give it another shot. Like Ian says on his radio show, a good tactic when picking shows is looking at previous contests and seeing the look the judges like. I saw that the judges at the North Americans in 2012 picked a similar physique to mine and I though well if they wanted that look then they might want it now. So i just signed the papers the next day and sent it in the mail.
CD: What did it feel like to turn Pro and how tough was the fight? Were there guys you felt were pushing you to the limit? And what about your mindset throughout the contest? At what point did you know you were going to place really well?
P-M W: My class was stacked. I got very nervous backstage as I was going 
against a lot of guys that had many years under their belts. I was surprised when the judges favored my look because the other competitors had that dense muscle maturity look which is way more impressive in my eyes. I had to rely on my posing and structure to carry me along. When I was first call out, I was put in the position of second or third. Words couldn't explain what I was feeling at the moment.
What was even crazier was that my own teammate, Hoji James, who is coached under Coach Omar as well, was on the other side of dead center. So even though I wanted to win, either way I would have been happy as someone on Team Ventura was walking away with a pro card. Eventually, later that day, I beat Hoji at the night show and came in second to a very good friend of mine, Tyler Stines, who went on to win the overall.
CD: Please take this opportunity to thank all those that have helped you along the way. Also, please share any links to websites or social media where your fans can go to keep up to date with you. Thanks!!
P-M W: I first have to thank my parents. My mom and dad supported me from the start. Even though they didn’t understand at first, they still supported me because they saw how happy it made me and how organized my life was.
Second, to my Coach, Omar Ventura. He is more of a friend than anything. Usually we communicate through text and it’s like texting one of my boys. He not only cares about my physical development but as well as my academic. On off days he made me read the Wall Street Journal and keeps pushing in my mind that education is first. I really appreciate his support. He is one of most successful coaches in the division and I would recommend him to anyone.
Third, I would like to thank Colin Weng, Winston Tsai and WBFF Pro, JC White. These guys are a couple years older and I train with them on occasion. All of them are very knowledgeable about fitness and nutrition and are mentors to me.
Also I would like to thank Jim Manion and the rest of the NPC for giving me the chance to compete in the best amateur competitive physique organization in the world. I hope I can represent the IFBB to the best of my ability.
Finally, I would like to thank all of my social media followers, especially on Instagram. As corny as it sounds, sometimes I thought of backing out the competition at some points of my prep, but I made a promise to them that I would compete and I wasn't going to let them down.
I always get comment
s from kids on my pictures, telling me that I'm their "goal physique" and that I inspire them. I'm very honored by these comments and I appreciate these greatly. I always screenshot them and print them out and hang them on my dorm wall. That's what this industry should be about, helping people change their life, improve their health and help them achieve their goals. I had many idols in this sport and I hope to become one as compete in the IFBB circuit.
You can find me on Instagram @phillip_williams
E-mail [email protected]
And you can like my athlete page which will be coming soon, within a week, but the URL will be Facebook.com/pmwfitness
Thank you Rx Muscle for this opportunity to get interviewed. Means a lot.
As you can see, Phillip knows his stuff and he's going to make a fine addition to the IFBB Pro ranks. This is a guy that's true to his roots; he cut his teeth in a gym where Physique was King and he's emerged as one of the best in the country. Michigan is a state where competitive physique sports are already quite popular, but given champions like Phillip, there is an even greater chance that the IFBB/NPC will break further into the mainstream. I wouldn't be surprised to see Phillip sponsored and/or featured on television and print media in the near future. He's just the kind of person that would make a great role model and ambassador for the sport. I wish him the best of luck on all his future endeavors.
*** I'd like to thank Mr. Jim Manion for allowing me to use NPC News photos for this interview. I would also like to thank my friend J.M. Manion for all his support.
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