I Am Transformer: More Than Meets the Eye

Big Keith Williams is a one-time Mister Minnesota, Mister Midwest and a big name in the USA Bodybuilding Championships.

He is the main attraction at the Fargo NPC Upper Midwest Bodybuilding and Figure Championships, on Saturday, March 29 at NDSU..

High Plains Reader: How do you maintain a diet routine with two kids and 80 to 90 clients?

Keith Williams: After I am done with work I go home. Before I take my shirt off I start preparing meals for the next day. I will take four cups of skim milk, two scoops of weight gainer, two bananas, four scoops of peanut butter and throw them all in my protein shaker.

That’s my liquid meal, which I split into five servings the next day. Then I’ll cook four chicken breasts, four potatoes, and that’s my solid meal, which I’ll split into three servings. So I’ll take a total of eight meals a day. Right before this interview I had two whole bagels and a shake. In two hours I’ll have two potatoes and a chicken breast then in two hours I’ll have a shake. So I’ll eat every two or three hours. I am always planning ahead on it. That’s the only way I could do it right.

HPR: How is your sleep?

KW: Your body is always burning, you are constantly burning calories so you don’t sleep much. At least I don’t. I usually go to bed around 11 or 12 at night and wake up by 5:30 or 6 in the morning, depending on what time is my first client. So five to six hours is enough for me. I don’t rely on a whole eight hours of sleep. It works for me!!

HPR: Party or sex life?

KW: Well I’ll go out once a while have a wine or two, maybe a vodka tonic. But nothing on a regular basis. People want to see the best body on stage. Partying and hanging out don’t contribute.

I do have a good sex life. I’d go crazy if I never had sex. It’s normal and natural; also, with all the testestorone you produce you just have to. As a matter of fact the best time for it is right after a good workout. Me and my girl would be working out looking at each other thinking “Let’s get it on.” To help you remember: Party not, Sex a lot.

HPR: So what is your inspiration? How do you feel about Arnold?

KW: My biggest hero and inspiration is my grandmother. I am kind of a religious person but I think when it comes to the hard work and go-getter attitude, it’s my grandmother that’s my inspiration. She is not living anymore but her example keeps me going.

Arnold is the biggest ambassador of this sport. I admire the way he promoted himself and the sport of bodybuilding. Without him, bodybuilding would not be nearly as recognized today. Joe Weider was another ambassador but Arnold is definitely at the top. He is one of my heroes but my grandma is the real one.
He came here with a dream and he made it real. Present day bodybuilders look bigger than him, but just as in any sport, the technology has changed so much over the years. The world of supplementation has changed.

HPR: What are your thoughts on age?

KW: Well I am 33 years old. It’s a new sport for me. I’ve been bodybuilding for four years now. So I think I am still a kid. I have long way to to go. These days the top bodybuilders are in their 40s, and so I am at a good age. I’ve been in football and track in the past, and I had a completely different build. I went from 215 lbs. to 275 lbs. That’s a big difference but I am still a youngster in this sport.

HPR: So, Keith, what do you do for a living?

KW: I am a personal trainer. Today I’ll be training 29 clients, and that’s just today. Me and my partner will train anywhere from 80 to 90 clients in a week, the youngest being 6 years and the oldest 68 years.I charge anywhere from 50 to 65 dollars, depending on the client. It could be more.

Just from personal training I could make anywhere from $40,000 to 150,000 to 200,000 a year. I have a degree in Exercise Physiology and Mass Communications, but my main income is from personal training, plus a little from winning championships and from sponsors. Being in the same business for six years definitely helps. Also you do have to follow your passion--that’s the best way to make money. Bodybuilding is not a big moneymaking field unless you win contests.

HPR: Any personal advice for your fans in Fargo?

KW: Balance your life. Good bodybuilding is a very mental sport. It requires a good balance in life. I always go to my daughter’s dance shows, train my son personally. Enjoy a good sex life and have spiritual interest. When you are carbing up or carbing out, doing cardio twice a day, eating a certain amount of calories every day, almost the same thing every day, it takes a toll on your mental health. So it is very very necessary to work on the mental part of your body.

HPR: So what’s your feeling about the contest in Fargo?

KW: Oh, I’m very excited. My sister is competing in it too. I will put on a show. It will be more than just posing. I am more than just a bodybuilder. The sponsors will get the worth of every penny they are paying me for this show here.
I am Transformer.