What is the secret to getting super strong legs like 'The Quadfather' Tom Platz?

There's a reason Tom Platz is regarded as the Quadfather. The man's quadriceps were the size of tree trunks and appeared to be cut out of stone.

Platz may not have won an Olympia, but during his bodybuilding career, the 1980 IFBB Mr. Universe victor was a consistent audience favourite. When he finished third at the 1981 Olympia, behind winners Franco Columbus and Chris Dickerson, the event sparked debate, as many fans believed Platz was more deserving of Sandow.

He had to go to the gym and do a rigorous sequence of leg workouts to achieve such massive pins. Simply put, he's a living example of what can be accomplished when a leg day is never skipped, and his favourite leg workout is the squat.

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How to get strong and toned legs like Tom Platz: The secret is out

Tom Platz was originally known as the 'chicken leg guy,' as he was born with a lower back problem that prevented him from squatting and doing enough leg work. However, he had no idea that his legs would become synonymous with him for the rest of his life.

The secret of his big legs was revealed in a video shared to TikTok by David McCullough, in which someone is seen speaking with Platz in a gym.

"Nothing compares to squats," Platz says in the video. "You can do leg presses, but why? In fact, forget about the weight, just squat correctly. That is the secret. Absolutely.”

Indeed, Platz's advice may be applied to almost any gym workout. You'll benefit more from successfully doing a movement rather than raising the weight and performing it incorrectly.

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Tom Platz's workout routine

We all know Tom Platz has wonderful legs, but how did he go about training them such that they have become so large and defined? While in Detroit, he met up with three well-known Olympic weightlifters, who taught him most of what he knew about building massive and powerful legs.

Here’s a how Tom Platz’ weekly workout looks like:

Squats: max weight 635 pounds.

Hack squats: max weight 500 pounds.

Leg extensions: 350 lbs max weight.

Lying leg curls: 240 lbs max weight.

Standing calf raises: 500 lbs max weight.

Calf lift: 225 lbs max weight.

Hack machine calf raises: 400 lbs max weight.

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Tom Platz's nutritional diet

Platz's diet, like most bodybuilders', consists of high-protein meals and frequent eating, with no meal going unnoticed.

To fuel his strenuous exercise requirement, he understood he had to stay on top of his nutrition and not skip a beat. As a 220-pound bodybuilder, you must ensure that your nutrition is on target and you consume enough calories daily.

To do so, they must ensure that their recuperation is up to par; one way Platz did this was by ensuring that he ate properly.

Below is a sample of his diet, which is high in protein, carbs, fruit and sometimes a scoop of ice cream, which is a popular choice among bodybuilders.

Before training: two slices of whole grain bread with butter and jelly, juice or coffee.

After Workout: 3–6 eggs, a hamburger patty, any fruit juice and two slices of bread.

Snacks: Crackers, cheese and a mug of milk.

Supper: Salad with a lot of prime rib, butter toast, slice of ice cream pie, a cup of coffee or a glass of milk.

Evening snack: a bag of nuts.