In a sport defined by over-the-top physiques, Tom Platz’s legs are the stuff of legend.
The man who eventually earned the nickname “The Quadfather” got his start in bodybuilding during the late 1970s, when he arrived at the iconic Gold’s Gym in California. From there, he made a name for himself in the sport by winning a handful of major competitions and being a staple at the Mr. Olympia throughout the ’80s. But apart from success on the stage, a sort of folklore has developed around Platz’s strength. Particularly, his prowess on the back squat.
Though he never captured Olympia gold, there’s no denying the impact Platz had on bodybuilding and the larger strength sports community as a whole. As always, that begs the ultimate question: Just how strong was Tom Platz? We dive into the details below.
[Related: Who Is the Strongest Mr. Olympia Winner?]
Becoming Tom Platz
Born in Oklahoma on a military base in 1955, Tom Platz’s early life was defined by movement. Owing to his father’s various jobs, the family traveled around the United States before settling in Michigan when Platz was in his late teens.
He got his first barbell set at 10 years old and, in the evenings, began transforming his body. Training alongside his dad, the duo pressed and pulled the barbell for hours on end.
At 13, Platz discovered a copy of Muscle Builder magazine and was transfixed. This, he later said, became his bodybuilding bible and, in effect, was the template for his later career. In high school, he used weight training to make the football and track teams, and, by the mid-1970s, he was dabbling in both competitive bodybuilding and powerlifting.
[Related: The 13 Best Quad Exercises for Serious Strength and Size]
By 1974, Platz placed second in the Teenage Mr. America contest and, the following year, won the Mr. Michigan event. Remarkably, he also won the 1975 Michigan Senior State Powerlifting Championships with the following lifts:
- Squat: 550 pounds
- Deadlift: 630 pounds
- Bench Press: 365 pounds
- Total: 1,545 pounds
Platz may well have progressed in powerlifting, but he didn’t find it challenging enough.
“Powerlifting was all too easy,” Platz said in the September 1986 issue of FLEX magazine. “All you had to do was eat a lot and train a little.” The training Platz preferred was bodybuilding.
In that vein, Platz traveled to Gold’s Gym in Venice, California, in 1978, which had transformed into a bonafide bodybuilding hot spot following the release of 1977’s Pumping Iron. It’s here where Platz began training with one of his bodybuilding heroes, Arnold Schwarzenegger, in the hopes that it would help to transform his physique.
But after a short while with “The Oak,” Platz found himself tired, sore, and in no better condition. If anything, he felt he looked worse. Thus came a turning point in Platz’s life: He realized that to build his dream body, he needed to find his own system. That quest eventually gave rise to one of the sport’s most iconic bodies.
Tom Platz’s Training Style
Having trained with Schwarzenegger to diminishing returns, Platz began experimenting with different workout styles, eventually settling on a unique, albeit barbaric system.
While some of his contemporaries sought to mimic the typical high-volume training approach and others copied the Arthur Jones/Mike Mentzer high-intensity approach, Platz described his unique training style as high volume and high intensity.
Platz often told others that he trained on instinct, which helps to explain why his rep ranges shifted anywhere from five to 50 on a given exercise. Nevertheless, here’s what one of Platz’s more standard leg workouts looked like from his prime:
- Back Squat: 8-12 x 5-20
- Hack Squat: 5 x 10-15
- Leg Extension: 5-8 x 10-15
- Leg Curl: 6-10 x 10-15
- Standing Calf Raise: 3-4 x 10-15
- Seated Calf Raise: 3-4 x 10-15
During his prime, it was common for Platz to train using heavy weights and high reps, for both upper and lower body. Likewise, journalists recorded his use of timed sets (i.e. five minutes of contentious reps) when training specific body parts. The late bodybuilding writer Peter McGough even recalled Platz’s special system of aggressively using partials after his muscles were fatigued.
It was a system unique to Platz and worked because of the intensity he trained. The video below captures some of this:
[Related: Lou Ferrigno’s Hulking Comeback at the 1992 Mr. Olympia]
How Strong Was Tom Platz?
While Platz was often criticized for being leg-dominant, he spent a great deal of time building his upper body. As recounted by bodybuilding writer Greg Merritt, Platz used to count his chin-up workouts not in terms of sets but in minutes: 20 to 25 minutes of as many reps as possible. He also performed lat pulldowns at 250 pounds for 20 reps, followed by another 20 partial reps at maximum speed, according to McGough. On dumbbell pullovers, he used a 150-pound dumbbell.
Platz did not typically use the bench press during his heyday, preferring instead to use incline dumbbell presses. He incline-pressed 175-pound dumbbells at one point for six reps and could dumbbell curl 70 pounds for strict reps.
On deadlifts, an exercise not usually associated with Platz, he could pull 600 pounds for up to four reps. He could also perform 20-rep deadlift sets using 405 pounds. Staggeringly, Platz used to use 1,000 pounds when doing calf raises. It was, however, the barbell back squat where he cemented his reputation.
How Much Could Tom Platz Squat?
Platz often talked about the squat being akin to a spiritual experience for him. And when discussing his strength on the move, it’s important to focus on both raw power and endurance.
When looking at endurance, Platz said he would sometimes squat 225 pounds for a full 10 minutes, a feat that resulted in over 100 reps. He also regularly squatted 315 pounds for high reps in training, sometimes hitting as many as 50.
[Related: The 5 Best Quad Workouts for Forging Bigger and More Explosive Legs]
His most famous endurance feat came in 1992 when he took part in the so-called “Great American Squat-Off” competition against famous powerlifter Dr. Fred Hatfield. The brainchild of wrestling promoter Vince McMahon, the contest was split between measuring each athlete’s one-rep max and their rep endurance.
On the one-rep max, Hatfield managed 855 pounds, while Platz, who was past his prime at the time, managed 765 pounds. Later, Platz insisted he would have likely maxed out at 800 or 900 pounds if he had trained for it.
Platz more than made up for it on the endurance portion, managing 23 total reps with 525 pounds across his back. That’s compared to Hatfield, who performed 11. It’s a feat that few have been able to match since. (Though some people, including legendary strongman Bill Kazmier, questioned the legitimacy of the weight plates Platz used.)
Looking at these accomplishments, it is doubtful that many bodybuilders can match the versatility of Platz’s squat strength. It should be noted, however, that the 2023 World’s Strongest Man, Mitchell Hooper, bested Platz by reaching 24 reps in May 2023.
How Does That Compare to Other Olympia Greats?
Platz is not the strongest bodybuilder to compete at the highest level at the Olympia; that award undoubtedly goes to Ronnie Coleman. It can be argued, though, that Platz sits right alongside Franco Columbu.
Franco could squat 655 pounds and bench 525 pounds, while Platz could squat 765 pounds and incline bench 175-pound dumbbells. Whereas Franco deadlifted more, Platz could likely surpass the “Sardinian Samson” on endurance.
[Related: 10 Bodybuilders With Some of the Biggest Legs in the Sport’s History]
Looking past Columbu to Dorian Yates, Phil Heath, or Jay Cutler, Platz has them all beat on leg strength. On the intensity of training, only Yates and Mike Mentzer could match Platz.
Tom Platz’s Bodybuilding Competition History
While Platz was one of the most popular bodybuilders of the 1980s, he never reached the ultimate goal of winning a Mr. Olympia. His highest finish at the show came in 1981, when he secured third place behind winner Franco Columbu and runner-up Chris Dickerson.
Still, Platz managed to establish himself as a legend in the minds of fans and competitors. Here’s a rundown of the major bodybuilding wins throughout his career, courtesy of Muscle Memory.
- 1975 Mr. Michigan, AAU, Overall Winner
- 1976 Mr. America, AAU, Short, 3rd
- 1977 AAU Mr. Southeastern USA, Winner
- 1978 IFBB World Amateur Championships, 1st
- 1978 IFBB USA World Qualifier, 1st
- 1979 Mr. Olympia, 8th
- 1980 IFBB World Pro, 2nd
- 1980 IFBB Grand Prix Pennsylvania, 10th
- 1980 IFBB Night Of The Champions, 12th
- 1980 Mr. Olympia, 9th
- 1981 Mr. Olympia, 3rd
- 1982 Mr. Olympia, 6th
- 1984 Mr. Olympia, 9th
- 1985 Mr. Olympia, 7th
- 1986 Mr. Olympia, 11th
- 1987 IFBB Detroit Pro, 6th
A Final Word
Platz remains one of the most respected and popular bodybuilders of the 1980s. And while his squat totals and the sheer size of his quads get all of the attention, don’t ignore his overall strength. “The Golden Eagle” had legendary power and carved out a career that needs to be measured by more than just contest wins.
Featured image: @TomPlatz on Instagram
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