Toney Freeman biography. Tony Freeman biography Modern professional career

Anthropometry

Biography

Who is called X-man, was born on August 30, 1966 in South Bend, Indiana, USA. The champion currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia, USA. Nickname X-men Tony received due to the fact that he possesses broadest shoulders and a very narrow waist of 76 centimeters. For such a giant with a height of almost two meters, this is an incredibly narrow waist. Therefore, Freeman's figure resembles the letter of the English alphabet X.

Tony Freeman got acquainted with bodybuilding in high school, but this sport did not captivate the young man, on the contrary, he felt some kind of disgust. But fate played a cruel joke on the guy. He had a girlfriend at the time who lived in another state. Tony loved her very much and therefore was jealous, especially of her friends, among whom was a bodybuilding guy. All this happened in 1986, when the future champion turned 20 years old. One day, his girlfriend showed a photo of her friend from the Georgia Championship. Hot-tempered Freeman could not survive this. He promised himself that he would go to the gym and become even better than the guy in the photo. Actually, it all started with this.

Arriving at the hall, Tony weighed only 73 kilograms, and this is with a height of 188 centimeters. Frankly, he was very, very thin. His goal was to gain 90 kilograms, and after a year and a half he even exceeded the plan. It so happened that at that time Freeman caught fire in bodybuilding, but the relationship ended with that girl.

Freeman closely followed the success and was his fan. In 1991, at the US Championships, where Kevin competed, Tony was thinking about trying to compete too. Immediately after that, he met a certain Harold Hog, who was a serious athlete. The latter agreed to help the guy with advice and correct technique workouts. After two months of training according to the new scheme, Tony gained up to 20 kilograms of pure muscles.

X-man's competitive debut began with AAU tournaments, an athletic association of amateur athletes. One of the highest places was fourth in the Mr. America competition. Three years later, Freeman won the US Junior NPC Championship. After that, the athlete decided to try himself at the American Championship, but, unfortunately, three attempts were unsuccessful - he does not rise above 4th place.

In 1996, Freeman became visibly disillusioned with the sport and with himself. He lost faith in himself and interest in performing. This year he stopped performing and explained this with an injury. chest muscle, which I received a couple of weeks before the performance at the US Championships. He believed that the judges did not like him very much, and even injured muscle- high results can not be seen. The situation was also aggravated by the phrases of all the judges: “we need a little more time”, “be more patient”. And this was said to an athlete who had an aesthetically perfect proportions and high growth.

Freeman then fell into a depression. He "abandoned" his body and noticeably lost weight. The champion did not plan to return to bodybuilding. He tried to find himself in ordinary life - he worked as a builder, and a singer, and a coach, a bouncer, and also an exotic dancer. No matter how ridiculous it may look, but, according to the athlete, he earned even more as a dance performer than when he was engaged in bodybuilding.

Until 2000, Tony hesitated to undergo breast surgery in order to fully recover from the injury. He did not fully trust the doctors, did not want a scar to remain, and there were few guarantees of a full recovery. But it turned out that one partner in the gym recommended him a surgeon friend who had extensive experience in the field of plastic surgery. The guy was sure that this surgeon would help Freeman completely cure his chest problem.

Tony decided on the operation, and it was a success. This allowed the future champion to return to training. Already in 2001, Freeman decided to return to big sport. He thought that with such growth, he needed to compete exclusively in the super heavyweight division. So he tried to score as much as possible muscle mass. The second debut on stage happened at the Coastal USA Middle Class Championship in NPC. Here Tony took second place. After the performance, the champion said that he did not prepare much for the tournament and practically did not follow the diet. He believed in himself and decided that if he tried hard, he could get into the professional division. And so it happened. He won the American Amateur Championship in the super heavyweight category. After receiving a professional card, Freeman's bodybuilding career rapidly gained momentum.

The athlete performs at the elite professional tournaments and often wins awards. He became a regular participant in the tournament and in 2008 finished 5th, which is Tony's best result to this day.

Despite the fact that Freeman is no longer a young athlete, he continues to compete and shows excellent form. He has a contract with MuscleTech and is considered the elite of bodybuilding, so he no longer needs to dance exotic dances.

(2 ratings, average: 5,00 out of 5)

Haunted 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 the ranks

Anthropometry

Height 188 cm
Competitive weight 129 kg
Off-season weight 138 kg
Biceps circumference 58 cm
Circle chest 137 cm
Waist circumference 81cm
Thigh circumference 81 cm
Calf 48 cm

The whole life of X-man is the embodiment of the classic American dream of achieving success, despite the lack of a good education and support from relatives. The nickname X-man is assigned to him because of the aesthetically harmonious figure of an ectomesomorph: With high growth, massive shoulders and chest go well with a narrow waist (only 76 cm in youth) and long legs with massive hips.

Of the shortcomings, the torn junction of the right pectoral muscle and the deltoid is striking. Despite this, X-man has been in the top 10 IFBB pros for several years in a row.

Due to the rapid metabolism, the athlete has always faced the problem of gaining muscle mass.

X-man is a supporter of diverse approaches and schemes in which a reasonable one is individually achieved. Proper recovery is very important, you can’t train effectively all the time without interruptions.

Tony Freeman in training

Principles of training

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

The bodybuilder trains five times a week (an hour and a half in the afternoon, about an hour in the evening), always does it individually, pulling up different groups muscles. If health is not very good, then another day of rest is taken. According to this scheme, other athletes do not train now.

It's never too late

Daily workout program

Muscles of the thigh: Extension and flexion with weights, squats with a barbell. For massive muscles, you need an intense pump with a fairly large load and the number of repetitions in the region of 15.
Back exercises: Pull-ups, superestension, barbell rows lying and standing. Moderate weights, working out individual muscles.
Chest exercises: Cross-reduction of arms on the Peck-deck simulator, barbell and dumbbell bench press with an inclination down, bench press on the Hammer simulator.
Deltoid and trapezius muscles:, exercises with dumbbells (breeding to the sides, lifting in front of you, breeding dumbbells with an inclination), pulling up from the block. Main variety, supersets and giant sets.
Biceps and triceps: Barbell and dumbbell curls, on the Scott bench, various presses, lying triceps extension, reverse push-ups.
Calves and abdominal muscles are trained every other day.

Tony Freeman with a badge at a meeting

Features of nutrition and mode

Tony Freeman eats 9-10 times a day, starting at six in the morning (getting up at 5:30) and ending at almost midnight.

The basis of nutrition is the intake of 250 g of bison meat 3-5 times a day (in the evening it often changes to chicken or fish meat in large volumes). Bison meat is fairly lean, high in protein and easy to digest.
Also, 5 times a day, the athlete uses protein cocktail based on egg whites. In the morning, protein powder is added there, in the afternoon whey protein isolate is added, in the evening a gainer (carbohydrate powder).
Usually, X-man eats about 1 kg of potatoes twice a day. Before the competition, he uses rice and vegetables instead of potatoes.

The remaining products are insignificant in the total volume (salads, herbs, BCCA amino acids, in the morning cereals and glutamine, nightly supplements of fiber and unsaturated fats), but are very beneficial for the whole body.

Tony Freeman's Relief Press

Youth

Although X-man appears to be 100% African American, not all of his ancestors are from Africa. It is known that one of his great-grandfathers was almost the last representative of the Cherokee Indian tribe. Father Alvin Freeman, pastor of the Seventh-day Adventist Church in West End (Atlanta), managed to be a singer and basketball player in his youth. Tony was born in 1966 in the town of South Bend, Indiana. He has two brothers, Andre and Alwyn Jr., and a sister, Tivanna.

Despite poverty, they were a close-knit friendly family. In 1979, the family moved to Alabama, then to Georgia. In 1983 they stop in Atlanta, where the athlete still lives. At Alabama College, the guy unsuccessfully tried to study electronic engineering. In Atlanta, he studied at the Institute of Technology for 3 years, never finishing it. In fact, it was hard to combine studies with work as a builder, where they paid well, and he worked for about 10 years.

IN high school Tony was addicted american football and basketball and hated weightlifters. In 1986, the guy began to court a girl who lived in the city of Savannah. She told her friends about a 20-year-old boy who wanders around the cities and tries to woo her. She also showed him a photo of her friend, a bodybuilder who won a prize in the state of Georgia.

Tony realized that he could take his girlfriend away from him, and therefore he took up bodybuilding and powerlifting at an amateur level. Then he weighed only 68 kg, after a few months he is gaining about 25 kg more.

For several years, he competed at minor events and junior tournaments AAU (Amateur Athletes Union). best result is fourth in the 1990 Mister America tournament.

He didn’t even remember much about the girl, and in 1991 he thought about a professional career when he saw Kevin Levrone win at the American Championship. Then the former became his mentor. professional wrestler and powerlifter Harold Hoag. Emphasis is placed on weight gain and various training methods are sorted out.

For ectomorph Freeman, increasing his own weight has always been very important. He starts eating everything 6 times a day, including protein powders and gainers. After a year of training, X-man's weight reaches 110 kg and in 1993 he wins the US junior championship, but in the US adult championship he cannot rise above fourth place. The disease of the 4th place continues further, including 1995.

In 1995, the guy turned to a new expert, who left 6 meals, but increased the calorie content. Now it was necessary to consume 7-8 thousand kilocalories per day. The diet included a large number of bison meat (350-400 g at once) and a large amount of boiled rice or potatoes with vegetables as a side dish. Tony's weight reaches 114 kg, but he can no longer cope with a huge amount of food.

Chest injury and "ending career"

Life goes on

In 1996, a streak of bad luck begins. First, the guy gets into a car accident. The doctor prescribes him a painkiller, thanks to which he ceases to feel the state of his muscles. Then X-man trained under the Dorian Yates program. While doing the bench, he felt that the bar went down. It turns out that the right pectoral tendon, which is attached to the shoulder, was torn.

Freeman begins to look for a surgeon for the operation, but all of them are not credible. Professional career "ended" without even really starting. Until the year 2000, Tony did not train at all and returned to a normal life, losing weight. He remembered the earnings of a builder and a professional dancer, where, according to him, he earned no less.

Having tried himself as a mentor, Freeman resumes training. At the end of 2000, he still "goes under the knife." The operation turns out to be successful.

Modern professional career

In the early 2000s, the athlete uses the old principles of training and nutrition. The weight is restored and reaches the old values of 1995 (113-117 kg). In 2001, he took 8th place in the US Championship, without specially preparing for it. A triumphant return took place already in 2002, when X-Man won the US Championship and became an IFBB professional.

In 2005, the bodybuilder appears new mentor and begins to cook according to a new nutrition system (9 times a day), which immediately affects weight gain. In 2006, X-man won the European Championship, took 7th place at the famous Mr. Olympia, then he weighed around 130 kg. At Mr. Olympia best achievement is the fifth place in 2008, and on the super-prestigious "Arnold Classic" the third place in 2007 and 2012.

Since 2008, he has been actively participating in tournaments for veterans (40+), but he does not forget to compete with young athletes. The last victory in the professional field, as well as the first, was won at the European Championship in 2011.

In 2013 I visited demonstration performances and in Russia: A festival dedicated to the 25th anniversary of Russian Federation bodybuilding.

The veteran is not going to give up: At the beginning of 2016, X-man managed to take part in the Arnold Classic and took 12th place.

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Tony Freeman, who takes pride of place in the IFBB world bodybuilder rankings, was born in 1966 in Indiana. The large family in which the future champion grew up did not live well. Tony's father served in the church. Parents loved their children very much, trying to give them everything they needed. And Tony's grandfather was one of the last descendants of the Cherokee Indians in a straight line.

Parents gave the desire to win, and the bride - pushed to take a decisive step

It was the parents who managed to instill in their son the desire to win, which subsequently largely determined his achievements. As a high school student, bodybuilding was perceived negatively. The situation changed when Tony got a fiancee. He was jealous of her, because they lived in different cities, and even his beloved had a bodybuilder friend who aroused her admiration.

The last straw was a photo from the bodybuilding championship, which the girl showed her fiancé.

The ambition and irascibility of the descendant of the Cherokee made themselves felt. Tony was not going to give in to his beloved to anyone, so he decided to succeed in bodybuilding. But everything was not so simple.

"I'm in this sport to win!"

Toney Freeman

Fell in love with bodybuilding, but fell out of love with a girl

With a weight of 73 kg. Freeman needed to gain 90 kg., which took six months. The most interesting thing is that Tony at that time radically changed his attitude not only to bodybuilding, but also to his girlfriend. He fell in love with bodybuilding, but the girl - on the contrary. There were enough beauties around the muscular guys, and Tony did not stop at one.

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

Begins to prepare for the competition. In the Mr. America 90 tournament, Tony takes 4th place, in 1993 he is the American champion in the NPC division among amateurs. He later performed at the national championship, but he could not advance further than 4 places.

Tough Times

Tony Freeman retired from performing in 1996. Officially - due to a chest injury (he received it 9 weeks before the US Championships). Interest in performances was lost, besides, Tony, as an esthete, believed that it was wrong to train an asymmetrical (due to injury) body.

Moreover, the depression that arose due to the constant judges' words that his time had not yet come, he should be patient, etc., made itself felt.

As the bodybuilder himself, who had lost weight to 105 kg, said, he was very tired. For five years, Tony led a normal life. Changed many professions - builder, bouncer, coach, performer of exotic dances. By the way, money for performing exotic dances was paid no less than in bodybuilding.

"I know what victory is worth..."

Toney Freeman

For several years, Freeman avoided surgery, not trusting doctors. Some did not promise a full recovery, others warned that a big scar would remain. But somehow, by chance, the athlete met an orthopedic surgeon who had experience as a plastic surgeon. He managed to convince him that it is possible to restore the breast without serious consequences.

Back in service!

After a successful operation, Tony Freeman decides to return to bodybuilding. Not immediately, but he managed to take his rightful place among the IFBB professionals. A vivid example of this is the victory at the amateur championship in the USA in the heavyweight category.

Tony got his nickname "X-Man" due to the peculiarities of his athletic figure - wide hips and shoulders emphasize a pronounced waist (volume 76 cm) with almost two meters in height.

“It is impossible to train equally effectively all the time without getting tired. It is important to find a reasonable balance in the system of training, recovery and nutrition. In this case, you may have to try several schemes, but the success is worth it.

Toney Freeman

Freeman again becomes an indispensable participant in elite tournaments, takes prizes. In 2008, his best result to this day was 5th place in the Mr. Olympia competition. 2012 - Prague Pro, 5th place, Toronto Pro Supershow 2014 - 4th place.

Despite his age (the champion is 48 years old), Freeman is in excellent physical shape and continues to perform at competitions.

“The very fact that I am already old, but still continue to do this, means a lot. With guys like Phil Heath and Dennis Wolf in their 30s, people think bodybuilding is turning into a sport for the young. I don't agree with that!"

Toney Freeman

Core principles from Tony Freeman

Listen to your body. In other words, do what is right for you, not for someone else. For Freeman, this became the main thing in the period of postoperative recovery.
Use supplements correctly. Before the competition, Tony used Whey Protein, BCAAs, glutamine and gained 8.2 kg of lean muscle mass.
Some of the exercises from the arsenal of powerlifters help Tony achieve success in bodybuilding.

"These guys know how to train and achieve results..."

Toney Freeman

Find a reasonable balance between training, nutrition and recovery.
The main thing is methodicalness, balance and calmness.
The best workout is with free weights
Increase in working weights
There must be long pauses between sets.
Be careful not to overtrain
Pumping is very important
Suitable diet. To solve the main problem - weight gain, Freeman eats 10 times a day. His favorite food is bison meat and potatoes. During the day, he eats about one and a half kilograms of minced meat from this meat. The basis of the diet, in addition to meat, is proteins, cereal dishes, salad.

Tony's principle is to do everything absolutely right!

Tony trains 5 days a week, rests two. The first day is dedicated to the quadriceps and hamstrings, the second to the back, the third to the chest, the fourth to the trapezium and deltas, the fifth to the biceps and triceps. If he feels that the 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 the same way.

On the other hand, the bodybuilder doesn’t have exactly a training program, they change every day.

According to the same scheme, Freeman does not like to train twice in a row. He also finds the 3-8 rep range very effective. But the successful development of strength indicators is possible only if the technique is strictly observed, because this range is quite traumatic.

“Feelings are very important to me. A mandatory requirement is to do each exercise absolutely correctly. I keep doing the exercise until I feel excessive heaviness and weakness. Then I know it's time to stop."

Toney Freeman

And Tony tries to keep himself in shape throughout the year, not eating off in the offseason, like some athletes: “My goal is to look great and feel great.”

Tony Freeman is a famous person in the world of bodybuilding, nicknamed by his colleagues and fans as X-man, and for good reason. After all, the parameters of this bodybuilder are really impressive: thin waist(76 cm) and incredibly massive shoulders and hips make this man look like a comic book hero. But thanks to this contrast, Tony Freeman became famous. The athlete's height is 188 cm. The usual weight reaches 138 kg, and the competitive one - 129 kg.

Romance and sports

The story of the appearance of Tony Freeman on the arena of world bodybuilding is probably the most romantic of all. In 1986, the athlete met a girl with whom he fell in love with no memory. But the beauty preferred the "big guys". And to prove his love, Tony seriously began to engage in bodybuilding. Behind short term he reached excellent results. Within six months, Tony gained 20 kg and really fell in love with this sport, but, paradoxically, he completely lost interest in his passion, because he had a lot of fans and fans.

Professional career

Tony Freeman began his performances at the junior competitions of the Amateur Athletic Association (AAU), where he was not taken seriously at first, despite his great tenacity. But three years later, the athlete wins the title of amateur junior champion (according to NPC), after which the bodybuilder went to conquer the professional arena.

Despite the excellent data, the athlete did not manage to win prizes. And in 1996, after a chest injury, professional career X-mena was considered finished. An operation was required to eliminate the consequences of the injury, and none of the doctors guaranteed its favorable outcome. For four long years, Tony Freeman did anything but professional sports. But in the early autumn of 2000, the bodybuilder decided to surgical intervention, which was successful. True, the athlete had to undergo another operation - a cosmetic one, which was required to hide a huge scar.

Career takeoff

One can only guess how much effort it cost the bodybuilder to return to the big arena. After all, after leaving the sport, X-man did not follow his diet at all and abandoned training. But the dream can be achieved if you apply enough perseverance, as Tony Freeman easily proved. the program, created by him, brought the athlete world fame and helped win silver at the Coastal USA Championships.

In 2003, the bodybuilder receives the status of a professional in the International Federation of Bodybuilders. After that, a series of conquests begins at various competitions that took place not only in America, but also in Europe. This was followed by a performance at the main competition for bodybuilders, Mr. Olympia. Despite the fact that X-man took only eighth place, the audience and judges were mesmerized by the show that Tony Freeman showed. The bodybuilder's height and weight are harmoniously combined, thanks to these parameters, the athlete wins world fame.

List of most impressive victories

2002 First place among amateurs national championship America.
2006 Prize-winning place at Supershow Europe.
2007 First place at the Sacramento Pro competition and bronze at the Arnold Classic.
year 2009. Prize-winning place at Sacramento Pro.
2010 Third prize at Phoenix Pro.
2011. First place in the competition "Super Show Europe".
year 2012. Bronze at Shera Classic and Supershow Europe and silver at Pro Bodybuilding Weekly 2012

Currently, the bodybuilder lives in the city of Atlanta, and continues to build sports career. Despite the fact that last season, X-man took only fourth place, no one doubts that this is far from all that Tony Freeman is capable of.

Training program

Like any bodybuilder, X-man faced such a problem as stopping the growth of indicators. 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, it is not necessary to increase the load if the result is “stalled”. It is better to switch to a lower weight for a while, which will allow you to feel the right muscle.

Tony Freeman has developed his own training system, the secrets of which he is happy to share with his fans.

Free weight training should involve as many muscles as possible.
We need a transition to an increase in working weights.
Long pauses between sets are required.
For one approach, you need to do from 3 to 8 repetitions. According to the bodybuilder, this technique contributes to the maximum increase in 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 engage in pumping - a series of sets or supersets with the maximum number repetitions, but with small weights and short pauses between sets.

X-man also advises not to forget about proper nutrition, because it is no less important component of the life of an athlete.

Tony Freeman(English) Toney Freeman; genus. July 30, 1966, South Bend South Bend), Indiana, USA) is a professional bodybuilder. Currently resides in Atlanta, Georgia.

original name: Toney Freeman

Nickname(s): X-Man (eng. The X-Man)

Specialization: Bodybuilding

Place of Birth: South Bend, Indiana, USA

Professional career: since 2003

Height: 188 cm

Weight: 129 kg

Biography

early years

Tony Freeman was born August 30, 1966 in South Bend. South Bend), Indiana, USA. In his youth, he had a negative attitude towards bodybuilding. However, everything changed when Tony's girlfriend showed him a photo of a familiar bodybuilder from the Georgia State Championships. Ambitious and short-tempered, Tony is determined to prove he can do better.

Bodybuilding career

Tony began competing in junior AAU tournaments (Russian. Athletic Association of Amateur Athletes), but in 1996 there was a long break in his career. There is a version that this happened due to a chest injury. Over the next five years, Tony changed many professions. For example, he worked as a builder, singer and coach. In September 2000, he underwent surgery. She was successful, and in 2001 Tony returned to the stage.

In 2003, the athlete receives professional status in International Federation bodybuilders (English) International Federation of Bodybuilders, IFBB).

Performance history

Year	Competitions	Place
2009	Mr. Olympia	8
2009	Arnold Classic	4
2009	Australian Grand Prix	3
2008	Atlantic City Pro	4
2008	Mr. Olympia	5
2008	Europe Supershow	1
2008	Arnold Classic	7
2008	Tampa Bay Pro	1
2008	Australian Grand Prix	4
2008	Grand Prix New Zealand	3
2008	Ironman Pro	8
2007	Ironman Pro	1
2007	Arnold Classic	3
2007	Mr. Olympia	14
2007	Sacramento Pro	1
2006	Mr. Olympia	7
2006	Europe Supershow	1
2006	San Francisco Pro	5
2006	Arnold Classic	9
2006	Ironman Pro	7
2005	Arnold Classic	10
2004	Show Force Pro	8
2004	Night of Champions	10
2003	Show Force Pro	9
2003	Night of Champions	11