Even though he never boasted top-of-the-line genetics, bodybuilder Tom Platz became a trailblazer in the sport thanks to his full and shredded quads. However, he didn’t always sport such exceptional lower body development. In a recent offering published on August 13, 2024, on Instagram, Platz discussed not having leg muscles in his early years before transforming his body with squats and proper dieting.
During the golden era of bodybuilding, Tom Platz pushed some of the sport’s all-time best to the brink, including Arnold Schwarzenegger and Frank Zane. His hardcore methods for working the legs are still famous and regarded by high-profile bodybuilders such as Lee Priest, who remembers feeling like he was having a heart attack while training with Platz.
Toms Platz’s legs weren’t just for aesthetic appeal but were also essential for accomplishing incredible feats of strength. Platz long held a squat record of 23 reps at 525 pounds. It took until 2023 for the former World’s Strongest Man and Arnold Strongman winner Mitchell Hooper to break the record.
Even though Tom Platz has been retired for several years, he still boasts an impeccable physique. On his 69th birthday, Platz flaunted his shredded quads with a side-by-side photo of him in 1988 and 2024. His post highlighted his longevity and stood as a testament to the practices he had implemented decades before.
Tom Platz Discusses How He Transformed His ‘Weak Lower Body’ With Squats and Quality Nutrition
However, as Tom Platz revealed in a video he recently shared on Instagram, he wasn’t born with his strikingly striated quads. Platz explained that it was in high school when he realized that he was ‘made for squats,’ which led to rapid growth.
“I did not have cross striations in my quadriceps coming out of the womb. I want everybody to understand okay, I had no legs initially. I was known as having a weak lower body in high school but when I started squatting all of a sudden things started happening granted, I was sort of made for the squat.”
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Platz revealed he hadn’t put much thought into dieting beyond needing protein and carbohydrates at the time.
“I knew I had to eat well protein wise and carbohydrate wise.”
When asked what he ate, Tom Platz revealed he didn’t have a special diet. Instead, he ate what was served during lunch at his school and what his mother made for dinner each night.
“Whatever they served for lunch in high school I ate. When I went home I had whatever my mother made for dinner. It was usually pork chops or some kind of ground beef, what’s it called, I have ground beef and sort of like a cake and it rises. My mother used to make that. Yeah meatloaf” Platz shared.
Platz also shared what types of carbohydrates he was having while in high school.
“Potatoes, vegetables, my mother made. White potatoes and broccoli, I’m eating broccoli, corn or drinking milk.”
When asked if he ate a lot, Platz said occasionally, and always made room for pizza every now and then.
“Occasionally I did. I was hungry as a young person and I enjoyed eating. I liked to eat a lot of good food. Occasionally, I remember eating a pizza on a Friday night or a Saturday night. After the workout when I came home with my brother and sister I’d take my sister to pizza hut and would have pizza or I’d bring it home for the family that kind of thing.”
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If you are interested in building up your legs like the ‘Quadfather’ himself, Lee Priest shared Tom Platz’s leg extension failure technique to build bigger quads. However, be warned that Platz’s workouts aren’t for the weak and the Buff Dudes barely survived his legendary 1980s workout.
Regarding diet, Tom Platz has previously gone into detail about how important it is to feed the body for energy rather than relying on supplements. Platz also emphasizes that bodybuilders should stay away from foods like egg whites which he describes as the leftovers from chickens.
“Egg whites? Forget it that’s the leftovers from the chicken. That’s just the nothing. Whey makes me gassy, bloaty, I walk around farting and stuff. This is really — bodybuilders accept that as a given!”
Coming from the ‘Quadfather’ himself, if you are looking to build bigger and stronger quads, it comes down to working hard in the gym and nourishing the body with whole foods. While his methods may be intense, Tom Platz is proof that going to failure and eating what your mom cooks for dinner can result in a shredded physique remembered for decades to come.
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