Toney Freeman is a veteran IFBB Pro bodybuilder and entrepreneur from the USA. He’s often dubbed as “The X-Man,” because he boasts the old-school X-frame with a wide back, broad shoulders, massive thighs, and small waist.
Growing up, Toney found love for bodybuilding from an early age. He worked hard for many years to fill out his 6’2” frame and attain the aesthetics that he wanted.
However, he didn’t initially consider a career as a bodybuilder – he began competing professionally in his late 30s.
This is his story:
Athlete Statistics
Full Name: Toney Freeman
Weight
Height
Waist
Age
285 - 295lbs (129.3kg - 133.8kg)
6'2" (188cm)
32''
58
Date of Birth
Nationality
Profession
August 30, 1966
American
IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, Entrepreneur
Alias
Era
tfxman305
2010, 1990, 2000
Weight
285 - 295lbs (129.3kg - 133.8kg)
Height
6'2" (188cm)
Waist
32''
Age
58
Date of Birth
August 30, 1966
Nationality
American
Profession
IFBB Pro Bodybuilder, Entrepreneur
Alias
tfxman305
Era
2010, 1990, 2000
Accomplishments
Professional Bodybuilder
Entrepreneur
Toney’s Contest History
2016
Arnold Classic, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 12th place
Levrone Classic, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 4th place
2015
Arnold Classic, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 10th place
IFBB Europa SuperShow, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Open Men, 8th place
Arnold Classic Brazil, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 6th place
Arnold Classic Australia, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 8th place
2014
IFBB Golden State, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 8th place
Toronto Pro, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Bodybuilding, 4th place
Arnold Classic Brazil, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 5th place
Arnold Classic, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 9th place
2013
EVL’s Prague Pro, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 6th place
Arnold Classic Europe, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 7th place
NPC Iron House Classic, bodybuilding, guest posing
Mr. Olympia Weekend, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 15th place
Mr. Europe Pro, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 3rd place
Arnold Classic Brazil, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 2nd place
Australian Pro, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Bodybuilding, 2nd place
Arnold Classic, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Bodybuilding, 3rd place
2012
Masters Mr. Olympia/Miami Pro, Masters Bodybuilding, IFBB Masters Men, 2nd place
EVL’s Prague Pro, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Bodybuilding, 5th place
British Grand Prix, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Bodybuilding, 3rd place
Arnold Classic Europe, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Bodybuilding, 5th place
Sheru Classic, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Bodybuilding, 3rd place
Mr. Olympia Weekend, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 7th place
Europa SuperShow, IFBB Pro Men, IFBB Pro Men, 3rd place
PBW Tampa Championships, Bodybuilding, IFBB Pro Men, 2nd place
Sponsored Bodybuilding Show – Duel of Champions, guest poser
2011
IFBB Pro World Masters Championships/Pro Bikini, Bodybuilding, Masters Men, 2nd place
Arnold Classic Europe, Mens Bodybuilding, Pro Men, 4th place
Sheru Classic, Open Men, IFBB Pro Men, 6th place
Mr Olympia Weekend, Men Bodybuilding, Open, 7th place IFBB Europa SuperShow, Bodybuilding, Open, 1st place
Jacksonville Pro, Men’s 202, guest poser
Europa Battle of Champions – Hartford, Men Bodybuilding, Open, 6th place
NPC Pittsburgh Championships, guest poser
Mr Europe Grand Prix, Men’s Open, Men’s Open List, 5th place
IFBB British Grand Prix, Men’s Open, Men’s Open List, 6th place
Arnold Classic, Arnold Classic, Men’s Bodybuilding, 9th place
2010
Mr Olympia Weekend, Men, Open, 9th place
Capital of Texas, Men, guest poser
New York Pro, Men’s Open Bodybuilding, Mens Open, 4th place
Arnold Classic, Men’s Bodybuilding, 5th place
Phoenix Pro, Men’s Bodybuilding, 3rd place
2009
Sacramento Pro, Men’s Bodybuilding, 1st place
Olympia, Men’s Bodybuilding, 8th place
Lone Star Championships, Men’s Bodybuilding, guest poser
Grand Prix Australia, Men’s Bodybuilding, 3rd place
Arnold Classic, Men’s Bodybuilding, 4th place
2008
Washington Ironman, Men, guest poser
Olympia, Mens Bodybuilding, 5th place
Atlantic City Pro, Mens Bodybuilding, Masters, 2nd place
Atlantic City Pro, Mens Bodybuilding, 4th place
Europa Super Show, Mens Bodybuilding, 1st place
Tampa Bay Pro, Men’s Bodybuilding, 1st place
Northern Classic, Men’s Bodybuilding, guest poser
Grand Prix New Zealand, Men’s Bodybuilding, 3rd place
Arnold Classic, Men’s Bodybuilding, 7th place
Ironman Pro Invitational – IFBB, Mens Bodybuilding, 8th place
2007
IFBB Mr.Olympia, Men, 14th place
Emerald Cup, Men, guest poser
Arnold Classic, Men, 3rd place
Iron Man Pro, Men, 1st place
2006
Olympia Weekend, Men, 7th place
Europa Super Show, Men, 1st place
IFBB San Francisco Men’s Pro Bodybuilding and Pro Figure Championships, Men, 5th place
Arnold Classic, Men, 9th place
Iron Man Pro Invitational, Men, 7th place
2005
IFBB Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic, Men, 10th place
2004
GNC Show of Strength, Men, 8th place
Night of Champions XXVI, Men, 10th place
2003
GNC Show of Strength, Men, 9th place
Night of Champions XXV, Men, 11th place
2002
National Bodybuilding Championships – NPC, Men, Super Heavyweight and Overall Winner, Earned the IFBB Pro Card
2001
National Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships, Men, Super Heavyweight, 8th place
1996
National Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships, Men, Heavyweight, 16th place
1995
National Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships, Men, Heavyweight, 4th place
1994
National Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships, Men, Heavyweight, 4th place
1993
National Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships, Men, Heavyweight, 6th place
Junior National Bodybuilding, Fitness & Figure Championships, Men, Heavyweight, 1st place
“It takes a certain mindset to believe in yourself enough to go all in and be an entrepreneur. I’ve known it was the only way for me since I was 12 years old.”
Biography
Filling Out His Frame
Toney Freeman was born and raised in Indiana, USA. His love for bodybuilding emerged from an early age; he started lifting weights to grow muscles on his tall frame.
However, Toney didn’t consider a career in bodybuilding at this point.
It wasn’t until his 30s, after years of sculpting his body, that Tony committed to becoming a professional bodybuilder.
First Contest
Mentored by the legendary Dave Palumbo, Toney went on to compete in his first show in 1993. It was the NPC Junior Nationals, and Tony came in strong to claim 1st place.
With his first victory under his belt, Toney was confident he could make his name in the bodybuilding world, and decided to pursue the sport full-time.
Pro Card Victory
For the next several years, Toney fought his way up the ranks in bodybuilding shows.
In 2002, he took part at the NPC Nationals, winning both his class and overall. This also saw him win the famed Pro Card.
Life in the IFBB Circuit
Toney’s first IFBB contest was the 2003 Night of Champions, where he took 11th place.
His first Pro victory came 3 years later, claiming the 1st place at the 2006 Europa Super Show.
2006 was also the year where Toney made his Mr. Olympia debut. Impressively, he cracked into the top 10 right off the bat, claiming 7th place after the final call-out.
Toney’s best-ever Mr. Olympia result came two years later – placing 5th.
Still Going Strong
Although he started competing later than most bodybuilders, Toney has over 81 shows under his belt, and a career spanning throughout the 90s, 2000s, and 2010s.
Toney is still going strong, and with no sight of stopping, who knows how many more trophies he’ll bring home.
Training
Aesthetics Over Size
Toney never trained for the sake of gaining size. His goal was to attain an aesthetic physique. He didn’t care whether he did a 400lbs bench press or just 315lbs. For Toney, it was all about the quality of reps to achieve the well-balanced physique that he was known for.
That said, he trained extremely hard and rarely took a day off. In fact, Toney often trained for 13 days in a row before taking one day to recover. He didn’t have any problem with sustaining this kind of routine all year-round, thanks to his strict sleep, dieting, and recovery schedule.
Toney Freeman’s Workout Routine
1st Day: Legs (Quads and some hams)
2nd Day: Chest and some biceps
3rd Day: Backs and some triceps
4th Day: Shoulders and traps
5th Day: Hamstrings and deadlifts
6th Day: Arms
Repeat the process until day 13, then take 1 day off.
Toney Freeman’s Arm Training
During his prime, it was hard to spot a weak muscle group on Toney’s physique.
However, his arms were arguably his most famous body part, and one of the best ever seen in the sport. Here’s how his arm training looked;
Toney Freeman didn’t just stand out in terms of his size and aesthetics, but also his approach to dieting for a contest.
Alongside Kevin Levrone, Toney was the only man known for gaining weight as his show date approached. This was completely opposite to most athletes, who usually get huge in the ‘off-season’ and then ‘cut’ down body weight before a contest.
Here’s Toney explaining his specific way of dieting; “I can’t stand being bloated, or looking like a bloated-pig. I enjoy my physique, and I try to enjoy my physique year round.
Since I don’t have any problems both gaining muscle and losing fat at the same time, I just thought this was a more appropriate approach for me.” – Toney Freeman
Toney’s Diet
At his peak, Toney ate 5-7 meals per day, each containing high amounts of protein to feed his muscles.
His meal plan;
1st Meal – 6 omega-3 eggs
2nd Meal – 8oz chicken breasts, almonds
3rd Meal – Whey protein shake, natural peanut butter
4th Meal – 8oz salmon, green veggies, healthy fats
5th Meal – Whey protein shake, healthy fats
6th Meal – 6 omega-3 eggs
Idols and Influences
Looking at his physique, it’s clear that Toney was influenced by the physiques from the ‘Golden Era,’ where muscle proportions, symmetry, and presentation were the most important factors of building a great physique.
As Toney stated in one of his social media posts; “Everything eventually returns to its original state. Bodybuilding is no different. It will continue to reinvent itself over the decades only to return back to the fundamentals. Size, symmetry, muscularity, proportions, presentation. Always stay true to the Game!” – Toney Freeman
What we can learn from Toney Freeman
Toney’s fascination with training started at an early age. Ever since he first stepped into the gym, he knew he would keep coming back there, again and again.
Through his love for training, Toney eventually took it a step further to become a competitor. It was a long time coming, Toney was around 30 years old by this point, but he knew it was never too late to reach greatness. He was correct.
Throughout the years of training, Toney won a string of shows and made his name as one of the most aesthetic bodybuilders of his generation. There was a lot of work that went into his training, diet, and preparations. But Tony made no excuses – he worked hard every day to see his goals through.
If you need the motivation to get started, who better to follow than Toney Freeman. By following his teachings and principles of bodybuilding, who knows how far you can go.