Larry Wheels: Strength Sports Athlete & Youtube Personality

Larry Wheels is one of the most-watched fitness Youtubers on the planet, but he isn’t just a Youtuber. He’s a multi-strength sport athlete who has succeeded in nearly every sport he’s entered.

Name:	Larry Williams
Date of Birth:	December 3rd, 1994
Place of Birth:	Bronx, New York, United States
Nickname:	Larry Wheels
Country:	New York, United States
Weight:	245 – 308lbs (111.1 – 139.7kg)
Height:	6’1″ (185.5cm)
Sports:	Powerlifting, Strongman, Bodybuilding, Arm Wrestling

Here’s the backstory of strength sport athlete and Youtube personality Larry Wheels. Detailing how his hard upbringing inspired him to become a pro athlete and a famous wellness advocate.

Larry Wheels Tough Upbringing

If you’ve heard the story of Larry Wheels, you know that he went on a tough journey to become successful. When Larry was born, his father abandoned his family and left him and his mother with nothing.

His mother would then jump from abusive boyfriend to another throughout his childhood. The worst of which happened when he was 8 years old.

Wheels’ mother would get into a fistfight with her then-boyfriend, and he called the police. When the police arrived, they saw young Larry in the middle of the chaos.

They would take him to the police station and force his mother to take a drug test. Her test would test positive for various drugs, prompting a judge to remove her custody of Larry Wheels.

This would lead Larry to spend the next five years in foster care. Living away from his mother, who would spend years trying to regain custody.

Larry Discovers Weightlifting

When Larry Wheels was a teen, his mother regained custody and moved him to the island of St. Martin—his mother’s birth country.

Wheels couldn’t go to school on the island from the ages of fourteen to fifteen. There was only one English school on the island, which was too expensive.

He would get bullied by local boys on the island and spend much time alone and bored. This problem would lead Larry to pick up weightlifting.

Larry figured he could cure his boredom and be able to defend himself against bullies. During all of his free time over the next two years, he would be lifting weights.

Getting bigger and stronger during this time. Evolving from a young teen to a young man.

Return to the US

After a three-year stint in St. Martin, Wheels would return to the US and be eager to join a gym. At sixteen, Larry came to a realization about his life.

He felt the only thing he was good at was getting bigger and stronger. This realization would lead Larry to dedicate himself to becoming a strength athlete.

The Powerlifter 

The first sport that Larry gained interest in was the sport of powerlifting. From sixteen to eighteen, Larry would get formal coaching and begin learning proper form.

Also, gaining weight and upping his personal lifting records almost every time he stepped into the gym. When he felt ready, Larry entered his first powerlifting meet when he was eighteen.

He entered the 275 lb class but only weighed in at 245 lbs. The weight difference wasn’t a factor, as Wheels won his debut powerlifting meet with a total of 1810 lbs (821 kg).

Larry Goes Pro

After winning his debut powerlifting meet as an amateur, Larry would make the jump to become a professional powerlifter. Making his pro debut at the RPS New Jersey State Championship.

He would win his pro debut with a total of 1900 lbs (861.8 kg) lifted. Beating his personal best by nearly 100 lbs. Over the next seven years, Wheels would win numerous powerlifting meets. 

Beating his personal records every time he got under the bar. His biggest win was his last, which came at the 2020 Arnold Classic. Larry won with a record total of 2370 lbs (1075 kg) lifted in total.

Larry’s Weightlifting Records & Personal Bests

Raw Totals (Without Supportive Gear/Clothing)

• Squat: 870 lbs (394.6 kg)
• Deadlift: 870 lbs (394.6 kg)
• Bench: 645 lbs (292.5 kg)
• Total:  2370 lbs (1075 kg)

Totals w/ Wraps

• Squat: 725 lbs (328.8 kg)
• Deadlift: 725 lbs (328.8 kg)
• Bench: 500 lbs (226.7 kg)
• Total: 1900 lbs (861.8 kg)

Larry Wheels: The Bodybuilder 

Five years after becoming a professional powerlifter, Larry would take his next venture into strength sports. Transitioning into the sport of bodybuilding.

His debut amateur show was the 2018 NPC Gold Coast Classic. He would win an amateur debut in the best overall category.

Larry would go on to compete sporadically in bodybuilding as well as promote his bodybuilding training regiment.

Larry Wheels: Strongman Athlete 

Since Larry was already a powerlifter, transitioning to strongman competitions was easy. He was already training with many top strongman athletes, as he showed on Youtube, so Larry knew he could hang.

One of his biggest strongman competitions was the 2019 World’s Log Championship. Competing alongside strongman champions Brian Shaw, Eddie Hall, and Thor Bjornsson.

Completing a successful log lift that weighed 386 lbs(175 kg)

Arm Wrestler

Larry’s latest venture as a strength athlete has taken him to the sport of arm wrestling. On his Youtube channel, Wheels has trained with the best arm wrestlers in the world.

Everyone from Devon Larratt, John Brzenk, and Levan Saginashvili. These training sessions would encourage Larry to take up arm wrestling.

Just this year, Larry Wheels would win his first arm wrestling competition. You can watch highlights from the event in the video below.

Youtube Personality

Where Larry Wheels gained the majority of his fanbase from being a Youtube personality. Larry has documented his evolution as an athlete since he was eighteen years old.

Sharing with his fans everything from competition footage, training, and his everyday life. This documentation has created a large fanbase and a small community.

These watched Larry and grew along with him. Cheering him on while also taking his advice to better themselves.

Wheels have also branched out as a Youtube personality thanks to this success. Along with documenting his training, Larry also interviews top strength athletes and health enthusiasts.

As of now, Larry has nearly 3 million subscribers on Youtube and millions of followers on other platforms. 

Larry Wheels’ Training 

Larry is a very diverse strength athlete. He is well-versed in every type of strength training style, from powerlifting, bodybuilding, strongman, and arm wrestling.

If you watch Larry’s videos, you know that he trains heavily and highly. He also shows good form that he’s developed from years of training with the best coaches and strength athletes.

From his weekly training videos, you can see that Larry can hang with any type of strength athlete during training.