Toney Freeman, a 2000s-era mass monster known for his tiny waist and X-frame, is reflecting on the measures that turned him into a bodybuilding star. In a recent YouTube video shared on November 8, 2024, Freeman opened up on doubling his body weight with a secret diet to 323 pounds, how steroids affected his physique, and the validity of science-based lifting.
Toney Freeman was a force to be reckoned with in the Men’s Open division. While he never laid claim to the prestigious Sandow trophy, he gave top Pros all they could handle on stage. His career-best Olympia placing came in 2008, where he took fifth place behind champion Dexter ‘The Blade’ Jackson.
As an experienced threat in the IFBB Pro League, Freeman was no stranger to testing himself against the sport’s cream of the crop, which included massive names such as former eight-time Mr. Olympia Ronnie Coleman, four-time winner Jay Cutler, and seven-time titleholder Phil Heath. In retirement, Freeman is lauded for his impressive physique, standing tall at 6’2″.
Toney Freeman Explains Why He Quit Bodybuilding, Discusses Being a ‘Hyper Responder’ to Steroids and Doubling His Body Weight
According to Freeman, an untimely pec tear and politics played a major role in his decision to stop bodybuilding.
“I tore my pec in ’95, August 1, 1995. I was 285 at about four percent body fat. I was about nine weeks out from the show. I tore my pec and luckily it was a partial tear. None of the doctors wanted to touch it because at the time, I was so swole you couldn’t even tell it was torn.”
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“I skipped the surgery did the show, I think I ended up fourth that year. Then, the next year, I got blackballed. They took me out of the lineup. When that happened I was like man I got a torn pec and I’m dealing with politics so I just quit.”
“I was just done with it,” he adds.
He explained that he was a hyper-responder to performance-enhancing drugs. During his career, he exploded from 162 pounds to 323 pounds, sharing that he ‘literally doubled his flesh.’
“I was 162 pounds. At my peak weight, I was 323. That’s literally double. I literally doubled my flesh.”
“I was a hyper responder basically. As far as and we can probably talk about this but I got introduced to hormones at like 25-26. I was like 200 pounds. I got from 200 pounds from 160 natural.
The first time I did anything I was dating a nurse and she hooked me up at the doctor’s office. I got the good stuff. I ordered it literally out of the catalogue it was wild.”
In three months alone, Freeman managed to add a staggering 65 pounds using testosterone replacement therapy.
“I gained 65 pounds in like three months. I’m talking about TRT doses, it was crazy. And I didn’t know how to eat at first.”
As for the diet he used to stack on muscle to his 6’2″ frame, he said he stuck to nutrient-dense foods with high-fat contents.
“I started going towards more nutrient-dense foods. They stuck to me a lot better. The real secret was my high fat content. When I got with Dave Palumbo, he taught me how to do prep in ketosis.
We would do six days a week with just 50 grams of fibrous carbs and one day a week I would have 200-400 grams depending on how much I can get in and depending on how I was looking. That worked like a charm.”
Just like athletes of today, Freeman used to cut carbs as he approached bodybuilding contests.
“I was doing about 200-250 grams of fat,” he shared. “From the beginning the last few weeks most people cut all the carbs, we just called it suffering. I didn’t know the technical term so I did experience ketosis but not that kind that you really want. The kind that you feel like crap and can’t do anything. When I was with Dave I was bouncing off the walls. I had so much energy.”
While he can appreciate science-based lifting and strategies, he feels like today’s Pros rely on shortcuts instead of taking the longer routes that beget more quality.
“Back in the day, there was 20-25 dudes in the magazines that anybody would trade bodies with. That was that volume training, a lot less science and just a lot more grit.
I’m all about the science but I’m just saying, when people ask me what’s the difference, I would say we did more oven roasting and they do more microwaving. It comes faster because they have all the knowledge and technology and resources and all that.”
Boasting broad shoulders, a narrow waist, and popping quads, Toney Freeman commanded attention anytime he took to a bodybuilding stage. Having trained under the tutelage of retired Men’s Open Pro Dave Palumbo, he carved out a wildly successful career.
From clean dieting, and performance-enhancing drug use, to his thoughts on science-based lifting, Toney Freeman continues to serve the bodybuilding community in retirement. At 58 years old, he’s not only an exemplary role model for those following in his footsteps, but sports jaw-dropping longevity and size for his age.
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