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if tom platz I had a motto for leg training. It's “the more the better.” Increase the weight, increase the reps, and increase the number of sets until you can't do any more.
The famous bodybuilder, known for his extremely muscular quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves, was a big fan of leg day.
But what can the average gym-goer learn from world-class athletes like Platts? Should this type of training be reserved for professionals, or can these exercises be safely added to everyday life? Is there a way to incorporate it? Experts say there are some positives to take away from Platts' workout style. However, you may not want to try representatives of his regimen.
Here's everything you need to know about Tom Platz's leg workouts and how to safely incorporate his squats, extensions, and curls into your own strength training sessions.
Who is Tom Platz?
Tom Platts is a bodybuilder known for having “the most developed legs in the world.” Platts, known as the Golden Eagle, became interested in weightlifting when he was around 10 years old, and his parents bought him a Joe Weider weight set and training manual for Christmas.
“I essentially felt that these weights were going to change my life and become my life,” Platts wrote on his website.
Prats held several bodybuilding and physique titles over the years, and even took a controversial third place at the 1981 IFBB Mr. Olympia, but it is his work that continues to earn him fame today. Quadriceps, hamstrings, glutes, and calves.
Ironically, Platts said he initially seemed like the unlikely candidate with the best legs. why?
“To tell you the truth, I didn't really like squatting, I didn't like it at all,” Platts told a room of fans at a seminar in Zurich in 2018. How I felt afterwards. After doing repeated 400-pound, 500-pound squat workouts, your life will pass you by and you will be successful – life is good. The sky is blue, the grass is green, and life is truly wonderful. ”
What is Tom Platz's leg workout?
Tom Platz's leg workouts include squats, leg extensions, leg curls, and calf exercises. This routine features a wide range of reps and set ranges, targeting your largest muscle groups first and your smallest muscle groups second.
“He prioritizes the most advanced exercises when he has the most energy,” says Noam Tamir, a certified strength and conditioning coach and CEO and founder of TS Fitness in New York City. .
There are several versions of Platz's workout, but they all look similar:
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Squats or back squats: 8-12 sets, 5-20 reps
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Hack squats: 5-7 sets, 10-15 reps
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Leg extensions: 5-8 sets, 10-15 reps
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Leg curls: 6-10 sets, 10-15 reps
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Standing calf raises: 4-8 sets, 10-15 reps
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Seated calf raises: 3-8 sets, 10-15 reps
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Hack Machine Calf Raise: 3-6 sets, 5-10 reps
One important point. Platts recommended training to failure. This means repeating the repetitions until you are physically unable to lift the weight again. There is some debate about this type of training, but recent reviews seem to indicate that it doesn't necessarily help you get the most benefit.
What are the benefits of Tom Platz's leg workouts?
First, Tamir says, such a wide range of responsibilities can actually be very beneficial. Working with higher weights and lower reps recruits a different energy system and potentially different muscle fibers than working with lower weights and higher reps. One training style is not necessarily better than another. It depends on your personal goals.
Additionally, as we age, developing the muscles below the belt is of paramount importance, says the American College of Sports Medicine Award Fellow, professor and Canadian research director in the department of kinesiology at McMaster University in Ontario. says Dr. Stu Phillips. Think about crossing an intersection, getting up from a chair, or getting in and out of a car before the light changes. Literally, the lower body does the heavy lifting.
Is Tom Platz's leg workout safe?
“If you're not used to this kind of thing, you can definitely get hurt,” Tamir says.
Domenic Angelino, a trainer, fitness consultant and exercise scientist at Trainers Academy, also says that you're more likely to get injured if you do more reps than if you do less.
“If you're doing low reps, you're lifting a lot of weight, right?” Angelino says. “I think that would make it more dangerous, but people are being very careful.”
If you're lifting hundreds of pounds and only doing a few reps, chances are you're laser-focused. But about 20 times? Your mind has time to wander. If you are not careful, your form may collapse.
Plus, if you work until you fail, you might not feel as good the next day. Whether it's muscle soreness or the feeling that exercise is “hard,” those negative associations can cause people to burn out and stop exercising altogether, Angelino says.
So while this routine has its benefits, it may not be right for everyone, Phillips says. “I'd argue against this volume unless you're an advanced trainer. So if you have years of experience, good luck. It's not something I'd immediately put above the average person.”
How to create a safe weightlifting routine
Almost everyone can benefit from weightlifting, our experts point out.
However, think about how often you want to work out. “Most of the time I don't have people dedicate a split,” says Tamir. “I want to adopt more full-body fitness routines. [clients] I'm going to do a little bit of lower body and a little bit of upper body. ”
If your goal is simply to maintain a healthy lifestyle, Tamir says there's no need to dedicate your entire workout session to just your legs. Similarly, you might want to try a basic squat instead of something like a more advanced hack squat that requires more shoulder mobility.
To try Platz's style of workout, choose two or three of the exercises listed above (for example, basic squats, leg extensions, or leg curls) and add them to your weightlifting day. Start with 2-3 sets of 6-12 reps.
You can also start with exercises that require machines, such as leg extensions and leg curls, since the risk of injury with machines is much lower than with things like barbells, Angelino says.
Lifting heavy weights isn't enough to build muscle.
Phillips says you have to be consistent and dedicated to your training, but even with all that, not everyone will end up looking like Platts.
“At some point, the repercussions are that you stop gaining muscle,” Phillips says. “Otherwise, if you keep adding more volume, there will be some people who will just keep getting bigger and bigger forever. And that's not going to happen.”
Muscle gain is a complex phenotypic trait, Phillips said, meaning it's influenced by many genes, as well as other factors such as age, nutrition and hormones, rather than just one gene. To do.
Additionally, all of the experts we spoke to today mentioned the heavy use of anabolic steroids in the bodybuilding world. Despite the fact that such use is illegal in most cases and comes with a long list of negative side effects. (Pratts has also previously spoken about his own steroid use.)
But beyond aesthetics, there are many good reasons to lift weights. Weightlifting is associated with many benefits, including increased bone density, improved thinking skills, and weight management. Here's another reason to never miss leg day.
This article originally appeared on TODAY.com
