Larry Wheels

Larry Williams spent his early childhood in New York City, including periods in Bedford-Stuyvesant, Yonkers and the Bronx. During a difficult upbringing marked by poverty and time in foster homes, he became interested in building strength partly to protect himself and avoid being bullied.

At age 12, Williams moved to Saint Martin to live with his mother. Limited access to schooling and gyms led him to train at home with improvised equipment, including concrete blocks and a broomstick, while also performing large numbers of push-ups, pull-ups and sit-ups. He later returned to New York City, found work that enabled him to pay for a gym membership and began developing his own strength-training methods.

Williams entered his first powerlifting competition at age 18, recording an 1,810-pound total. He set a world record in the 242-pound weight class in 2017 with a 2,171-pound total, then established another world record in the 275-pound class with a 2,275-pound total.

At the 2020 Arnold Sports Festival, Williams recorded a 2,370-pound raw total at a bodyweight of 283 pounds. His lifts were an 870-pound squat, a 645-pound bench press and an 855-pound deadlift. The total surpassed the previous record by 0.1 pounds, and his 645-pound competition bench remained a record in the 308-pound weight class.

Williams last competed in powerlifting in 2020. He has continued discussing strength goals, including a conventional-stance 1,000-pound deadlift, but withdrew from a planned 2022 strongman appearance after suffering a back injury.

Williams entered bodybuilding in 2018 at the NPC Gold Coast Muscle Classic and won the overall title. He later placed 11th in the NPC National Championships. In 2023, he won the overall Classic Physique title at NPC Ultimate Warriors and placed second in his class at the Amateur Olympia.

Williams announced in 2024 that he was stepping away from competitive bodybuilding after relapsing into anabolic steroid use, citing concerns about his mental and physical health. He returned to competition in 2025 and won his IFBB Pro card at the Musclecontest Ireland amateur competition. He then placed 10th in the professional IFBB Musclecontest Bullman Pro.

Williams began competing in strongman in 2019 and trained with Hafþór Júlíus Björnsson. At the Odd Haugen Classic, he made his strongman debut in an event that included several established competitors.

He also appeared as a guest lifter at the 2019 World Log Lift Championships, where he attempted to match Rob Kearney's 214-kilogram American record. Williams lifted 202.5 kilograms, which left him tied for fifth. He was scheduled to compete at the 2019 World Deadlift Championships but withdrew after injuring his biceps.

Williams began using anabolic steroids as a teenager and has spoken publicly about both the benefits he initially perceived and the serious effects that followed. He has described experiencing severe muscle cramps, depression, lethargy, loss of appetite and low libido after excessive use. He also discussed his history in the video "Steroids: The Raw Truth!" to discourage others from imitating his early choices.

He made repeated attempts to reduce or stop steroid use, later turning to testosterone replacement therapy after his body was no longer able to produce testosterone naturally. He first attempted to quit in 2022 and experienced further relapses during bodybuilding preparation, including the relapse that contributed to his 2024 withdrawal from competition.