Who Is Tom Platz?
In the world of bodybuilding, Tom Platz is known as the Golden Eagle, Quad Father, and Quadzilla.
He is also well-known for his amazing legs and for having a successful career as a professor and corporate director.
Since he was 9 years old, Tom has devoted his life to fitness. He caught the bug and didn’t turn around again. He’s one of the most in-demand speakers in the bodybuilding profession and has competed for many years.
Short Career of Tom Platz
Tom Platz says, “I just want to give back to the sport I love which has been great to me,” from his early days of working out in his basement with his father who would read the workouts to him while his two younger siblings kept track of his repetitions to his employment as a personal trainer at the age of 15.
Tom wasn’t always known as “the guy with the skinny legs” because he was born with a lower spine condition that prevented him from squatting.
Little did they know, however, that Tom would go on to become famous throughout the world for his exceptional leg size and definition. He persevered, developed a successful body and profession, and this is his tale:
“Some folks choose a risk-free lifestyle. They are content to live a safe life. Their objectives are compromised by this cautious attitude. Every successful businessperson and athlete likes to take calculated risks.
You need to. Particularly when you’re squatting 500 times for reps at the gym and you’re only able to grunt out 10. Set one is when your nose begins bleeding and you collapse into the rack.
Body Measurements of Tom Platz
| Full Name: | Tom Platz |
| YEAR OF BIRTH: | 1955 |
| ERA: | 1970, 1980 |
| PROFESSION: | Bodybuilder, Professor, Guest Speaker, Company Director |
| NATIONALITY: | American |
| ALIAS: | The Golden Eagle, The Quad Father, and Quadzilla. |
| HEIGHT: | 5’8″ (172.5cm) |
| WEIGHT: | 225-235 lbs.(102.1 – 106.6kg) |
“When you promise yourself something, make a commitment, you can’t give up. Because, when you’re in the gym, you have to fulfill the promise you made to yourself. The people who can self motivate – in any field – are usually the ones who win. Regardless of talent.”
Accomplishments
Competitions
- 1987 IFBB Detroit Pro 6th
- 1986 IFBB Olympia 11th
- 1985 IFBB Olympia 7th
- 1984 IFBB Olympia 9th
- 1982 IFBB Olympia 6th
- 1981 IFBB Olympia 3rd
- 1980 IFBB Olympia 9th
- 1980 IFBB Night Of The Champions 12th
- Also, 1980 IFBB Grand Prix Pennsylvania 10th
- 1980 IFBB World Pro 2nd
- 1979 IFBB Olympia 8th
- 1978 IFBB USA World Qualifier 1st
- 1978 IFBB World Amateur Championships 1st
“If you fully believe you will be successful and can visualize yourself being successful, you will succeed.”
Biography of Tom Platz
When Tom Platz was 9 years old, a photo of Dave Draper and Betty Weider on the beach motivated him to start lifting weights and growing muscle.
Dave, who had an extraordinarily muscular and toned body, was clutching the Weider Crusher. Tom was struck by this image, which lingered in his head and set in motion events that would change his life forever.
“It was a life-altering moment that was fantastic in every way. That image simply inspired me, motivated me, and made a statement about California’s physicality, about lifting weights, and having iron muscles.
That completely touched me; it was like receiving a summons from God at such a young age to become a priest.
God!, he exclaimed as he studied the image. I don’t think this is true. His life was irrevocably altered by that amazing moment of transformation. Californian bodybuilders are associated with heavy lifting, enormous muscles, and “muscles of iron.”
He didn’t exactly know for sure he wanted to be Mr. Universe until he was 11 years old, after researching it repeatedly in his mind.
Tom remembered seeing another image of Arnold slurping a protein smoothie from a blender, further solidifying the scenario in his consciousness. Tom was mesmerized by Arnold’s burgeoning arms as he sipped the drink.
Taking Off at 9
That’s what I want to do for a living, he recalled shouting to his father. In addition to showing him how to perform the workouts in the basement, his father gave Tom complete support.
Tom’s father would read out the workouts to him, and his two younger siblings, who were only learning to count at the time, and them down to the basement where they would count Tom’s repetitions. He recalls mastering the bench press while sprawled out on the floor.
I couldn’t figure out how to execute this thing called the bench press, he recalled thinking. It seemed like such a pointless effort, and I was baffled as to why it wasn’t functioning properly.
“I can recall bench pressing on the cellar floor after dinner when I was nine and a half. My father would take my sister, brother, and me downstairs to the cellar — cellars exist in the East — where I would lie on the floor while he read me the Weider instruction manual.
Other exercises that Tom performed included bicep curls and other simple exercises, but unexpectedly, he neglected to work his legs. Due to improper plate fusion, he was born with a condition in his lower back.
He stayed away from leg workouts like squats because they seemed to make things worse. Along with that, he recalls his pals telling him that “squats were bad for you, they make your butt large and give you a poor back.”
They had no idea that Tom would become known for having the finest legs in bodybuilding and professional competition history. Known as the Quadzilla and the Quad Father!
To Relocate to Kansas City
This was Tom’s beginning point for learning how his body functioned and how he might use the fundamental workouts and movements to construct his body into one of the most modest, devoted, and helpful bodybuilders of the 1980s.
After spending years honing his skills in his basement, Tom eventually relocated to Kansas City, where at that point he was already rather large for his age.
Tom was about 15 years old, a strong 165 pounds, and had a broad chest and back. He once rode his motorcycle down to the neighborhood spa to inquire about employment as a trainer.
He recalled talking excitedly about weight training and fitness with the owner of the health spa (European Health Spa).
“When we moved to Kansas City, I was always big for my age. Also, I was a big kid. I think at age 15 I was like 165 pounds. I was training and I had a big chest, and I always looked like I trained.
Also, I drove my motorcycle down to the health spa, and I applied for a position as an instructor. I was very young at that time – in fact, too young to legally be employed.”
Full of Possibilities
The gym management believed that hiring Tom would greatly increase the number of people who trained there because of Tom’s passion and physically fit appearance. He was right about this.
New members who wanted to learn about weight training soon began to fill the gym. Tom began teaching people and educating everyone who entered the gym about weight lifting and bodybuilding after being hired at the age of 15 (actually the legal age of employment).
He worked there for a few years until he was 17, and it was during this time that he discovered the advantages of performing squats.
Tom just began working out his legs after a few expert weightlifters in the gym demonstrated how to perform squats correctly. His initial leg exercise consisted of just one set of 10 repetitions with a 95-pound weight.
“I didn’t enjoy the workout all that much. I guess I just did it out of obligation. Eventually, I performed three sets of 10 solely because it was supposed to be leg day and I had a 15-minute workout planned for my legs.
At first, Tom didn’t much enjoy the workout; he only completed it because he felt compelled to include it in his schedule.
He eventually built up to performing three sets of 10 repetitions, but he still kept this workout brief, just lasting 15 minutes. More than anything else, he always paid close care to his chest and back. Legs were unimportant. That was my mentality.
“I never really put the same kind of effort into my legs as I did other body parts. In fact, in high school, I was referred to as having “twig legs and a gigantic upper torso,” you know.
Tom would typically keep his leg workouts as brief and low-intensity as possible, usually simply going to the gym to chat with friends. Tom considered legs to be second-best.
He was noted for having extremely tiny legs compared to the rest of his physique throughout the neighborhood and at school. It’s funny to consider that Tom eventually developed this body part into his best feature, for which he gained international fame.
“In fact, the Olympic lifters had a similar program where they would lift various percentages on different days. And I followed suit according to their protocols and their training strategies.”
Developing The Legs
For the second time, Tom relocated, this time to Detroit, where he joined Armento’s Gym. His legs were created and molded here.
Many genuine Olympic weightlifters could be found in the gym; it was they who taught Tom the proper form and showed him how to transform his frail legs into iron rods.
At the same gym, Norb Schemansky, a well-known Olympic weightlifter, would train. Tom’s instructors were his trainees and training partners, who guided him in honing his squat technique.
Another serious lifter from Michigan State named Freddie Lowe, who was well-known for being an excellent Olympic lifter, also inspired Tom to train his legs.
“When you’ve been taught to squat by an Olympic lifter, it’s a very serious thing. I mean, the bar real high on your neck. You know, the very strict squat performance – our butt touching the ground.”
When an Olympic lifter is teaching you anything, Tom advises you should take it very seriously, especially if you’re a 17-year-old. I’ll do whatever you say, he recalled thinking.
He discovered how to increase his ankle flexibility, which is essential for performing squats correctly.
Tom had a lot of potentials, according to the Olympic weightlifters who trained there; they claim he had excellent genetics to expand the size of his legs.
They were correct, too. “I believe they noticed that I had a genetic inclination for strong or large legs. I quickly developed strength and size as a result of what they taught me and how they organized my training.
He noted that there was one particular bodybuilder who was particularly slim at the gym. Tom observed that he had remarkable quad separation and concluded that “this man understands what he’s doing.”
He demonstrated the hack squat to Tom, a technique that strengthens the other quad separation.
Taking it to Los Angeles
When Tom initially moved to Los Angeles and began working out in the local gyms, he observed the squat rack was empty at the back of the facility.
Similar to his childhood pals, the bodybuilders of the time used the phrase “it makes your waist huge, and that it makes your butt big.”
Tom, however, paid little heed to anyone because he already knew he needed to train his legs properly, in the squat rack, having trained with Olympians in Detroit. Tom likes to believe that he played a role in the 1977 reintroduction of squat rack leg exercises.
People in Los Angeles asked, “What is he doing? “when I first started squatting there. Is he insane? It enlarges your waist.
It enlarges your butt. But eventually, everything settled down, and I like to think that I played a small part in reviving interest in the squat as a leg-building exercise. A large number of the guys joined me.
“Everyone has the ability to accomplish unique feats, everyone. You choose this. Become someone great in one other life.
Forget about failing too many. Who cares? Doesn’t matter when you start or finish, just start, no deviations, no excuses.”
A Career in the Profession
Examining Tom’s almost 14-year career as a bodybuilder, lecturer, and director of a renowned corporation.
We can see that Tom has put a lot of effort into turning his love into a full-time career every year from that initial moment when he was just 9 years old.
Tom holds master’s degrees in fitness science and business administration from the University of California. He also holds bachelor’s degrees in physiology and nutrition from Wayne State University and Michigan State University.
In 1973, he began taking the Mr. Adonis competition seriously. Before winning the middleweight division of the 1978 World Amateur Championships, he continued to compete as an amateur for an additional 5 years.
He traveled to California in 1978, shortly after receiving his degree, with just $50 in his pocket and the ambition to become famous and take home the Olympia. Tom competed for nine years and had a successful career.
Despite being one of the top players in his league, Tom never finished first and won the championship. He did, however, place highly in many of his contests, and he was successful in taking third in 1981.
Tom announced his retirement from competitive bodybuilding after taking one final bow in front of the audience.
“Bodybuilding has been my life; if it weren’t for bodybuilding, I don’t know what I’d be doing. I look at bodybuilding as who I am.”
Training of Tom Platz
Tom Platz is renowned for having beautiful legs, but how did Tom train his legs to grow so large and defined? While in Detroit, he ran with three well-known Olympic weightlifters, who taught Tom everything he knew about building massive, powerful legs.
Game of Chance
But since raw force won’t cut it, Tom devised several clever ruses to get his mind to expand and push over the limits. He remembers devising a method to make himself appear much shorter than he was to lift more weight off the bar.
According to the logic behind seeming shorter to lift more weight, you’re more likely to lift more weight if you believe you’re shorter. Tom had this line of thought.
“Back then, I invented a few tricks, including wearing high socks. I would appear shorter in the reflection if I were wearing high socks. And if you’re really small, the distance down isn’t that great. That is, at least, what the mind thinks.
I, therefore, devised these tiny mental techniques to effectively prepare myself to lift heavier loads. None of those things were taught to me; I just learned them on my own.
Wearing long socks was one of his techniques to make himself believe he was shorter so he could lift more weight. It’s debatable whether or not this will work for anyone else, but we can’t contest what Tom accomplished with his enormous steel legs.
Weekly Workout with Tom
- Squats, 8-10 sets, 20-8 reps, 635 lbs max weight
- Hack squats, 5 sets, 10-15 reps, 500 lbs max weight
- Leg extensions, 5-8 sets, 10-15 reps*, 350 lbs max weight
- Lying leg curls, 6-10 sets, 10-15 reps*, 240 lbs max weight
- Standing calf raises, 3-4 sets, 10-15 reps*, 500 lbs max weight
- Seated calf raises, 3-4 sets, 10-15 reps*, 225 lbs max weight
- Hack machine calf raises, 3-4 sets, 10-15 reps*, 400 lbs max weight
“I don’t believe in luck. Luck comes to men of action.”
Nutrition of Tom Platz
Tom’s diet was typical of bodybuilders in that it included frequent meals that were high in protein and never skipped.
He was aware that he needed to maintain top-notch dietary levels and never skip a beat to fuel his demanding exercises. A 220 lb bodybuilder needs to ensure that their nutrition is on point and that they are consuming enough calories each day.
Elite-level athletes engage in rigorous, intense training, sometimes six days a week. They must ensure that their recovery is up to par to accomplish this; Tom did so by making sure he was eating properly.
They must ensure that their recovery is up to par to accomplish this; Tom did so by making sure he was eating properly.
Below is a sample meal plan for Tom that is popular among bodybuilders and is loaded with protein, carbohydrates, fruit, and the occasional bowl of ice cream.
- AM (Before training): Two Pieces of whole grain toast with butter and jelly, juice or milk, coffee Supplements
- Lunch : (After Workout) Three to six eggs, Hamburger patty, sliced tomatoes, juice, two pieces of bread
- Snack: Cheese (quite a bit ) and crackers a glass of milk
- Dinner: Very large prime rib salad (with cottage cheese, nuts, ) Bread and butter Piece of the pie of ice cream, coffee, or milk
- Snack: Evening Couple of pints of ice cream or a bag of nuts
“The psychological tools I’ve gained from bodybuilding will never atrophy.”
Influences and Idols
Tom was just 9 years old when he first noticed Dave Draper’s iron-like muscles on a magazine cover. He was certain that he wanted to spend the rest of his life competing on stage and spending it training and gaining muscle.
The greats, including Arnold and Frank Zane, also had an impact on him. Arnold being featured in magazines only served to inspire Tom more.
He persisted in working hard and achieving results both inside and outside of the gym, earning the reputation of having the best legs in the industry.
Tom was inspired to pursue bodybuilding and fitness as a lifelong ambition not just by the greats but also by the Olympic powerlifters and weightlifters who trained in Detroit gyms and pushed him to succeed.
All of Tom’s influences came from the gym, where he also learned how to set objectives for himself both inside and outside of the gym.
He spent many years working hard and with tremendous determination to achieve these goals. We can now see that Tom has successfully achieved his goals by applying all he has learned in the gym to every aspect of his life.
“Having a distinct passion and the instinctive desire to pursue that passion That is the motivation behind your work.
What Can Tom Platz Teach Us?
It is obvious that Tom was hooked by his idols in the bodybuilding scene at a young age; he ventured out into the world and seized what he desired.
Despite having excellent genetics, he ultimately achieved his success via hard effort. He exerted a lot of effort and made everything with his tenacity, desire, and sweat.
Tom Platz achieved success not just as a bodybuilder but also as a professor and the director of one of the top sports organizations in America. He credits bodybuilding and consistent gym training for everything he has accomplished.
Tom became well-known due to his proactive planning, goal-setting, and genuine passion for what he “liked.” You too can succeed if you put the same enthusiasm into what you do and work hard to complete your goals.