Toney Freeman - Brazil Bound | The X-Man Prepares for his 62nd Pro Contest
Toney Freeman: Brazil Bound
The X-Man Prepares for His 62nd Pro Contest
Toney Freeman will compete at this weekend’s’ Arnold Classic Brazil. Here he gives us an insight into his longevity and strategy.
Q: Toney, first of all I have to give you huge props for your longevity and consistency. You’re 48 years of age and have done 61 pro shows since 2003 and show no signs of letting up. How do you do it?
TF: Bodybuilding isn’t so different from golf or flying a plane. It’s all about your approach. In order for the muscles to look the way you want them to, you have to manipulate and control as many variables as possible. I found ways to protect my health, and I put a lot of time and effort into cleansing and detoxifying my body on a very regular regimen. I got into holistic health over 12 years ago as far as starting to read about it, but I would say over the last nine or ten years I’ve been very dedicated and consistent. Your biological age doesn’t mean much compared to how well you take care of yourself.
Q: Even given that you have done a huge amount of contests every year. What’s the key for you? Is it staying leaner year-round?
TF: Mentally it wasn’t that tough, because I knew what I had to do. After each contest, I would have one cheat meal right after the show, then in the morning I would be right back on my diet and cardio. The thing that a lot of the other guys couldn’t believe was that even if I had to compete in Europe two weekends in a row, I still flew home to Atlanta between shows so I could do all my health maintenance and destocks, the colonics and so on. They would all stay over there, and when I got back I would see the toll it was taking on them mentally and physically being out of their element for so long.
Q: You and 45 year old Dexter Jackson are sort of the elder statesman in the current pros Is that a testament to the fact that age is just a number, the value of muscle maturity and experience, or both?
As far as bodybuilding goes, I don’t think most guys ever reach their full potential that they are capable of. Most of them burn themselves out long before that. Some sports like pro football and basketball are geared toward younger athletes, but with us it takes years and years to build a quality physique. I don’t look at my age as being a disadvantage or a negative, quite the opposite. With all my time at this and my years of learning and experience, I feel like I should be better than a guy half my age. It takes a long time to reach your full potential, and I feel I still have more to show than what people have seen so far. You know, right after the 2012 Masters, Dexter said to me, “I’m going home to rest up for the next time your big ass is onstage with me.” It felt great that he gave me that respect and knew I was going to bring it. Me and him both like to show these young bucks that we still have plenty of fight left in us and we’re not going away anytime soon. We represent the old school that started competing 20-25 years ago. We may be dinosaurs, but we’re not ordinary dinosaurs— we are the T-Rexes!
You are known, and rightfully so, as “The X-Man.” How much of this incredible X-frame that we see is just the way you developed, and how much was planned? Have you emphasized certain areas in training and been careful not to let others develop too much? Are there certain exercises you avoided to maintain that waist that’s what, 32 inches in contest shape at 275?
TF: Someone once made the comment about my physique that “nothing stands out.” Some guys would have taken that the wrong way, but it’s the highest compliment for a bodybuilder. It means that you have developed everything in proper balance and proportion. When I was getting interested in the sport in the ‘80s, all the top physiques with only a couple of rare exceptions fit the “classic” mold and had that X-frame. So that’s what I aspired to. The physiques that really inspired me then and in my amateur years in the ‘90s were Lee Haney, Flex, and Chris Cormier. Part of my X-frame had to do with what I was good at in the gym and what I sucked at. I was terrible at bench pressing, but I was good at chins and squats, so I did plenty of those. When I turned pro, I saw that my legs were overpowering, so I stopped training them for two years to let my upper body catch up. I’ve kept an eye on my waist and didn’t overeat, which is why it’s 32-33 inches at over 270 pounds. The colonics help keep my midsection smaller too, since I don’t have bloat from a lot of undigested food. I also invest in things few others do, like neuromuscular massage to keep my fascia flexible. I’m hungry to get to Brazil and show that at early 49 I ain’t done yet.
Training Split*
Day 1: Quads and hams
Day 2: Chest, front and side delts
Day 3: Back, traps, and rear delts
Day 4: Biceps and triceps
*Rest days are not planned, but taken as needed at any point.
Typical Contest Diet
Wake: 25-50 fluid ounces alkaline water, 1 cup coffee
Cardio: 25 minutes at 130 bpm
Meal 1: 8 oz. chicken, 3-6 ounces egg whites, 1/2 cup grits, multivitamin, vitamins C, E, B complex, digestive enzymes
Meal 2: 10 oz. white fish, 1.5 cups rice, 1-2 cups raw greens
Meal 3: 8 oz. natural beef, 12 oz. sweet potato, 1-2 cups raw greens
Meal 4: 8 oz. chicken, 1-cup rice, 2 cups raw greens
Meal 5: 60-90 grams protein shake, 1-2 tbsp almond butter
Post-workout: 60 grams whey, 32 oz. Gatorade
To learn how Toney did in the Arnold Classic Brazil (May 29-31) stay tuned to Musculardevelopment.com for constant updates, play-by-plays, video previews, wraps ups and interviews.
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