The name Tom Platz is synonymous with massive, muscular legs and intense training. During his bodybuilding career from the 1970s to the 1990s, Platz pushed his lower body to the absolute limit by using an incredibly high-volume squat routine that shocked audiences with its sheer volume and intensity.
His approach, which focused primarily on extremely heavy and deep barbell squats paired with other intense leg exercises performed with precise form and technique, allowed Platz to build legs that rivaled those of the largest bodybuilders in history.
While his revolutionary leg training methodology is not for the faint of heart, there are still valuable lessons that can be taken from Platz’s workouts and applied on a smaller scale by regular gym goers.
Tom Platz Leg Workout
Disclaimer for Beginners
Before attempting to follow or replicate Tom Platz’s intense leg training routines, beginners must understand that Platz was an elite professional bodybuilder with years of hardcore training under his belt.
His extreme workout volumes and intensities should NOT be attempted without first building a proper foundation.
Attempting the volume Platz used without appropriate experience can lead to severe and unwanted overtraining symptoms, including:
- Extreme muscle soreness
- Fatigue and low energy
- Decreased performance
- Increased injury risk
- Elevated cortisol hinders gains
Novices should focus on establishing workout discipline, movement competency, appropriate recovery protocols, and progressive overload principles before introducing advanced methods like those employed by Platz.
It is highly advisable to have guidance from an accredited fitness professional before ramping up leg training volume, frequency, and intensity. Platz built his routine under the guidance of experts – beginners should do the same.
Tips for Beginners
When starting, adhere to the following leg training guidelines:
- Train legs 1-2 times per week at first
- Focus on movement patterns, not muscle shape
- Use light weights to perfect the form
- Get sufficient rest between leg sessions
- Increase volume gradually over time
- Ensure proper nutrition supports workouts
Be patient and focus on sustainably building foundational strength and muscle through progressive overload while avoiding overexertion. Once a solid base has developed, advanced leg training intensifiers can be cautiously tested. But never sacrifice form and safety to chase rapid gains.
Let’s take a deeper look at the specific exercises and training style that built “The Golden Eagle’s” legendary legs.
Tom Platz Leg Workout Exercises:
Here are the key exercises that formed the foundation of Tom Platz’s legendary leg development program:
- Squats
The barbell squat was undoubtedly the core exercise in Platz’s routines. He was famous for using extremely deep squats with very heavy weights for very high reps.
Sets of 20-30 reps and beyond were commonplace in his workouts, focusing on technique and continuous tension over moving maximum poundages.
Platz also emphasized the bottom position of the squat, pausing in the deepest part of the movement to maximize tension in the legs.
The depth and volume he used for squats stressed all four major leg muscles – quads, hamstrings, adductors, and glutes.
- Hack Squats
Another staple squat variation for Platz was the hack squat, performed on specialized machines found in most gyms today.
Hack squats allow an even greater range of motion than standard squats, enabling Platz’s signature style of extra deep repetitions.
This exercise stresses the quads and glutes in particular while keeping tension on the hamstrings and adductors as well.
Platz again specialized in extremely high reps with hack squats, performing sets of 20 reps or more to blast every fiber in his massive thighs.
- Leg Extensions
Moving up from the knees, Platz incorporated leg extensions to directly isolate the quadriceps muscles at the front of the thigh.
Leg extensions involve extending the knee against resistance, eliminating the use of other leg muscles.
Platz used leg extensions at the end of his workouts to pre-exhaust his quads before moving on to exercises like lunges and leg presses that incorporate multiple muscles.
The pre-exhaustion forced his quads to work harder for the remainder of his workout.
- Leg Curls
On the flip side of quad-focused movements, Platz also included straight leg curls and seated leg curls to zero in on the hamstring muscles on the back of the upper leg.
Straight leg curls involve lying face down and bending the knees against resistance to work the hamstrings in isolation. Seated leg curls use a machine to perform the same basic motion.
Platz used moderate to high reps on leg curls to bring up his hamstring development to match his world-class quads.
- Standing Calf Raises
Rounding out his leg training, Platz incorporated exercises for the calves – the soleus and gastrocnemius muscles of the lower leg. Standing calf raises were one of his go-to moves for calf training.
This exercise involves raising the toes against resistance through a full range of motion to fully activate the low, middle, and upper portions of the calves.
Platz emphasized intensity and volume by doing sets of 15-20 reps or more with significant weight.
- Seated Calf Raise
The seated calf raise machine was another calf builder Platz used to help develop ripped, diamond-shaped lower legs. This variation helps remove momentum from the equation by placing the calves in an isolated, seated position.
Like standing calf raises, Platz focused on feeling a maximal contraction and stretch in the calf muscles during each rep. Moderate to high reps built muscular calves to match his colossal thighs.
- Leg Press Calf Raises
The final calf builder Platz used was the leg press calf raise – arguably the most intense and isolated calf exercise of them all. These are performed by placing the calves on the foot platform of a leg press machine and pressing through the toes.
Due to the full stretch at the bottom and peak contraction at the top, Platz was able to stimulate serious growth in his calves with this more advanced movement pattern.
As with almost all his exercises, he emphasized pristine form and a deliberate tempo rather than moving maximum weight.
Tom Platz – The King of Squats!
As evidenced by his go-to exercises, Platz was 100% devoted to building the most massive, muscular legs in bodybuilding history. While he incorporated plenty of leg machines and variations, the focal point of his training was always the barbell back squat.
His intense high-rep squat sessions are the stuff of legend in bodybuilding circles, inspiring the vast majority of serious lifters to at least attempt one set of 20-rep squats during their training career. Platz took this to the extreme, however, routinely performing sets of 20 reps or more with weights exceeding 500 pounds.
The mental fortitude required for this level of intensity goes beyond what most can comprehend. Platz attributed much of his hardcore mentality to his training partners, notably top bodybuilders Casey Viator and Eddie Giuliani.
The fierce competitiveness of their training sessions pushed Platz beyond normal physical boundaries. Outdoing one another became an obsession.
The extreme volume and work capacity Platz built from years of high-intensity squat sessions allowed him to perform feats most lifters wouldn’t dare attempt.
Besides 20-30 rep sets with 500+ pounds, Platz was known to do sets of 12 with over 600 pounds after he had already fatigued his legs with other exercises.
This intensity and capacity for pain grew his legs to such prodigious proportions that he earned the titles “The Golden Eagle” and “The King of Squats” – distinctions he still owns today decades after retiring from competition.
Top 10 Popular Bodybuilders to Follow for Leg Workout Inspiration:
- Ronnie Coleman
- Tom Platz
- Dorian Yates
- Branch Warren
- Flex Wheeler
- Lee Priest
- Frank Zane
- Phil Heath
- Dexter Jackson
- Johnnie Jackson
These legendary bodybuilders all used intense leg training to build massive, muscular legs that complemented their incredible upper bodies. Ronnie Coleman, Tom Platz, and Dorian Yates are arguably the most inspirational for hardcore leg workout routines.
Phil Heath, Dexter Jackson, and Branch Warren also provide more modern leg-day workout motivation.
Following these champions’ training styles and exercise selections can help sculpt your own impressive lower body development.
Tom Platz Leg Workout – Wrapping Up
While only a genetic one-percenter could ever achieve Tom Platz’s unique level of leg development, there are still valuable lessons to take from his workouts. A few of these include:
- Focusing on progressive overload through weight, reps, volume, and intensity.
- High-rep squat sessions can build incredible muscle size and strength in the legs.
- Emphasizing perfect exercise technique maximizes results.
- Pre-exhausting muscles force greater adaptation.
- Training legs more than once a week can facilitate faster growth.
Incorporating even a few of these principles into your leg workouts can help build visible muscle and strength gains over time. Just be mindful that Platz’s extreme training intensity Increased his injury risk and took years to develop. Be patient applying demanding training techniques like 20-rep squats.
While Platz took leg training to unprecedented levels, the foundations of his routines can still be adapted by regular lifters today. Use his methodology as inspiration to take your legs to the next level!
FAQs
- Q: What is the Tom Platz leg workout routine?
A: Platz trained legs up to 3 times per week, focusing on high-volume squat sessions along with isolation exercises like leg extensions, leg curls, and calf raises. He was known for doing sets of 20 reps or more for all exercises.
- Q: How long were Tom Platz’s leg workouts?
A: In his prime, Platz would often spend 3 hours or more training just his legs in a single session. His extreme volume and intensity meant resting 3-5 minutes between some sets.
- Q: What rep ranges did Tom Platz use?
A: For his bread and butter squat sets, Platz stayed in the 20-30 rep range predominantly. With exercises like leg presses and hack squats he would push up to 50 reps or more on some sets. Isolation moves were usually in the 15-20 rep range.
- Q: Did Tom Platz use advanced training techniques?
A: Yes. Platz was a pioneer in using intensity boosting techniques like pre-exhaustion, supersets, tri-sets, giant sets, and active rest periods between sets. This compounded the intensity of his already brutal sessions.
- Q: Did Tom Platz ever change up his rep speed?
A: Absolutely. Platz emphasized tempo and time under tension, often pausing for 2-3 seconds in the bottom position of squats and other exercises. He also sometimes used explosive concentric reps followed by slowed eccentrics.
- Q: What recovery methods did Tom Platz use?
A: Platz was fanatical about taking in simple carbs, protein, and electrolytes before and after workouts to maximize recovery. He also used massage, contrast water therapy, and EMS muscle stimulation, and experimented with early steroid prototypes.
- Q: Did Tom Platz have strong legs as a beginner?
A: No! Platz focused heavily on his upper body first before turning his attention to his legs later in his career. Once he tailored his routine to legs, they quickly became his most standout body parts.
- Q: How specifically did Platz train calves for growth?
A: Platz incorporated seated and standing calf raises for higher reps plus leg press calf raises to maximize tension and contraction. He emphasized squeezing at the top of each rep and took calves through a full range of motion.
- Q: What injuries did Tom Platz face from training?
A: The intense volume and loading required several knee operations during Platz’s career from tendon issues and damaged cartilage. He also suffered several strained hamstring, quad, and adductor tears over the years.
- Q: Why doesn’t Tom Platz train heavy squats anymore?
A: In Platz’s later years he is unable to perform deep, heavy barbell squats without knee pain and potential injury. However, he can still train lighter squats to parallel depth or above for higher reps.
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Conclusion
In closing, Tom Platz earned legendary status in the bodybuilding world by taking lower body training intensity to unprecedented levels.
Through an unrelenting focus on heavy, high-rep back squats and strict technique on isolation movements, Platz systematically built some of the largest, most impressive leg muscles ever seen.
While his 6 day per week, multi-hour leg workout routines aren’t practical for most people, Platz proves that the legs can withstand and thrive under tremendous volume and workload.
Many of his core training principles like progressive overload, hitting higher rep ranges, and emphasizing great form over weight can readily be applied to enhance leg development.
Just a handful of Platz’s favorite techniques like 20-rep breathing squats or intensifiers like pre-exhaustion can pack muscle onto weary legs when programmed intelligently alongside proper recovery protocols.
Take inspiration from the wisdom Platz earned through thousands of hours under the bar and put it to practice building your best lower body ever. Remember – the legs feed the wolf!
