Bodybuilding DVD Review: Toney Freeman
We had the privilege of having Toney Freeman signing autographs near our stand at the IFBB Pro Bodybuilding Grand Prix in Melbourne. The poor bloke was knackered from competing but was more than happy to sign autographs for hours.
A lot of athletes could learn some valuable lessons in humility from bodybuilders – in a sport where there is not a lot of money or glamour they certainly appreciate their fans. So I was only too happy to shell out a couple of bucks to buy Toney’s DVD.
After hearing some of Toney’s pearls of wisdom I looked forward to seeing the The X-Man Cometh. It is a great DVD for weight trainers or those people who are looking at getting into bodybuilding. Not only does the DVD show the passion and determination to get results but it really hammers home the most valuable lesson in weight training.
I remember Toney was asked what the best tip he could give a bodybuilder/weight trainer. He said that it is better to lift a weight for 20 reps than try to lift a weight that you can’t lift properly for 3 reps. It might sound like a simple lesson. However there are many lifters with far less impressive physiques than Toney’s who stubbornly refuse to adhere to his.
The DVD covers Toney’s build up to his 7th placing in the 2006 Olympia. Toney says on the DVD that this was respectable – I think he is selling himself well short there. It was an outstanding achievement.
Toney Freeman then hits the gym in preparation for the Arnold Classic. He calls his workout the 100 rep torture. Basically he does 100 reps of each exercise for different target muscle groups. Toney’s aim is to flush the glycogen out of the muscle.
If you are new to bodybuilding or weight training, this is a perfect example of the dedication of these guys. There is nothing glamorous about this aspect of the sport – it is just straight out blood, sweat and tears.
There are some really good tips in this DVD for trainers of all levels. For those that don’t know, Toney Freeman is called the X-Man because his he has the “X” shape. So who better to get tips on how to get a tight waist than the X-Man. His secret is not some sort of fancy machine or ab blaster pro 2000 but simply reverse crunches. As a matter of fact Toney is against using weight for ab work.
Toney Freeman is 6ft 2 so he needs to pack on a lot of muscle, especially on the arms. So you would assume that he would be doing curls with massive weight. Well he used to until his mate Edgar Fletcher pointed him in the right direction. Now Toney only uses a 10lb & 5lb plate max each side. After seeing his arms in the flesh it has definitely worked a treat.
They were almost as big and defined as Matt “Trunk” Grimshaws!
If you don’t like the bodybuilding DVD’s that are over the top with screaming and throwing weights around then this is the DVD to get. I really liked the workout parts because you could really pick up some good pointers by closely watching his form. Even though the average punter is not going to do 100 rep sets, it really shows how to control and lift a weight properly.
