Thomas Steven Platz was born on June 26, 1955 in Oklahoma. In 1965, Thomas’s parents acquired the leadership of Joe Weider for training with full equipment. According to the athlete, when he first felt the bar in his hands, his life changed. The boy followed every word of the manual, devoting all his free time to training. Soon he caught the eye of a magazine with photos of Dave Draper, and Tom firmly decided to devote his life to bodybuilding. Already moved to California, Tom absolutely casually settled near to Draper and often practiced with the idol of his childhood. Thomas managed to be the student of Arnold Schwarzenegger. It was from him that the athlete learned to plan his actions. According to Thomas, Arnold hated dependence on blind circumstances.
And to this day the training system of Platz is often called extreme. Thomas hung on the bar six sixteen kilogram pancakes on each side and squatted with it until the total muscle failure. After training everyone was sick – from calves to the back, but then the athlete did not care. The main goal was to get around rivals. On the other hand, squats generally occupied a special place in the life of bodybuilders. Once every two months, Thomas, along with fellow professionals, arranged “home” squatting competitions. As a result, it is precisely with his incredibly developed feet that Platz owes his famous reputation. Despite the fact that the last time he participated in the “Olympia” in 1986, his name is known to every real fan of bodybuilding. And yet it was his legs that brought him – Thomas was much ahead of his era, the judges repeatedly told him that he was breaking proportions.
But there were also funny troubles connected with the legs. For example, trousers. In ordinary jeans, Thomas, for obvious reasons, did not climb, sewing trousers on order was too expensive, and quite a long time the athlete was forced to go to “training” even in restaurants.
Leaving the career of a bodybuilder, Thomas began acting in films, mostly in the role of gangsters or detectives. These were supporting roles, but Platz was more attracted by the “process” than fame. Soon, his wife opened a fitness club, and Tom began to help her, teaching clients how to train properly. Later, he joined the International Association of Sports Sciences and became the head of the bodybuilding division.
Modern bodybuilding for Thomas is quite depressing. It seems to him that there is less fanaticism. Many “pros” swing only for the sake of money. “In my years this was not,” – remembers the athlete – “bodybuilders were one family, with their friction, but with their shared love – bodybuilding”.
According to Thomas, bodybuilding gave him a lot – first of all experience of fame, glory. And this makes you be wiser and more responsible, because you become an example for imitation. And sooner or later, you have to answer yourself to the question: “Do you deserve your glory?” For Thomas this question did not become a problem. And fans, and friends, and rivals equally admired him as a talented athlete, a determined person and simply a broad soul, a man open to all – friends and acquaintances.
