Introducing Big Bill: William Wilmore
By Tony Monchinski
Bill competed as an amateur for over a decade, steadily honing a rugged superheavyweight physique, until he won his pro card at the 2005 Nationals. His professional debut occurred May 2006 at the Shawn Ray Colorado Pro/Am Classic in Denver, where he placed a solid fifth out of 29 competitors. A week later he scored another fifth at the New York Pro.
MMI: In the off-season how heavy do you get?
BW: A solid 280.
MMI: Are you comfortable at that weight?
BW: Yes, I’m very comfortable as long as I’m doing cardio and eating well. If I’m not eating clean and not doing cardio, I feel sluggish and lethargic.
MMI: Were you athletic as you grew up?
BW: Yes. Wrestling was my thing. I started wrestling when I was seven and continued through senior year in high school. I also played football. I was a tailback and an outside linebacker at Plum Senior High.
MMI: How old were you when you started weight training?
BW: I’d say about 15.
MMI: What drove you to pick up a weight that first time?
BW: I wanted to get stronger for wrestling.
MMI: A lot of people train but never compete. What made you step onstage?
BW: I had joined a Gold’s Gym, and a lot of the older guys were like, “Man, you have really good genetics to compete.” So I went into the Teenage Pennsylvania after four months of training. I took second. Two weeks after that I entered the Westmoreland County Championships and won the overall teenage competition.
MMI: You’ve been around competing for a while?
BW: Yeah. I competed at the national level for several years. I was always good enough to make the cut, to make the top 15, but I was never ready to be a pro.
MMI: Was the long haul to your pro card frustrating?
BW: Yes, it was when I found my placings moving backward at the pro qualifiers. I had been tenth, eighth, sixth and then I was back in tenth again. That was very frustrating. I hooked up with nutritionist Hany Rambod for a different approach.
MMI: You’ve seen a lot of guys who looked as if they should have gone pro fail to do so. Does any bodybuilder stand out in your mind as one who should have gone professional but didn’t?
BW: My mentor, Edgar Fletcher. When I won the Teenage Pennsylvania, Edgar won the open title. We started training together because he is also from Pittsburg. He taught me a lot. The frustrations he went through made me realize I shouldn’t put all my eggs in one basket. Every year he was touted as the next pro but never made the grade. I realized I needed something to fall back on in case I didn’t earn my pro card. Edgar lived bodybuilding. He did nothing else. I said I didn’t want to follow that path. That’s how I got into personal training.
MMI: How long have you been personal training?
BW: Off and on for about twelve years. I went into it desiring a certain level of security that would also allow me the time to build my physique. But I didn’t really start personal training until I moved to Miami. It was kind of hard in Pittsburg. I’d get five clients and then I’d lose two. Down here people are more into fitness and there’s a lot more money. If you’re willing to hustle and put in the time, you can definitely build a nice business.
MMI: What is your average client like in Miami?
BW: I have clients from 22 to 79. Several right now are in their 60s – and they’re real go-getters!
MMI: I hear you like soap operas.
BW: (laughs) Yeah, but only one. I’ve been watching All My Children off and on for ten years.
MMI: Not a lot of bodybuilders would admit that. When I was a kid my mother used to watch All My Children so my kid brother and I watched it too. How did you get hooked?
BW: Watching it in the summer with my mom. I sound like a little punk. I don’t watch it every day. My schedule doesn’t allow me to, but I keep up with the storyline enough to talk about it with my clients. A couple of them are really into it.
MMI: What other hobbies do you have that other people might be surprised to find out about?
BW: Besides going out with my friends, I don’t have time for much else. Years ago I used to bowl, and I’d love to start again, but these days I’d have to rearrange my schedule to do it. My work schedule and bodybuilding make free time difficult. Work, eating and training don’t leave much time for a hobby.
MMI: What’s your training style?
BW: High volume for bodyparts I’m trying to improve like arms and legs. I do a lot of sets for my arms and legs because I definitely need to put more meat on them.
MMI: What is your rep range?
BW: It varies, but generally between 8 and 12.
MMI: Do you have a favorite bodypart?
BW: People tell me my back is my best bodypart. It grows very easily. At one time I was worried about proportion, about my back getting too big, but nowadays having a freaky back can be the difference between getting those early callouts or not. At any contest as soon as the competitors turn around, that’s when everybody is like, “Whoa!”
Readers can reach Tony Monchinski at
hardcoreeast@yahoo.com.
