Tom Platz Bodybuilder
Thomas Steven Platz was born in Fort Still Oklahoma on June 26, 1955 and later became an inspiration for millions of bodybuilders across the world. He was inspiring to watch because he was able to prove conclusively that hard work and some crazy training can do more than any genetic gift that one might be born with.
Standing at only 5'7" Tom was able to compete at around 220 pounds of hard core muscle said to be mainly in his 34 inch legs which gave him the nickname of the Quadfather but his most well-known nickname over the many years that he competed was as the Golden Eagle.
Whether he had the genetic predisposition to develop those massive legs or not is really a mute question when one looks at the incredible feats he was able to achieve from hard core training. Doing over 20 squat repetitions with over 400 pounds on his back is something that has been an inspiration for many hard core bodybuilders out there.
In his 15 years as a competitive bodybuilder Tom competed in 8 Mr. Olympia's and always came in the top 5 but he would never win the show because he could never get his upper body to be balanced with his massive lower body. Telling his fans that you have to squat to increase your core strength and develop bigger arms.
His arms although impressive looking at 5'7" would never be able to reach the required size to balance his huge lower body. But he always said that no-body would ever develop good arms if they did not have good legs. The idea of "no wheels, no guns" is something that has inspired many bodybuilders over the years since.
Tom developed a training of high volume with high intensity long before the idea of HIT became so well-known and proven to be an effective way to gain muscle. Coming to California with only $50 and a burning desire to win Mr. Olympia he is the perfect example of what the strength of will and determination can do.
In a survey done by Flex magazine in the 80's the result was that Tom was voted as having best body-part of the 20th century, in the poll that was taken by the magazine. Although Tom officially retired from competitive bodybuilding in 1987 he did make a come-back in 1995 where he was awarded the Honorary Mr. America title.
He became the most well paid guest speaker on fitness and nutrition but Tom did not just have a great body that inspired so many people he also was a Professor as well as the Director of Bodybuilding Sciences at ISSA which he did for 14 years. Having achieved a Masters in Fitness Science with a Bachelors in Science Physiology and Nutrition he also had a Masters in Business Administration degree which he got from the UCLA.
