Tony Freeman - elite professional bodybuilding

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Plagued by injuries and biased judging, Tony Freeman turned professional very late, in 2003, when he was 36 years old. Now the veteran X-man is in the ranks and will give odds to many young bodybuilders. Born August 30, 1966.

Veteran X-Man in service

Personal matter[edit | edit code]

Name

: Tony Freeman.

Date of Birth

Date: 08/30/1966 Marital status: single.

Location

: Atlanta, Georgia, USA.

Somatotype (type of build)

: ectomesomorph.

Height

: 189 cm.

Weight

: in the off-season - 141 kg, competitive - 129 kg.

Trainer

: Ator L. Ria.

Best Achievements

:

• 2002: US National Amateur Championship - winner, received pro card.
• 2003: “Night of Champions” - 11th place.
• 2006: San Francisco Pro - 5th place.
• 2006: “Mr. Olympia" - 7th place.
• 2006: “Europe Super Show” - 1st place.
• 2006: Arnold Classic - 9th place.
• 2007: Arnold Classic - 3rd place.
• 2007: Ironman Pro - winner.
• 2007: Sacramento Pro - 1st place.
• 2007: “Mr. Olympia" - 14th place.
• 2007: Ironman Pro - 8th place.
• 2008: Arnold Classic - 7th place.
• 2008: “Mr. Olympia” - 5th place.
• 2008: Australian Grand Prix - 4th.
• 2009: Arnold Classic - 4th place.
• 2009: Sacramento Pro - 1st place.
• 2009: “Mr. Olympia" - 8th place.
• 2009: Australian Grand Prix - 3rd.
• 2010: Arnold Classic - 5th place, Mr. Olympia - 9th place.

The hardest job in the world[edit | edit code]

Tony Freeman works 18.5 hours a day in the toughest job he's ever had. From the moment he gets up from | bed at 5.30 am, and before he literally collapses into bed, absolutely exhausted from non-stop work, Freeman eats... works out. .. eats again... then trains again and eats some more.

This attitude towards food could easily make him the winner of the “Who can eat the most” championship. But Tony has a different goal. Trying his best to stuff kilos of food into his powerful 189 cm tall and 129 kg frame, Freeman is literally fighting with himself. After all, the larger his body becomes, the more food he requires and the more his waking hours are filled with nightmares about the possibility that he will suffer the fate of endlessly chewing food.

Training program

Like any bodybuilder, X-Man faced the problem of stopping the growth of his performance. According to the athlete himself, at the beginning of sports, his biceps developed very poorly. But he came up with a program that brought his biceps to perfection. According to the athlete, there is no need to increase the load if the result has “stalled.” It is better to switch to a lower weight for a while, which will allow you to feel the desired muscle.

Tony Freeman has developed his own training system, the secrets of which he gladly shares with his fans.

• Free weight training should involve as many muscles as possible.
• We need a transition to increasing working weights.
• Long pauses between approaches are required.
• In one approach you need to do from 3 to 8 repetitions. According to the bodybuilder, this technique helps to maximize performance, but it is also the most traumatic.
• It is better to give preference to high-intensity training.
• Cyclic periodization of loads will help you get out of training stagnation.
• You should also do pumping - a series of sets or supersets with a maximum number of repetitions, but light weights and short pauses between sets.

X-Man also advises not to forget about proper nutrition, because this is an equally important component of an athlete’s life.

1988-1992 - from 72.5 to 109 kg[edit | edit code]

Since he started bodybuilding, Freeman has gained 59 kg of pure muscle mass. But what efforts did this path cost... Tony Freeman, better known as X-Man, at the beginning was a wiry guy, like a green bean, and weighed just over 72 kg.

General assessment of Tony Freeman's form: by type of build, Freeman is an ectomesomorph with classic aesthetic proportions - tall, broad shoulders, narrow waist, long legs. With such a somatotype, due to a very fast metabolism, Tony was forced to gain overall high-quality muscle mass for a long time. But having eventually bulked up to 140kg in the off-season and putting around 130kg on the runway, Freeman demonstrates a pretty good combination of overall aesthetics, proportions, muscle shape, muscle quality and definition, as well as muscle mass. Among the weak points of this athlete, we can note the calf muscles (due to the peculiarities of genetics in black athletes, the calves are attached to the tendons quite high - perhaps this is the only “Achilles heel” for these guys). Also affecting Freeman's form is a previously torn right pectoral muscle. In almost all frontal poses, this defect is very obvious (at the junction of the upper part of the pectoral and right deltoid). But despite these nuances, Freeman is simply superbly built!

72.5 kg. He dreamed that one day he would weigh 90 kg. It took 2 years to achieve his goal, but when Freeman did it, he discovered a new world for himself, the world of bodybuilding. The muscles became larger and more prominent, and the lines of the body became wider. “Then Kevin Levrone, my idol and inspiration, took 2nd place in the National Junior Championships and won the NSP National Tournament in 1991, I wanted to be like him, so I decided to become a professional bodybuilder,” explains Tony Freeman. The decision was taken. Now it was necessary to choose the right training method.

In January 1992, powerlifter and former professional wrestler Harold Hoag introduced Freeman to his training style, emphasizing consistent weight gains as well as a focus on lifting as much weight as possible. Hoag helped Tony reach 102 kg of weight, but Freeman, being an ectomorph and a professional dancer, was forced to constantly wage a war for every calorie necessary for weight growth. He stopped at 109 kg.

Professional career

Tony Freeman began his performances at junior competitions of the Amateur Athletic Union (AAU), where at first he was not taken seriously at all, despite his great perseverance. But three years later, the athlete won the title of champion among amateur juniors (according to NPC), after which the bodybuilder set off to conquer the professional arena.

Despite excellent data, the athlete did not manage to take prizes. And in 1996, after a chest injury, X-man's professional career was considered over. To eliminate the consequences of the injury, surgery was required, and none of the doctors guaranteed a favorable outcome. For four long years, Tony Freeman was involved in anything but professional sports. But in the early autumn of 2000, the bodybuilder decided to undergo surgery, which was successful. True, the athlete had to undergo another operation - cosmetic surgery, which was required to hide the huge scar.

1993-1996 -from 109 to 113.5 kg[edit | edit code]

The old training regimen wasn't producing the desired results, and Tony didn't want to give up. He stopped dancing, and then the weight, albeit slowly, continued to grow. “I never really bothered about nutrition and diets. I had no difficulties achieving the desired relief, but I could not get over the 110 kg mark. It took another 5 years to reach a weight of 125 kg. I tried everything: protein powders, mass gainers, various training methods, but my nutrition was not perfect. I just ate more than usual. Everyone else lost weight before the show, but I, on the contrary, purposefully gained it. That’s the whole secret,” says Tony.

In order to grow further, it was necessary to understand: how to force the body to develop?

It took Freeman a long time to solve this problem.

“I realized,” he says, “that I needed to eat red meat, not chicken or fish. I continue to eat them, but only towards the end of the day for variety. What really helps is red meat and potatoes. I used to eat 6 times a day, getting 350-400g of protein and 400-500g of carbohydrates. This was clearly not enough, but it was already very difficult for me to digest all this.”

Tony's principle is to do everything absolutely right!

Tony trains 5 days a week, two days off. The first day is devoted to quadriceps and hamstrings, the second to the back, the third to the chest, the fourth to the trapezius and deltoids, the fifth to the biceps and triceps. If he feels that his body needs it, Freeman takes another day of rest.

Every other day he trains games and abdominal muscles. He gains his main weight closer to the competition. Few of his colleagues work according to the same scheme.

On the other hand, the bodybuilder does not have a specific training program; they change every day.

Freeman doesn’t like to train using the same scheme twice in a row. He also finds the 3-8 rep range to be very effective. But successful development of strength indicators is possible only if you strictly follow the technique, because this range is quite traumatic.

“Feelings are very important to me. A mandatory requirement is to do each exercise absolutely correctly. I continue to do the exercise until I feel excessive heaviness and weakness. Then I understand that it’s time to stop.”

Tony Freeman

Tony also tries to keep himself in shape throughout the year, without eating up in the off-season, like some athletes: “My goal is to look cool and feel like it.”

You may also be interested in the article calcium glycerophosphate in bodybuilding, read it here or material on the topic “the best gainers”

Injury. Leaving the sport. Return[edit | edit code]

When this system stopped producing results, Freeman turned to a new coach. A new expert in 1995 put Tony on a diet of 7000-8000 kcal, with the same 6 meals. The only difference from the previous regime was large portions of red meat, amounting to 340-400 g per serving, plus 2 cups of boiled rice or a few potatoes with vegetables and a couple of cocktails as a side dish. It worked for a while, but the single portions of food were too large and Tony could barely handle them. In the end, the mass stopped growing, and Tony suffered a torn pectoral muscle, and, disappointed, decided to leave bodybuilding in 1996. “I didn’t train, I didn’t watch my diet, I didn’t do anything for 5 years,” he says. “The doctors advised me on different treatments until I finally found a good doctor who told me that everything would be okay and that after the operation I would be able to train.”

The return took place in 2001, Tony finally recovered and decided to return to the old principles of training. After an intensive eating plan for 14 weeks, he came into the National Championships weighing 117 kg, which even for Freeman was 3-4 kg more than necessary. In 2002, he watched his diet for 7 months, won the National Amateur Tournament and turned pro at 113.5 kg - the same as he previously weighed.

Young Tony in the early 1990s (pictured left). With its own weight of just over 100 kg, although it looks proportional and aesthetic, it is rather “small”. For his height of 189 cm, 20-30 kilograms of mass are clearly not enough. 15 years later, at Olympia 2006, Freeman, weighing about 130 kg, demonstrating a combination of aesthetics and quality mass, became 6th.

I fell in love with bodybuilding, but I stopped loving the girl

Weighing 73 kg. Freeman needed to gain 90 kg, which took six months. The most interesting thing is that Tony radically changed his attitude at that time not only to bodybuilding, but also to his girlfriend. He fell in love with bodybuilding, but the opposite was true for the girl. There were plenty of beauties around the muscular guys, and Tony didn’t stop at just one.

To reach professional heights, Tony takes on board the experience of other athletes, and in two months increases his body weight by another 20 kg.

Begins to prepare for competitions. In the Mr. America 90 tournament, Tony took 4th place; in 1993, he was the American champion in the NPC division among amateurs. He later competed at the national championship, but he was unable to advance beyond 4th place.

2005-2006 -from 113.5 to 140 kg!!![edit | edit code]

“In 2005,” Freeman continues, “I met my current trainer, Ator Ria, and he showed me how to achieve a 10-meal-a-day diet. I lived in his house for some time, he prepared food for me and placed it in front of my nose. When someone does it for you, it's not so difficult. This brought me to 140 kg by the end of the season. When I won the European Championship in 2006, I weighed about 127 kg, and in the same 2006 at the Mr. Olympia tournament I was about 131.5 kg.

This was the best result in terms of weight that I could show at that time. This year I plan to go even bigger. Now I eat 10 times a day without any problems. I have to get up at 5:30 and stay up until midnight, but I manage.”

Secret food[edit | edit code]

How did it happen that in such a short time Freeman gained almost 30 kg of mass? What secret food helped him with this? It turns out that such an increase in weight was achieved with the help of his favorite dish - bison (bison) meat with potatoes. “Bison is leaner than salmon and is comparable to chicken breast in terms of protein and fat,” explains Tony. “It has no extra hormones and is easy to digest. I eat one and a half kilograms of minced bison meat every day. I usually consume 60-90 g of protein at one time, most often it is bison meat, which is 600-900 g per day and 75-100 g of carbohydrates at a time. Before championships, I eat rice and vegetables instead of potatoes. When I eat bison meat, I need 280-300 grams, chicken needs 300-350 g, and fish up to 400 g. I aim for a certain amount of protein depending on what time of day and what my level of training activity is that day, but I'm trying to keep the circuit extremely simple. Only towards the end of the day do I add fish or chicken for variety. Bison meat, potatoes, egg whites, salad, oatmeal and other cereals make up my diet. I can eat bison meat and potatoes all day, every day, and I don’t get tired of it.”

The last thing to remember for those who are having trouble gaining incredible mass is Tony's advice that there is a time for everything. “I used to have trouble sticking to my diet, eating so much, but now I’m absolutely used to it,” he explains.

“I really can’t get by on less than 7 meals a day right now. When I don't eat 10 times a day, I lose strength and energy. I also constantly weigh myself to analyze how certain stressful situations affected me. This is a necessary procedure for high-level athletes, especially those with a fast metabolism like me. After all, I have to stay on top."

After these words, X-Man leaves. Where? For what? It's his next meal.

Training principles

• Using free weights - dumbbells and barbells: many muscles develop at once.
• Widespread use of basic exercises: Their effectiveness has long been proven.
• Gradual increase in working weight.
• Overtraining is unacceptable; shortened, high-intensity training is necessary.
• Long rest intervals between intense sets.
• The exercises are repeated 3-8 times, which is necessary for rapid muscle development.
• Technique and well-being must be monitored to avoid injuries.
• If there is no progress in load indicators, it is necessary to change it cyclically.
• To improve blood circulation in the muscles, it is necessary to use pumping (performing a series of exercises with light weights, a large number of repetitions and almost no pauses).
• X-Man proclaims the need for an individual approach to each workout, you need to “listen to your body.”

The bodybuilder trains five times a week (an hour and a half during the day, about another hour in the evening), always doing it individually, tightening different muscle groups. If you are not feeling very well, then take another day of rest. Other athletes do not train according to this scheme now.

It's never too late

Training program by day

1. Thigh muscles: Extension and flexion with weights, squats with a barbell. For massive muscles, you need intense pumping with a fairly large load and a number of repetitions around 15.
2. Back exercises: Pull-ups, super-tension, lying and standing barbell rows. Moderate weights, working out individual muscles.
3. Chest exercises: Peck-deck cross-breeches, bent-down barbell and dumbbell presses, Hammer presses.
4. Deltoid and trapezius muscles: exercises with dumbbells (lateral raises, front lifts, bent dumbbell raises), pull-ups from a block. The main thing is variety, supersets and giant sets.
5. Biceps and triceps: Biceps curls with barbells and dumbbells, on a Scott bench, various presses, lying triceps extensions, reverse push-ups.
6. The calves and abdominal muscles are trained every other day.

Tony Freeman with badge at a meeting

Daily routine and nutrition[edit | edit code]

5:30 Wake up

5:40 Protein shake made from 1.5 cups liquid egg whites, 1.5 cups oatmeal, 3 scoops of any protein powder, 15 g glutamine, ice cubes.

7:30-8:00 220-280 g bison meat, 5 eggs (5 whites, 2 yolks), 3/4 cup cereal, 1 fruit.

10:00 220-280 g bison meat, 15 oz potatoes, green salad.

12:00 Protein shake (same as at 5:30).

13:00 Day training (1-1.5 hours).

14:45 Protein shake made from 1.5 cups liquid egg whites, 100 g extra carbohydrate powder (gainer), 60 g whey protein isolate. Ice cubes.

15:45 220-280 g bison meat, 510 g potatoes, green salad.

18:00 220-280 g bison meat, chicken or fish, vegetable mixture.

19:00 Evening training (40 min - 1 hour).

21:00 Protein shake made from 1.5 cups liquid egg whites, 50 g extra carbohydrate powder (gainer), 60 g whey isolate.

22:00 220-280 g bison meat, chicken or fish, vegetable mixture.

11:50 pm Protein shake made from 1.5 cups liquid egg whites, 50 g extra carbohydrate powder, 1 serving fiber supplement, 1 serving unsaturated fat.

24:00 Go to bed.