Thomas Steven Platz (born June 26, 1955) is an American retired professional bodybuilder. He was known for his leg development, which in his prime measured over 30 inches, earning him the nickname The Quadfather.[2]
He is known contemporarily for seminar speeches on his life, work, inspirations, and motivation as well as for helping to train bodybuilders like David Hoffmann.[6]
Early life
Tom Platz was born on June 26, 1955. Upon looking at a Mr. Universe magazine at the age of 11 he decided to become a professional bodybuilder. At the age of 15, he weighed around 165 pounds.[1] Platz later joined Armento’s Gym and was acquainted with Olympic weight lifters Norb Schemansky and Freddie Lowe and learned the proper way to squat. He developed strength and muscle size rapidly.[7] With $50 to his name, he moved to Venice, California, in 1977 and trained at Gold’s Gym. That same year, he won his class at the Mr. Universe.[8]
1992 "Squat Off"
In 1992, Tom Platz faced ‘Dr. Squat’ Fred Hatfield in a squat competition. The “squat-off,” as it’s often called, went down in Essen, Germany. It was decided that they’d compete in two phases — a max lift portion and a single set with 525 pounds for the most reps possible. For 525 pounds, Platz completed 23 reps. Dr. Squat, in contrast, managed 11 reps. This mattered little for Fred Hatfield, who, in the max rep part of the contest, squatted 855 pounds to Platz’s 765 pounds.
Pro-style Bodybuilding by Tom Platz (Author), Bill Reynolds (Author), Paperback: 192 pages, Publisher: Sterling (20 May 1985), Language English, ISBN0806979100, ISBN978-0806979106
↑ Muchnick, Irvin (2007). Wrestling Babylon: piledriving tales of drugs, sex, death and scandal. Toronto [Ont.]: ECW Press. ISBN978-1-55490-761-8. OCLC244769018.
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