Classic Bodybuilding: Leg-Building Secrets of Mel Williamson

 

Tips and Programs from the Original Quadfather Millard “Mel” Williamson

Mel Williamson in '56 when he won the Mr. Muscle Beach

Before Paul “Quadzilla” DeMayo, and before the world ever heard of the “Golden Eagle” Tom Platz, the world’s most well-developed thighs belonged to… Millard Williamson?  If you’re wondering just who-in-the-heck that is, don’t worry, you’re not alone.  One day, around 15 years ago, I was lifting with my (then) workout partner.  He always liked to talk “old-time” bodybuilding with me, mainly because he wanted to pick my brain over the various methods the old-timers used.   On this day, he asked me what I thought about Mel Williamson.  My reply was, “who?”  I was incredibly surprised that, once I got around to doing some research, I had never heard of Millard Williamson.  Especially when you consider the fact that, at one time, he was considered to have the best developed legs in all of bodybuilding.  And this, despite the fact that I have tons of magazines from the ‘70s, ‘80s, and ‘90s.  But Williamson, apparently, is just one of those guys that not much was written about once he retired from competition.

Once I began to do some research, I figured the other reason Williamson might have been less known in the decades after his retirement was because of how “basic” his programs were.  They are definitely in the category of “no-frills” but this is exactly why I believe they can be so effective today for any bodybuilder willing to put in the effort.

Mel Williamson was born in 1936 in Oakland, California.  By the time Mel was a teenager, the place was a veritable hot-spot for some of the world’s best bodybuilders.  Interestingly enough—and I had no clue about this when I chose Williamson as the subject of this “classic bodybuilding” piece—he was born 10 years after Jack Delinger (my last classic bodybuilding “profile”), but in the same city, and they became good friends and workout partners in the late ‘50s to mid ‘60s.

Williamson won 12 competitions (mainly in the AAU, I believe) from 1954 to 1965.  Probably the most prominent and well-known of these was the Mr. Muscle Beach in ‘56, a fairly coveted title at the time.

In addition to being a competitive bodybuilder, he also graduated from U.C. Berkely with a pharmaceutical degree, and went on to work as a biochemist for the Dole Pineapple Corporation.  During his time as a biochemist, he went on to create the “MLO” health food line.  (MLO is a supplement company that is still in business today.)

But whatever his achievements were as a competitive bodybuilder and as a biochemist, he was best known for his incredibly aesthetic quad development.  And deservedly so.  Sure, his legs weren’t as massive as the “wheels” of the future bodybuilders (the aforementioned) DeMayo and Platz, but his “lines” were flawless.  In a leg-training piece that Gene Mozee wrote (which is where most of the information in this article comes from), Mozee said, “his thighs were the epitome of the teardrop appearance.  They were 25 inches when measured 3 inches above the kneecap! Not even Tom Platz's amazing legs could surpass Williamson's lower-thigh development. Platz probably would have prevailed in a Best Legs event if the two had competed against each other, because his overall thigh mass, density, definition and vascularity may have been the best in bodybuilding history. But as for shape . . . different strokes (and bone structures) for different folks.  I prefer the teardrop look, just as Steve Reeves did.  Besides, no matter what you do, how could you truly expect to build the equal of Platz's thighs?”

Later, in the same training article, Mozee goes on to write this, “Years ago there was a guy named Don Rhondo who trained at Ernie Phillips' gym in San Francisco. Don would squat, Squat, and SQUAT with nothing to show for it. His thighs just refused to grow no matter how hard he trained. One day Don had Millard Williamson design a program for him, and six months later he was winning best legs events in local competitions. If you want to see dramatic improvement in your thighs, try one of Mel Williamson's programs. After 30 years in bodybuilding, I have never seen anything that works better or faster for the average bodybuilder.”

Here are the exercises that Williamson utilized in all of his programs:

• NONLOCK SQUATS.  This was bar-none the favorite exercise of Williamson, and I think it’s the ONE thing that made his legs so damn great!  In his own words: “This is the most effective exercise I have ever used for building both mass and shape."  He recommended that you NOT squat flat-footed, but with your heels elevated to keep focus on the “teardrop” of your quads.  He also said to stop about three inches short of lockout.  This combination of an elevated heel and never locking out your reps keeps constant tension on your quadriceps.  In addition, Williamson generally preferred high reps, usually doing sets of 20 reps on this exercise.

• “FULL” SQUATS.  Although he did more “nonlock” squats for high reps than any other exercise, when training for lower reps, he preferred full squats.  On full squats, he believed heavy sets between 3 and 10 reps work best, though occasionally higher reps, and, yes, occasionally even lower repetitions, working up to a max single even.

• FRONT SQUATS. In addition to regular back squats (nonlock or full), the only other thigh exercise he regularly used was the front squat.  And he actually liked to work this one relatively heavy, preferring sets generally between 5 and 8 reps.

• LEG CURLS.  The only hamstring exercise that I could find that he ever recommended was the lying leg curl.  Apparently, he thought other hamstring exercises would potentially build the glutes too much, taking away from the “thigh sweep” he thought should be THE goal of the bodybuilder’s leg workouts.  In Williamson’s words, “using only strict form, you'll get best results here with 12 to 15 reps. Always keep your butt from arching up as you contract the leg biceps, otherwise you'll be working the glutes more than the hamstrings.”

The Workout Routines

Countdown to Mass

This first program is simple but result-producing.  This program reminds me of a similar one that I wrote about a couple of years ago in my “Classic Bodybuilding” piece on the legendary Chuck Sipes.  Sipes’s program was a little more intense, but only because he recommended twice the work that Williamson did.

Full Squats: 10 sets

This program would be great for any bodybuilder who is at least at an “intermediate” level.  As mentioned, the premise is simple.  The devil is in the details, as they say, however, and here are Gene Mozee’s recommendations for this routine: “Perform 10 reps on the first set. Then add 10 pounds to the bar and do 9 reps on the second set. For each succeeding set you increase the weight by 10 pounds and do one less rep, until finally on the 10th set you're using 90 pounds more weight than you began with for a single rep. To make the routine progressive, every week Williamson added 10 pounds to his starting poundage. This is Williamson's favorite program for building leg strength.”

Brief, Basic, and Intense!

This 2nd program requires only 4 sets.  Here’s the program:

Full squats: 4 sets of 12 reps

Once again, however, it’s the details of this one that are important.  And once again, here’s the great Gene Mozee’s words on the matter: “Use very heavy poundages. Williamson and his training partner at the time, Mr. Universe winner Jack Delinger, were using 405 pounds for 4 sets of 12 reps. They used this as a change of pace routine, adding 5 pounds a week to their training poundage. They also performed a light warmup set of 15-20 reps in addition to the four heavy sets.”

Ten Sets, High Reps

Similar to many other bodybuilders of his day, Williamson liked to perform one-exercise-per-bodypart but do that one exercise for a fairly large number of sets.

Nonlock squats: 10 sets of 20 reps

Williamson believed this program was strictly for advanced bodybuilders, but I personally believe you don’t necessarily have to be “advanced” to benefit from its use.  Intermediate bodybuilders, for instance, could get great results from it so long as they limit it to no more than about a month of training.  After that, go back to a more “conventional” routine to allow your body to recover.

Williamson said that he guaranteed you would get “amazing results” from this program as long as you worked it hard.  He also recommended that you “start within your capacity and add 5 pounds at each workout.”

The Two-Exercise Combo

Front squats: 4x8

Nonlock squats: 4x20

This two-exercise combination was well-loved by Williamson because the intensity is really concentrated on the teardrop muscles of the quads.  I’m also sure that it’s these two exercises that were most responsible for the “look” that Williamson possessed.  He said, for instance, that this was one of his favorite programs for building “shapely mass.”

Low AND High

Full squats: 5x8

Nonlock squats: 1x20-30

Perform one or two “light” warm-up sets, then perform 5 straight sets of 8 reps.  On the one nonlock squat set, push it HARD.  For this last set, start with a weight where 20 reps is very tough to perform all repetitions.  Once you are able to do 30 reps with that weight, add poundage, and start back over at 20 reps.

The Trifecta

This last program is one that should only be used by more advanced bodybuilders.  At the very least, try a couple of other programs here before attempting this one.

Nonlock squats: 5-10x20

Front squats: 3x8

Leg curls: 4x15

For this one, start off by doing 5 sets of 20 reps on the nonlock squats.  These should be VERY tough.  Add a set at each workout until you reach 10 sets of 20 reps.  At that point, add 10 pounds, and go back down to 5 sets.  Follow the same procedure with the new weight until you are capable of doing 10 sets again.

For the front squats, pick a weight where you attempt 3 sets of 8 reps.  If you manage 8 reps on all 3 sets, add weight at the next workout.  Same for the 4 sets of 15 on the leg curls.

Closing Tips

To close this article out, I’m going to leave you with the tips Mozee recommended in his article for anyone who attempts ANY of the above programs.

 - Be sure to perform all movements just as described. All squats must be FULL, with no hesitation between reps on the nonlock squats except as described.

 - Don't rest too long between sets - only as long as it takes to get the recommended reps for the following sets.

 - Use intelligent planning on your progression of poundage increases; be realistic. 

 - Perform squatting movements with the heels on a two-inch board or wear footwear with an elevated heel. 

 - Williamson got best results when using any of the routines three times a week, but two times per week may be sufficient for most trainees.

 - Use all the weight you can possibly handle in strict form.

 - Don't do any running or outside athletic activities that work the legs (cycling, football, basketball, tennis, etc.) while on these routines. 

 - Get plenty of rest and sleep; you'll need it. And you must keep your nutrition program at 100%, with no missed meals or junk foods.    

 - Maximum effort produces gains - no missed workouts or half-effort training sessions. 

If you need to improve your thighs, give one of Millard Williamson's routines a try for six weeks.