Leg Workout of Golden Era Bodybuilder Known for Its Killer Leg Development
It’s agreeable to say that Tom Platz’s leg workout has garnered a lot of attention in the realms of bodybuilding legends in the heydays. Every bodybuilder is known for the certain body part, like Arnold Schwarzenegger for his chest, and in the same way, Tom Platz was popular for his legendary Leg development that was way ahead of his time.
His highest winning till yet was being placed 3rd in 1981 Mr. Olympia, but his killer legs were one of a kind. In the Golden Era, where Zane and Schwarzenegger’s aesthetic v-taper physiques were ruling the gyms, Platz’s monstrous legs were unquestionably gathering crowd in its unique way.
Everyone won’t agree but, it’s the truth that even in today’s date, Tom Platz is still famous for the killer legs he developed, which was way beyond today’s legend like Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, and Phil Heath. And this comment was even confirmed in one of the Flex magazine polls, were readers agreed Tom Platz had the best legs of all time.
Might sound funny, but his legs were indeed so big that once at a grocery shop where he was doing grocery shopping, his legs were confused with an old Japanese tree, and the striation was so unreal that it looked like someone has painted it.
Even in today’s date for any squat lover like me, Tom Platz is a god. It’s undeniable that his genetic played a huge role in developing such a huge muscular thigh. But that’s also true that the work ethic of Tom Platz and the intensity & sheer bravery to out-train his limits of potential is the result of such a legendary thigh.
Tom Platz Leg Workout Was Pretty Simple & Straightforward
He believed throughout his career, and even in today’s date that the harder, the better. He enjoyed squatting using 225 pounds (100 Kg) for ten minutes without any break. It was his unique style and the number one reason why he had such a massive striated quad. High volume training was his main principle with Leg Curls & Leg Extensions were performed at 60 rep increments.
First Form Then Intensity
If you’ve ever come across his vintage squatting video, you know what intensity meant for Tom Platz—going boom boom boom up and down, with hundreds of pounds loaded on the barbell and grinding, the 30s, 40s, 50s till he collapses in a sweat. Tom Plats Leg workouts are known for its intensity. For instance, once he squatted 525 lbs (238 Kg) for 20+ reps. Quite unimaginable, but like many, he also started like everyone else where he struggled to lift even for 100 lbs (45.5 Kg).
Like any other ordinary gym addict, Tom Platz also once cared about the upper body more. But, that took a change when started learning squat from career athletes, especially Olympic lifters such as Freddie Lowe and Bob Morris.
In other words, Platz’s early lessons in perfecting the squat form were in the Olympic way, and not like powerlifter style. He was taught an Olympic technique that allowed smoother ascent with good ankle flexibility and, at the same time, going deep.
Moreover, the Olympic Squatting technique is quite different. Here, you keep your toes in the front, and the bar is very high on the back. While going down, your glutes should touch the heels or be as near the ground as possible (ATG Squats). Olympic style squatting is pretty straightforward. You go in up and down movement, and stress directly goes to the quads.
Tom Platz Leg Workout Is the Next Level Legs Workout
Overtime perfecting form Tom Platz become proficient at the exercise while he started building huge pounds after pounds in his lifting realms. And it became one of the central parts of his workout.
And, when in 1977, he moved to California and joined Gold’s Gym in Venice. He also got to know that people are not a big fan of squats and squat rack is something hidden back in the gym collecting dust. In the bodybuilding Mecca, he also comes across many who warned him that squats wouldn’t do any good, but it’ll hurt your back, thicken your waist, and blow up your entire physique. However, this time he didn’t pay any heed and went for a leg workout.
And, during this time, he also learned and fell in love with hack squats. He used his unique style of putting both the heels together close on the platform, like a duck pointing his toes outwards. It helped a lot to develop the lateral part of his quadriceps. Such type of hack squatting with standard Olympic way squats complemented each other in a very good way.
Relentless Work Ethics of the Golden Eagle Tom Platz, Is the Secret Sauce to Success
Tom Platz’s squatting prowess spread very quickly and seeing him doing those jaw-dropping workouts even become a spectator sport itself. Tom Platz is a self-driven person who always believed in competing himself instead of others. Finally, unsurprisingly, this unconditional, relentless work ethic with high-intensity, high volume, and vomiting squats became the secret of his giant striated thighs.
He’s one rare person that, on various occasions, has squatted 10 minutes straight for over 100 reps of 225 lbs (100 Kg).
Here’s One of the Tom Platz Leg Workout You Can Try
| Sr. | Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1 | Barbell Back Squats | 8 to 12 | 5 to 20 |
| 2 | Machine Hack Squats | 5 | 10 to 15 |
| 3 | Machine Leg Extension | 5 to 8 | 10 to 15 |
| 4 | Machine Leg Curls | 6 to 10 | 6 – 8 |
| 5 | Standing Calf Raises | 3 to 4 | 10 to 15 |
| 6 | Seated Calf Raises | 3 to 4 | 10 to 15 |
| 7 | Machine Hack Squat Calf Raises | 3 to 4 | 10 to 15 |
No doubt, if you’re a beginner or intermediate, this volume may seem quite extreme compared to what everyone regularly does. But it can be adapted, and if you want, you can modify on your own too like cut the volume down to half. And, indeed, even Tom Platz himself wasn’t comfortable doing this type of workouts. So, if you start feeling vomiting, or gasp for air, then remember Tom has gone through all these things himself, and he’s still doing good.
Wrapping Up
Admitted, it’s not a regular workout that any beginner should try. If you’re an advanced lifter or else you’re someone who does leg workout regularly, then once in a while, you can give a try to this routine. Also, high rep squats were quite famous among old school bodybuilders.
So, if you think it’s wrong, it doesn’t do any good, then go back in the past and look workout routines of those golden era bodybuilders, and you’ll find out one thing common among most of them – high volume.
Have you seen any other vintage Tom Platz leg workout? If yes, then what’s your opinion on it? What you think what’s the importance of squats in the development of the physique, and especially what’s your views on the training style of Tom Platz. Let us know in the comment section below.
