It’s not every day we get to rewind back to the golden era of bodybuilding. In a recent Old School Labs podcast shared on September 6, 2024, bodybuilding veterans Samir Bannout and John Hansen discussed Tom Platz mentioning that Arnold Schwarzenegger told judges about his torn bicep at the 1982 Mr. Olympia contest, which ultimately led to ‘The Quadfather’ taking sixth place.
Tom Platz is easily one of the most recognizable faces to emerge from the Men’s Open division. His lower body density and shredded quads turned him into an international star. His intense training methods saw him reach success, though now it appears, those efforts resulted in some career-altering injuries.
In 1981, Tom Platz secured third place at the Mr. Olympia contest, which many believed would set him up to win the prestigious title at his next showing. However, six weeks before testing himself against the best, Platz sustained a bicep tear. Although Schwarzenegger did not compete at the 1982 Mr. Olympia, Platz, Hansen, and Bannout suggested that he influenced the judges’ decision by informing them about ‘The Quadfather’s’ untimely bicep tear.
At the time, Arnold Schwarzenegger had retired from the sport after his successful comeback at the 1980 Mr. Olympia (for a seventh victory), leading Bannout to wonder why he would sabotage Platz’s chances on the sport’s biggest stage, especially since the two were close friends.
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Samir Bannout Discusses If Arnold Schwarzenegger Influenced Tom Platz’s 1982 Mr. Olympia Showing
According to John Hansen, Tom Platz was a massive favorite to win the 1982 Mr. Olympia after his impressive showing the year prior. Hansen explained that Platz made a video on social media suggesting that Schwarzenegger told judges at the contest about the bicep tear he was attempting to hide.
“He looked fantastic, he could have won. So, he was super popular after the ’81 Olympia so he was a favorite for ’82. So then he tears his bicep six weeks before. He decides to do the ’82 Olympia anyways even with the torn bicep instead of getting it fixed, which was a mistake,” explains John Hansen.
“He made a video saying that he told Arnold that he tore his bicep and Arnold told the judges. So then they were looking for it when he went out there but I’m sure they would have saw it anyways when he does a double biceps pose,” Hansen shared.
Bannout said he could visually notice Platz’s torn bicep, especially during the front double biceps pose.
“It’s clearly visible [the bicep tear on stage],” said Samir Bannout. “I don’t know.”
“Tom was hiding his biceps when he was doing poses. But, look, when he’s forced to do a double biceps I think Tom looked great, I think he was unbelievable and it was between him and Padilla the year before.
You can see the bicep it’s shriveled up, but I don’t think, why would Arnold want to do something to hurt Tom? After all, he was his best man in his wedding. He asked him to be his best man,” shares Bannout.
Although Schwarzenegger may have had a hand in Platz’s ultimate placing in 1982, he doesn’t believe ‘The Austrian Oak’ did anything malicious.
“I don’t think Arnold did it in a malicious way. It might have, if Arnold said yeah I think Tom’s biceps, he ripped his biceps, I was there. Tom was training right beside me here. I saw Tom in the gym and I really felt bad for him and I went to visit him in the hospital for his surgery.”
Given that Platz and Schwarzenegger have remained close friends, Bannout has doubts about the story.
“I felt bad for him. He was definitely the favorite for the ’82 Olympia,” adds Bannout. “The moral of the story, Tom is saying that Arnold told the judges about Tom to look over at his biceps, I don’t get it. Why? If anything, Arnold would probably be rooting for Tom.”
Tom Platz has watched the sport evolve for better or worse as of late. He contends that changes are needed in modern bodybuilding. Most notably, he drew attention to the physiques of today, which he equated to ‘science experiments’ in every division.
There’s no denying Platz and Schwarzenegger led one-of-a-kind careers in bodybuilding. Perhaps in time, we will hear the full story from Arnold Schwarzenegger.
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