This is one of your best videos Zack! You and Tom Platz together in a video is gold. We can see and hear the motivation in your voice. Thank you for this one
Love Tom Platz got also embracing mobility and showing everyone the T rex physique looks amazing. For another trex boi check out quadzilla pro sprint cyclist Robert Förstemann who squats alot also.
Platz is legendary for a reason, and according to himself he popularized the back squat for bodybuilding. His squats are just beautiful, and you can see the contribution it made to his physique. He never has a bad rep.
"According to himself" lol. Im pretty sure people drew influence from Arnold doing squats in the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron. Tom platz debuted in 1979 and his best placing was third in 1981. That dude is so cheesy and overrated. Basically the Branch Warren of his generation
@@DespicableBunny as great as arnold was, nobody was looking to him for leg building inspiration, or advice. He never had even close to the best wheels on stage at the O. If you saw arnold doing a curl variation, you best bet the whole world was doing that variation.
He always claimed he didn't have good genetics, but that noone worked harder than him. I fucking believe the second part. That man calls the squat rack his altar, and I get a little religious just from watching him squat.
This might be my favourite video of yours yet. The segment about “how awesome it is that we get to upgrade our bodies” was a truly brilliant way of wording the excitement many of us have to train.
Damn that’s true in a world where this sport is destroyed by fitness on social media This way of thinking warm my heart as a personnal trainers who wants to make people happy with what they are !!
True he was/is passionate about the squat rack but... he lacked character in other areas, like the time he signed an agreement to boycott the 1981 Olympia after the 1980 Sydney fiasco... he later said that he never had intentions of not entering the 81 Olympia because if the others didn't enter he could win the title! He did enter... so did Arnold's sidekick Franco, with bitch tits and one good leg... Franco won Tom should have honoured his word and stayed home, along with Frank Zane, Mike Mentzer & Boyer Coe.
Squats are no longer just a movement, Tom Platz made them become a philosophy, a whole spiritual experience. Thank you Zack for your content. Your reflection in the end is one of the best I have ever heard from you
About the tangent you went on I resonated with that a ton. My life at one point revolved around going hard at the gym and enjoying every second I got a ton of injuries and now when I hear about the way people enjoy training I remember it being that good, but I am physically unable to enjoy myself like I used too and have regressed a ton on my years of hard work. It's rough, stuff like this used to light a fire in me but now I can't even go train my legs hard since I'm still dealing with my injuries This is really random but I had to get this off my chest, I miss having an absolute blast in the gym
that’s part of the game, brother. injuries happen, we fix, we rehab, and then rehab turns into strengthening and strengthening turns into moving heavy weights again. start rehabbing and putting that same mindset from lifting into the rehab and you’ll be back sooner than you think and enjoying rehab a ton more
I can relate exactly except instead of injuries (other than chronic back pain that I can usually deal with) I have collected some medical issues. I still 'exercise', but it's not the same.
@@JeffO- I'm gonna go in a slightly different direction from the other commenters. Because I've been there. Not for weightlifting but I've been there. To the point where you got so good at something that you enjoy every second of it because you've turned your body into pretty much what your mind wanted it to be. And then I got injured and I could never find that "high" again. The rehab thing is just not good enough sometimes. Some injuries stop careers. That's how it was for me. You know how I found that high again ? I tried something else. I picked up swimming. I was a bad swimmer. Now people ask me for advice like I'm good at it. I'll never be great at swimming don't get me wrong. But I went from horrible to looking the part and being able to just swim for as long as I please. And this process gave me that high again. The high of taking your body to a point you were never sure you could reach. I encourage you to try.
@@Fr0gSplashh Thanks for your thoughts. I have a lot of hobbies that give me varying amounts of satisfaction, so I keep myself occupied. Nothing that really gets endorphins going though. Then there is spiritual stuff that I won't get into. I still work on improving what I'm able to do with exercising and it does help with physical and mental health. I just have to ignore how much less it is than the past.
I had to unlearn some things that Mark Rippetoe teaches about the squat. (I did learn some things that are valid and didn't need unlearning). He had me convinced that the low bar backsquat in his style was the only squat worth doing. You and other RUclipsrs and my own experience helped me see the value of other types of squatting. I understand why he preaches his only one type of squat: his thing is starting strength and if you're starting, it makes sense to only learn one type of squat, and if you are going to learn only one type of squat his arguments for why that should be his style of low bar backsquat are convincing However when you see him talk about it, he talks like that's the only squat you should do for the rest of your life and how other forms of squat are dumb (we all know how he pronounces "dumb"). After a while, I caught on to the fact that he's a grumpy old man who thinks everything not in starting strength is dumb.
This. I'm so sick of everyone thinking their way is the way. Like this whole bodybuilding vs powerlifting crap. It's stupud. Everything works. Just gotta do what works for you.
7:05 this is amazing! Haha No one should ever feel bad for going hard in the gym after watching this. Every gym needs at least one person like Tom Platz to motivate everyone else.
was repping 3 plates. Made execution perfect. Back to pathetic 2 plates. very interesting to see how a weight you can rep out at paralell for 20+ becomes challenging for sets of 5 when going super deep, keeping torso upright and stretching the quads. Weight is ego, but everything is also ego. This rebuild of the squats on the long run will satisfy the ego better, I soon will squat the same three plates, but boasting the signature look of superiority or whatever
- me taking Tom Platz advice and claiming ownership of the squat rack - it's 430 on a Monday afternoon at Kirk Karwoski's gym - I am incapacitated by flying 45lbs plate - quads are jacked though, net positive
Toms a good friend of mine. He is an extremely passionate, and emotional person. He was trained by Norb Shemanski in Detroit, Michigan. He wore tight jeans, or tight sweatpants while training for squats when he was younger. He doesn't like front squats though.
Love this video, watching it for the first time and I’m a new subscriber. I’m a troll guy as well. I’m now 60 years old. I’ve been working out since I was 12 years old. I have never stopped. Thank you very much.
I've always loved the idea of "One Lift A Day" training, having read it in Dan John and Marty Gallagher's works. Your speech at the end nails the feeling. 100% focus and energy on one lift or movement pattern. I suppose that's partly why Bugenhagen blew up so big in the early 2010s, everyone loved seeing total commitment to one lift, as opposed to reasonable effort in a dozen
This is one of my favorite videos of you Zack! Your passion for the sport is just exuding in your words and body language. plus I haven't laughed so hard while trying to learn the correct ways of lifting and just learning how to be confident and drilling in the technique. LOOOVED IT!
If Tom Platz himself thinks the quad dominant highbar ATG squat is the morally superior squat, then it fucking is! Incredible video ZT, thanks for the motivation. Shout out to Alex
I'n my early days of "bodybuilding" I hated squatting. It would feel awkward, unsafe, not fun, and my quads didn't grow at all. I end up thinking the squat was useless and I was "not built for it". Exactly what most people in the fitness industry think. But when I started Olympic weightlifting at the national team, I quickly found out I lacked the mobility and the technique to squat properly to begin with. Fixed that, the squat became one of my favorite movements and the quads started growing.
18:00 I took off lifting for years. For some reason or another, I would go through the day not excited and essentially just depressed. Not looking forward to anything. I started up back in the gym again thinking I wanted to lean out, but got completely obsessed again once I started seeing progress. Today I wake up in the morning fucking excited as hell to get up and go to the gym. It is such an amazing feeling being excited about life.
This was an amazing video Zack. Love your commentary and reactions. I am a competitive powerlifter but have found that working on high bar and focusing on quads and being upright has helped my low bar squat exponentially. In fact, I spend most of my off season with high bar squats and only do low bar for meet prep.
I love weight training. I'm usually at the gym around 4 am to get my lifting in so that I can start my day off with what I love. You've got me so pumped right now I want to hit another workout today :D
This is such a great video and commentary. Telling people to own the space is something that probably makes no sense at all to people who haven't squatted seriously. When you have multiple sets that each force you to gather every bit of mental fortitude you have, owning the space has to be your mind when you make your surroundings disappear and tunnel in on the bar and the set you're about to do. For him to tell people about that first, it tells about the type of sets he is going to have people do, especially because he will be doing higher rep ranges.
Yesterday I did watch Tom Platz for the first time and was inspired, so I did train my legs to absolute failure like he said. Like never before. The people around me were looking at me, squeezing their eyes, tense and looking away with horror after each additional rep, while I begged for an additional rep in pain and peak exertion. It was awesome.
the best thing anybody ever said was you talking about the fear of changing yourself, the privilege to train, the love of what we do. training being the best part of our day. you hit all of our hearts.
I just loved this video! Two worlds colliding but instead of destruction we get pure harmony! The kind of harmony that makes a fire in you! Love this Zack!!
Really loved the video today Zack, your excitement was a great reminder of what it's all about. There was such intention in the way Platz went about his training. For me it has never been a chore and always been the foundation of everything i do. Any excuses that come up have to defeat 10 other time bosses before they get a chance at my training routine. It's a beautiful thing when there's no consequences, nobody's watching, and you choose to go and do somthing hard to level up.
I love everything about this. That brief mention of the fear is profound. That really is part of it. A load on your back will put you in the moment for real.
I remember when I got my 1st issue of Muscle & Fitness in 83. Tom Platz was like a real life He-man figure. I wish we had RUclips back then cause the magazines just gave you a glimpse.
Tom Platz was my inspiration when l started almost 40 years ago. We had NEVER seen legs like that in Bodybuilding though Luiz Freitas of Brazil just a few year later in 87' and Eddie Robinson in 90' could both hold their own. All the writers, photographers and fellow competitors stated that NOBODY trained harder than Tom. Great video Zac. Glad you came across Mr. Platz: dive on in, the waters fine....
"most times it's the best part of my day" I am 1000% with you on that and I try to explain it to people sometimes and they don't understand it. Like. Just being there even on a bad day just makes it better.
I'm 8 months late to this video, but Tom Platz doesn't get enough love. I'm having issues getting as deep as him, but I follow everything he says, and I carry it over to whatever workout I'm doing. If I'm in the rack, that's my rack. If I move over to a machine, that's/my/ machine. I'm only 3 months into my journey of building muscle and losing weight, but nothing makes me feel more pumped than when I can /show/ my friends and family the results of me hitting that new PR. Thank you Tom Platz, you underrated legend. And thank you Zack, that rant was amazing and what it's all about. I'll never be the Quadfather, but I'll be damned if I don't destroy my legs every leg day even if I gotta work my job that has me walking 10-20 miles a day.
He's one of my all time favorites. Really solid guy that is passionate about the things he loves doing. And I REALLY appreciate how he advocates for squat/weightlifting shoes for bodybuilders and enthusiasts. Nowadays, I rarely see pro bodybuilders squatting with free weights and it's almost entirely with machines. And when I do see them squatting with barbells it's usually barefoot, with socks or with flat sole sneakers and it just seems like a great disservice. The shoes are made to get you locked in, help with ankle mobility and positioning and better distribute the weight. I find it harder to squat deep without them and you need that depth with certain squats to stretch and target the intended muscle.
This caught my interest right away. I’ve never been involved or really knowledgeable about competitive bodybuilding, but I’ve always loved Platz. The dude is a legend and could hang in there with powerlifters or weightlifters any day of the week. Also, loved that rant, Zack! Could not agree with you more.
I didn't know he learned squat technique from Oly lifters. I have watched many of his videos and watched other dudes try to beat his record and one thing that really stood out to me was Tom was a big advocate of springing out of the bottom and not pausing. I believe that's a huge reason why he could get so many reps while traditional powerlifters burnout "too quickly" (they're still amazing).
Loved your reflection the end about the radical power of change that you can tap into through fitness. If life is a process of becoming, then choose to become something stronger, faster, more flexible.
The squat is king! My all time favorite exercise. There is nothing I love more and it is the staple. Bottom Floor of everything I do and everything i coach. My best foundational performance program has been place your body weight on the bar and go for reps. 60 reps is my record.
Zack… this is one of, if not my favorite video of yours. I’ve watched it numerous times and each time its over I can’t wait to hit the gym! Similar to your appraisal, the gym is often the best part of my day and I too see it as a place where we can improve ourselves. This video is better than any pre-workout scoop!!! Keep it up!
Tom Platz really is a fascinating character to watch and listen to talk about training. That hour long video with the one him talking about the shoes is a really good watch
Your rant at the end of this video directly reflects my attitude about lifting. Love this shit. Thank you for showing me weightlifting. I just switched from powerlifting for the past 4 years to weightlifting 3 weeks ago. Your videos are legit and you're entertaining. Keep it up my guy 👊
Man this video just put a big goofy smile on my face. I'm a powerlifter and watching you a weightlifter get this excited about a body builder talking about squats just made me so happy.
This man and eric bugenhagen got me into lifting. The fucking INTENSITY OF THE MIND. Killing urself on the leg extensions, squats, deadlifts whatever.a person last week came up to me in the gym after seeing me do a set of high rep moderate weight slow eccentric leg extensions with a dropset and said why do you put urself through that since i couldnt stand after, why do u enjoy it. To me its about conquering pain, you can turn something bad in your mind from a bad day of work, school, relationships and reflect it onto the exercrise and just fucking GO FOR IT.
a video about donny shankle would be every bit as entertaining and inspiring as this. you and pete rubish have THE BEST content, and it should be a race to the deathe for an interview with kyriakos kapokoulak. great, great video man. cheerz
Tom Platz is such a legend, he influenced my training style massively as a teen when I was into body building style training which I'm really grateful for. Great Video Zack!
The Quadfather himself. Platz and Frank Zane were so mentally strong as bodybuilders in terms of understanding how they were approaching moving weight and what they were trying to achieve. Hugely inspirational athletes.
The perfect thing to watch after my 8am monday 1 1/2 platz squats till failure session. I vehemently concur, lifting is by far the greatest part of my day. Great video man!
Honestly. I may look the angriest at the gym. But it is so peaceful being there. I wake up at 4 am in the morning to work out and watch workout videos and gym videos. ALL DAY LONG even at work. I love the gym with all my heart
I hope you read this. The gym is church to me, I dont leave voluntarily only when I run out of energy. With the exception of being with my wife, the gym is without a doubt my favorite place to be. Ill take it over the club or a bar any day. When I get home after I shower and eat I am anxious to fall asleep so the next day comes and I can start again. The gym cured all my problems, social, emotional and mental!
The thing Tom wants people to know is to take these applications you use in the gym and apply this knowledge to your life and you can do anything, theres nothing that will stop you
Old school bodybuilders were skilled enough weightlifters. After all these years"I am still this little kid". Tom Platz as a coach has bought the same passion the same energy, which he possessed as a bodybuilder onto the new generation of lifters who have heard of high intensity principles in training but Platz forces you to go through the intensity
It is very obvious that Tom Platz truly loved to lift weights and found a way to make a living doing that. Bodybuilding pays much better than weightlifting or powerlifting that is why I believe Tom went with bodybuilding.
This video inspired me to do a 65 minute squat session. It's all I did and then I went home. I was failing at multiple points from the volume. My squat went up from it and I feel mentally stronger.
I own this space no one can take it from me!!! That valuable lesson applies not only to the squat rack but our minds as a whole. What a multi million dollar comment that was!!!
18:07 100% I feel the same way! I'm still a beginner but you just put words on exactly why I love going to the gym and lifting weights so much! ^^ cheers man
14:42 Might be one of the best live, on the spot rants I've gone on since making this channel
I cried Zack,
I couldn’t agree more.
Some of your best work ever man.
I think im gonna squat today.
Great motivation 💪
This is one of your best videos Zack! You and Tom Platz together in a video is gold. We can see and hear the motivation in your voice. Thank you for this one
Love Tom Platz got also embracing mobility and showing everyone the T rex physique looks amazing. For another trex boi check out quadzilla pro sprint cyclist Robert Förstemann who squats alot also.
You put everything I felt about Tom's motivation into words and I couldn't be happier. Thank Telly!
Platz is legendary for a reason, and according to himself he popularized the back squat for bodybuilding. His squats are just beautiful, and you can see the contribution it made to his physique. He never has a bad rep.
"According to himself" lol. Im pretty sure people drew influence from Arnold doing squats in the 1977 documentary Pumping Iron. Tom platz debuted in 1979 and his best placing was third in 1981. That dude is so cheesy and overrated. Basically the Branch Warren of his generation
@@DespicableBunny as great as arnold was, nobody was looking to him for leg building inspiration, or advice.
He never had even close to the best wheels on stage at the O.
If you saw arnold doing a curl variation, you best bet the whole world was doing that variation.
Man I see you everywhere huh
@@codyzumr4040 that is the idea, as I’m trying to have people see my videos.
@@Arms.Enthusiast subscribed :)
Tom is the hero we need during a time of "fitness influencers".
But who do we deserve?
We had someone close. Greg plitt
@@xyoungdipsetx Greg Plitt a legend😍😥😥
YES!
Platz is where, gear, genetics and an almost frightening work ethic collide.
Couldn't have said it better myself.👍
@@ugbuga99 couldn’t have*
@@markyelwell995 oh my bad 😂
@@ugbuga99
He always claimed he didn't have good genetics, but that noone worked harder than him. I fucking believe the second part. That man calls the squat rack his altar, and I get a little religious just from watching him squat.
Dude you gave me goosebumps with the final speech
Tom Platz did a 50 rep set with 180kg/400lbs. You know so much about the guy just by this one fact.
i would break down crying after the 13th rep lol
Good lord...
tf😳😳😳😳
Tom platz: I can only squat twice a month.
Me: 🤔
*Watches him rep 180 kg for 50*
@reverseimagesearch0results363 brother you follow mommy asmr channels you ain't squatting 400 for 13😭
This might be my favourite video of yours yet. The segment about “how awesome it is that we get to upgrade our bodies” was a truly brilliant way of wording the excitement many of us have to train.
rpg grinding our stats :P
Ben Patrick has a short or video where he mentioned being grateful for having a body that he could train.
what a guy.
Damn that’s true in a world where this sport is destroyed by fitness on social media
This way of thinking warm my heart as a personnal trainers who wants to make people happy with what they are !!
When Tom Platz is giving squat tips, it's like the weightlifting equivalent of receiving a sermon from a living saint.
I would go to that man's church on Sundays and squat until I found God.
True he was/is passionate about the squat rack but... he lacked character in other areas, like the time he signed an agreement to boycott the 1981 Olympia after the 1980 Sydney fiasco... he later said that he never had intentions of not entering the 81 Olympia because if the others didn't enter he could win the title!
He did enter... so did Arnold's sidekick Franco, with bitch tits and one good leg... Franco won
Tom should have honoured his word and stayed home, along with Frank Zane, Mike Mentzer & Boyer Coe.
Squats are no longer just a movement, Tom Platz made them become a philosophy, a whole spiritual experience. Thank you Zack for your content. Your reflection in the end is one of the best I have ever heard from you
About the tangent you went on
I resonated with that a ton. My life at one point revolved around going hard at the gym and enjoying every second
I got a ton of injuries and now when I hear about the way people enjoy training I remember it being that good, but I am physically unable to enjoy myself like I used too and have regressed a ton on my years of hard work.
It's rough, stuff like this used to light a fire in me but now I can't even go train my legs hard since I'm still dealing with my injuries
This is really random but I had to get this off my chest, I miss having an absolute blast in the gym
You gotta do some rehab brother!
Squat university has really good videos
that’s part of the game, brother. injuries happen, we fix, we rehab, and then rehab turns into strengthening and strengthening turns into moving heavy weights again. start rehabbing and putting that same mindset from lifting into the rehab and you’ll be back sooner than you think and enjoying rehab a ton more
I can relate exactly except instead of injuries (other than chronic back pain that I can usually deal with) I have collected some medical issues. I still 'exercise', but it's not the same.
@@JeffO- I'm gonna go in a slightly different direction from the other commenters.
Because I've been there. Not for weightlifting but I've been there. To the point where you got so good at something that you enjoy every second of it because you've turned your body into pretty much what your mind wanted it to be. And then I got injured and I could never find that "high" again. The rehab thing is just not good enough sometimes. Some injuries stop careers. That's how it was for me.
You know how I found that high again ? I tried something else. I picked up swimming. I was a bad swimmer. Now people ask me for advice like I'm good at it. I'll never be great at swimming don't get me wrong. But I went from horrible to looking the part and being able to just swim for as long as I please. And this process gave me that high again. The high of taking your body to a point you were never sure you could reach.
I encourage you to try.
@@Fr0gSplashh Thanks for your thoughts. I have a lot of hobbies that give me varying amounts of satisfaction, so I keep myself occupied. Nothing that really gets endorphins going though. Then there is spiritual stuff that I won't get into. I still work on improving what I'm able to do with exercising and it does help with physical and mental health. I just have to ignore how much less it is than the past.
I had to unlearn some things that Mark Rippetoe teaches about the squat. (I did learn some things that are valid and didn't need unlearning). He had me convinced that the low bar backsquat in his style was the only squat worth doing. You and other RUclipsrs and my own experience helped me see the value of other types of squatting.
I understand why he preaches his only one type of squat: his thing is starting strength and if you're starting, it makes sense to only learn one type of squat, and if you are going to learn only one type of squat his arguments for why that should be his style of low bar backsquat are convincing
However when you see him talk about it, he talks like that's the only squat you should do for the rest of your life and how other forms of squat are dumb (we all know how he pronounces "dumb"). After a while, I caught on to the fact that he's a grumpy old man who thinks everything not in starting strength is dumb.
This. I'm so sick of everyone thinking their way is the way. Like this whole bodybuilding vs powerlifting crap. It's stupud. Everything works. Just gotta do what works for you.
The weightlifting room is therapy for me, and as you said it is a privilege to be able to train and move weight around.
7:05 this is amazing! Haha
No one should ever feel bad for going hard in the gym after watching this. Every gym needs at least one person like Tom Platz to motivate everyone else.
was repping 3 plates. Made execution perfect. Back to pathetic 2 plates. very interesting to see how a weight you can rep out at paralell for 20+ becomes challenging for sets of 5 when going super deep, keeping torso upright and stretching the quads. Weight is ego, but everything is also ego. This rebuild of the squats on the long run will satisfy the ego better, I soon will squat the same three plates, but boasting the signature look of superiority or whatever
Made me cringe reading this slack jaws comment, you sound like a complete fucking moron. Congrats
You got shit figured out. Low bar hips backwards is just cheating on a 1player game
- me taking Tom Platz advice and claiming ownership of the squat rack
- it's 430 on a Monday afternoon at Kirk Karwoski's gym
- I am incapacitated by flying 45lbs plate
- quads are jacked though, net positive
Toms a good friend of mine. He is an extremely passionate, and emotional person. He was trained by Norb Shemanski in Detroit, Michigan. He wore tight jeans, or tight sweatpants while training for squats when he was younger. He doesn't like front squats though.
Why did he not like front squats?
Good friends eh . Yeah I bet
@@dontreadmyname4396 He says in an interview he only used 20 mg of Winstrol and one shot of Deca (100 mg) a week.
@@Musician0489 yes i know, i saw his videos disclosing it when they came out, thanks
This video just reinvigorated my love for squats, and I wasn't even bored or burnt out from them. Thanks Zach and Tom.
Just letting it flow, Zack. Pure, raw, and from the heart. Please don’t ever stop making videos.
Training is the best part of my day I'm obsessed. Love it😊
Love this video, watching it for the first time and I’m a new subscriber. I’m a troll guy as well. I’m now 60 years old. I’ve been working out since I was 12 years old. I have never stopped. Thank you very much.
I've always loved the idea of "One Lift A Day" training, having read it in Dan John and Marty Gallagher's works.
Your speech at the end nails the feeling. 100% focus and energy on one lift or movement pattern.
I suppose that's partly why Bugenhagen blew up so big in the early 2010s, everyone loved seeing total commitment to one lift, as opposed to reasonable effort in a dozen
Do you think Eric was doing anything else to make him blow up?
This is one of my favorite videos of you Zack! Your passion for the sport is just exuding in your words and body language. plus I haven't laughed so hard while trying to learn the correct ways of lifting and just learning how to be confident and drilling in the technique. LOOOVED IT!
If Tom Platz himself thinks the quad dominant highbar ATG squat is the morally superior squat, then it fucking is! Incredible video ZT, thanks for the motivation. Shout out to Alex
Man, the rant in the end was beautiful. Truly relatable ❤️
Tom Platz is my hero, inspired me to train legs as much as I do.
I'n my early days of "bodybuilding" I hated squatting.
It would feel awkward, unsafe, not fun, and my quads didn't grow at all. I end up thinking the squat was useless and I was "not built for it".
Exactly what most people in the fitness industry think.
But when I started Olympic weightlifting at the national team, I quickly found out I lacked the mobility and the technique to squat properly to begin with.
Fixed that, the squat became one of my favorite movements and the quads started growing.
18:00 I took off lifting for years. For some reason or another, I would go through the day not excited and essentially just depressed. Not looking forward to anything. I started up back in the gym again thinking I wanted to lean out, but got completely obsessed again once I started seeing progress. Today I wake up in the morning fucking excited as hell to get up and go to the gym. It is such an amazing feeling being excited about life.
This was an amazing video Zack. Love your commentary and reactions. I am a competitive powerlifter but have found that working on high bar and focusing on quads and being upright has helped my low bar squat exponentially. In fact, I spend most of my off season with high bar squats and only do low bar for meet prep.
I love weight training. I'm usually at the gym around 4 am to get my lifting in so that I can start my day off with what I love. You've got me so pumped right now I want to hit another workout today :D
This is such a great video and commentary. Telling people to own the space is something that probably makes no sense at all to people who haven't squatted seriously. When you have multiple sets that each force you to gather every bit of mental fortitude you have, owning the space has to be your mind when you make your surroundings disappear and tunnel in on the bar and the set you're about to do. For him to tell people about that first, it tells about the type of sets he is going to have people do, especially because he will be doing higher rep ranges.
Yesterday I did watch Tom Platz for the first time and was inspired, so I did train my legs to absolute failure like he said. Like never before. The people around me were looking at me, squeezing their eyes, tense and looking away with horror after each additional rep, while I begged for an additional rep in pain and peak exertion. It was awesome.
Agree. Getting into the weight room and lift to improve myself is the best part of the day.👌🏻
This is by far the best content you ever made!
the best thing anybody ever said was you talking about the fear of changing yourself, the privilege to train, the love of what we do. training being the best part of our day. you hit all of our hearts.
I just loved this video! Two worlds colliding but instead of destruction we get pure harmony! The kind of harmony that makes a fire in you! Love this Zack!!
I remember getting into body building and reading ALL of the magazines. Back the he was THE God of leg training! He was the original QUADZILLA!
Really loved the video today Zack, your excitement was a great reminder of what it's all about. There was such intention in the way Platz went about his training. For me it has never been a chore and always been the foundation of everything i do. Any excuses that come up have to defeat 10 other time bosses before they get a chance at my training routine. It's a beautiful thing when there's no consequences, nobody's watching, and you choose to go and do somthing hard to level up.
Tom Platz, the "QuadFather"
I love everything about this. That brief mention of the fear is profound. That really is part of it. A load on your back will put you in the moment for real.
100000% agree with this whole video, Zach. My best part of my day is family, but squats are next.
I just want to see Toshiki be trained by Platz for a leg day session
sweet jesus that would be a sight to behold.
I remember when I got my 1st issue of Muscle & Fitness in 83. Tom Platz was like a real life He-man figure. I wish we had RUclips back then cause the magazines just gave you a glimpse.
Tom Platz was my inspiration when l started almost 40 years ago. We had NEVER seen legs like that in Bodybuilding though Luiz Freitas of Brazil just a few year later in 87' and Eddie Robinson in 90' could both hold their own. All the writers, photographers and fellow competitors stated that NOBODY trained harder than Tom. Great video Zac. Glad you came across Mr. Platz: dive on in, the waters fine....
Don't forget Phil Hill!
"most times it's the best part of my day" I am 1000% with you on that and I try to explain it to people sometimes and they don't understand it. Like. Just being there even on a bad day just makes it better.
I'm 8 months late to this video, but Tom Platz doesn't get enough love. I'm having issues getting as deep as him, but I follow everything he says, and I carry it over to whatever workout I'm doing. If I'm in the rack, that's my rack. If I move over to a machine, that's/my/ machine. I'm only 3 months into my journey of building muscle and losing weight, but nothing makes me feel more pumped than when I can /show/ my friends and family the results of me hitting that new PR.
Thank you Tom Platz, you underrated legend. And thank you Zack, that rant was amazing and what it's all about. I'll never be the Quadfather, but I'll be damned if I don't destroy my legs every leg day even if I gotta work my job that has me walking 10-20 miles a day.
He's one of my all time favorites. Really solid guy that is passionate about the things he loves doing. And I REALLY appreciate how he advocates for squat/weightlifting shoes for bodybuilders and enthusiasts. Nowadays, I rarely see pro bodybuilders squatting with free weights and it's almost entirely with machines. And when I do see them squatting with barbells it's usually barefoot, with socks or with flat sole sneakers and it just seems like a great disservice. The shoes are made to get you locked in, help with ankle mobility and positioning and better distribute the weight. I find it harder to squat deep without them and you need that depth with certain squats to stretch and target the intended muscle.
It's 10:30 pm in India and this is the best thing i have watched all day lmao
Same here lol 💪
This caught my interest right away. I’ve never been involved or really knowledgeable about competitive bodybuilding, but I’ve always loved Platz. The dude is a legend and could hang in there with powerlifters or weightlifters any day of the week.
Also, loved that rant, Zack! Could not agree with you more.
Yes, it is a privilege for us to get to improve our bodies through effort. I love the absolute shit out of it.
I didn't know he learned squat technique from Oly lifters. I have watched many of his videos and watched other dudes try to beat his record and one thing that really stood out to me was Tom was a big advocate of springing out of the bottom and not pausing. I believe that's a huge reason why he could get so many reps while traditional powerlifters burnout "too quickly" (they're still amazing).
Loved your reflection the end about the radical power of change that you can tap into through fitness. If life is a process of becoming, then choose to become something stronger, faster, more flexible.
The squat is king! My all time favorite exercise. There is nothing I love more and it is the staple. Bottom Floor of everything I do and everything i coach. My best foundational performance program has been place your body weight on the bar and go for reps. 60 reps is my record.
Man one of my favorite video of yours. Seeing you getting hyped up to the max from Tom Platz is amazing! xD
Zack… this is one of, if not my favorite video of yours. I’ve watched it numerous times and each time its over I can’t wait to hit the gym! Similar to your appraisal, the gym is often the best part of my day and I too see it as a place where we can improve ourselves. This video is better than any pre-workout scoop!!! Keep it up!
Tom Platz really is a fascinating character to watch and listen to talk about training. That hour long video with the one him talking about the shoes is a really good watch
has to be one of my favorite videos on RUclips.
I think this is one of my favorite videos of yours. Love it. Have seen it ten times over the last couple of years. Love you buddy!
Your rant at the end of this video directly reflects my attitude about lifting. Love this shit. Thank you for showing me weightlifting. I just switched from powerlifting for the past 4 years to weightlifting 3 weeks ago. Your videos are legit and you're entertaining. Keep it up my guy 👊
Man this video just put a big goofy smile on my face. I'm a powerlifter and watching you a weightlifter get this excited about a body builder talking about squats just made me so happy.
6:50 love the haircut and mo on that dude helping on the leg curls.
Zack is a bloody legend! The way he gets exited about these things hits so deep 😁💪🏼 let‘s go train everyone!!
Greets from Germany
Legend for watching a video . Grow up
One of my favorite videos from you so far! Appreciate your content
This man and eric bugenhagen got me into lifting. The fucking INTENSITY OF THE MIND. Killing urself on the leg extensions, squats, deadlifts whatever.a person last week came up to me in the gym after seeing me do a set of high rep moderate weight slow eccentric leg extensions with a dropset and said why do you put urself through that since i couldnt stand after, why do u enjoy it. To me its about conquering pain, you can turn something bad in your mind from a bad day of work, school, relationships and reflect it onto the exercrise and just fucking GO FOR IT.
Platz is one of my current top physiques I aspire to look close to and his intensity is inspiring whenever you're tired 😂 I love legs day.
Literally my new favorite lifting channel. 🤙
Zach this is the single most useful video i’ve ever seen on youtube
a video about donny shankle would be every bit as entertaining and inspiring as this.
you and pete rubish have THE BEST content, and it should be a race to the deathe for an interview with kyriakos kapokoulak. great, great video man. cheerz
Tom Platz is such a legend, he influenced my training style massively as a teen when I was into body building style training which I'm really grateful for. Great Video Zack!
Tom Platz is one of the most inspirational bodybuilders of all time
Massive Tom Platz fan. You really did him justice with this video.
The Quadfather himself. Platz and Frank Zane were so mentally strong as bodybuilders in terms of understanding how they were approaching moving weight and what they were trying to achieve. Hugely inspirational athletes.
The perfect thing to watch after my 8am monday 1 1/2 platz squats till failure session. I vehemently concur, lifting is by far the greatest part of my day. Great video man!
The convo at 17:00-ish is the best goddamn thing you've ever said. The most amazing part of everything.
Honestly. I may look the angriest at the gym. But it is so peaceful being there. I wake up at 4 am in the morning to work out and watch workout videos and gym videos. ALL DAY LONG even at work. I love the gym with all my heart
I hope you read this. The gym is church to me, I dont leave voluntarily only when I run out of energy. With the exception of being with my wife, the gym is without a doubt my favorite place to be. Ill take it over the club or a bar any day. When I get home after I shower and eat I am anxious to fall asleep so the next day comes and I can start again. The gym cured all my problems, social, emotional and mental!
Outstanding Commentary!!!!👏👏👏👏
saw those videos maybe over hundret times but this video brought them to higher level...great job zack
The thing Tom wants people to know is to take these applications you use in the gym and apply this knowledge to your life and you can do anything, theres nothing that will stop you
Huge fan of the classical series starring many of the legends of the past, keep it up!
Tom Platz is amazing. Definitely a freak even among bodybuilders!
I love how u discovered how I felt the last 4 years I’ve been following platz
Old school bodybuilders were skilled enough weightlifters.
After all these years"I am still this little kid".
Tom Platz as a coach has bought the same passion the same energy, which he possessed as a bodybuilder onto the new generation of lifters who have heard of high intensity principles in training but Platz forces you to go through the intensity
Getting f..ing nuts in my home gym is the best part of my day. Great video Zac
Im constantly thinking about the gym. At work im watching youtube videos and training videos and i can't wait to get off to go train
18:10 Agreed. One of the few moments in life when i can get the noise inside my head to stop is in the middle of a hard set
Tom Platz, The Golden Eagle is a legend! He was Mr High Intensity before Mentzer!
Tom has heart passion dedication..... great to watch
It is very obvious that Tom Platz truly loved to lift weights and found a way to make a living doing that. Bodybuilding pays much better than weightlifting or powerlifting that is why I believe Tom went with bodybuilding.
This video is so freaking inspiring!!
It's fitting that this is one of Zack's most dialed-in videos. Great stuff!
I'm so glad I found your channel. I love the way you talk about lifting weights.
8:33 - man has the timeless Gordon Gekko look. So rare to see a bodybuilder age this gracefully.
This video inspired me to do a 65 minute squat session. It's all I did and then I went home. I was failing at multiple points from the volume. My squat went up from it and I feel mentally stronger.
Been watching a lot of your stuff lately. Tom is a legend!
Tom platz the only dude who needs hype up his spotter for his set
Geee... my impressions exactly, could not agree more. And I thought I was the only one to appreciate Tom Platz that much for the same reasons!
Top 5 Fave Vids Zack, What a HYPE
I own this space no one can take it from me!!! That valuable lesson applies not only to the squat rack but our minds as a whole. What a multi million dollar comment that was!!!
Incredible breakdown about Tom Platz! Very well done
18:07 100% I feel the same way! I'm still a beginner but you just put words on exactly why I love going to the gym and lifting weights so much! ^^ cheers man