Tom Platz: The Man Who 'Nearly' Dominated Bodybuilding

Mr America a big hand now for very well known the golden eagle welcome to the pains up it's where we live yeah come on the machine's going to break go go go break [ __ ] steal man that that that feeling like you how to [ __ ] do it I've never experienced anything like I I'll I'll fight through the death tell me lose is nothing you must not lose I would rather die than be that loser guy nobody [ __ ] knows the secret that is some of the men that had the greatest impact

on bodybuilding never won a Mr Olympia title but very few of these men had the profound influence that Tom Platz did before the golden eagle there was never a shortage of big arms shoulders backs or chests but extreme leg Mass had never existed not until the arrival of Tom plat who went from being known as the kid with the skinny legs to sporting the best leg development in all of bodybuilding earning the nickname Quadzilla and when it came to workout intensity nobody worked harder than him he pushed sets to failure and Beyond far far beyond

into the deepest depths of the pain zone until he could barely move the weight in the 80s when he was in his competitive Prime Tom was the most popular bodybuilder in the world and hailed as the uncrowned Mr Olympia and the people's champion after a very controversial third place in the 1981 contest and just when it seemed like he was at an arms length from capturing the title the following year the unexpected happened this is the story of how Tom Platz almost dominated bodybuilding my my grandmother and grandfather came from Austria probably you know during

the Hitler times 1930 something and I grew up in a very rural workingclass neighborhood in Detroit in Pittsburgh in Detroit I was 9 years old in grade school in this school San anony it was a Catholic grade school and I went down to the local drugstore by chance and I'm like on the magazine rack was the picture of Dave Draper on the front cover I'm like I couldn't breathe took my breath away that's it I was convinced from then on this is going to be my life reading about since I was 10 years old and

I was reading about Frank Zayn about Arnold about Cas vior I used to read it I used to read about been squatting 505 15 reps on wow that's what I want to do that's what I can do I know I can you know and I was brought up and I was brought up when I was 10 years old you know this this show Star Trek to boldly go where no man has gone before going the boldly go where no one has gone before I was raised with Star Trek and Arnold and Draper okay that was

my attitude going into life I remember don't make waves remember Dave Draper don't make waves waves don't make waves I had this impression of being a little kid watching TV put on two inches since I've seen you last right on those old biceps look at that huh I remember seeing that picture of Dave Draper with a pressure in his arms this are the magazines pointed to my picture and I show my dad when I little kid and said Dad that's what I want to do in life what a great job you know I want that

job I show my dad when I grow up this what I want to do he's like give me the magazine put her with come on kid come on son and I wrote a letter as a nine-year-old I wrote a letter to Joe weer one of Joe weider's writers his staff wrote back to me and said Tom we think you have potential and he said hey Tom you know one of the things I noest about your physique your upper body is quite good but your legs need work and I was in the basement working out reading

the weer book my dad would take me downstairs in the evening after dinner we read the reader training manual he would would say Okay bench press you put the bar in your hands and I I couldn't figure out why my elbows were hitting the floor I didn't understand it was a bench press so we my dad taught me how to lift weights when I was a little boy the old days you were really really weird if you LIF at WS to be a bodybuilder in Michigan like there was three of us and you were either

gay or weird or both and my parents were at first sort of like oh what is it now because I was into building big cars in my garage I wanted to have the strongest street car and I was into music playing guitar but I was never Eric clapped in I could never play that good cars were so expensive the cheapest thing to do was bodybuilding back then you know and I could get into the gym I could sneak into the gym and train the lifter was like my attitude and they taught me how to squat

by that time Tom had never done any leg work growing up he also avoided squats because he was born with a lower back deformity and made squatting feel uncomfortable most of the time he'd keep his leg workouts very short and with as little effort as possible he was known around the local area and in high school as having very skinny legs in comparison to the rest of his body I always had skinny legs people I'm known for the leg trip but I always had skinny legs and but his leg eggs were truly made and sculpted

in our Moto's gym there the young weightlifter learned under the tutelage of Hardcore trainers norber shansky gold medalist in the Olympic Games was taught me when I was 12 when I went into the gym they're like what are you doing in here you shouldn't even be in here get out of here kid tell you what we'll work with you if you get a pair of lifting shoes go ahead were you going to buy a pair of lifting shoes in 1970 you know can't go online yet okay so I went to a sporting good store and

the guy came out and he happened to have a SWAT shoe in my size and my mother gave me 100 bucks and I they cost almost $100 my mother still remembers this she almost killed me that day I went back to the gym and said okay I'm ready teach me I want I want to learn imagine I'm a 12-year-old kid here and these weightlifters know 230 250 300 plus and they taught me that the the squat rack is like the altar I mean this is where life and death take place they gave me the right

attitude towards the training the wafs would say yeah that's good I could see notd and I wanted to please them and I was 12 years old and by the time I was 15 uh you know I was doing five plates and having fun and I can remember going up to where I was getting ready to go to college and you my dad was a retired colonel in the Army my father's like you're going to college you're getting your degrees at least a master's degree and that's then you then you can go to California you got

it son like you sir thank you sir and I remember like had the opportunity to go to Princeton you know I looked at my dad said Dad that's not within my my plan for my life okay whatever you decide when I was in college you know it was nothing but training I wanted to be the next Arnold so I knew right Arnold had a book just came out and this big long line and I'm in the back of the line going W I want to get a chance to see this guy and they must have

told him about me being the local guy or something you know he goes hey the orange coat come here I'm like me and Arnold said what's your career concept what do you want to do with your life I go I want to come out to California and train with you after graduation he's like he blew me off like yeah right kid when I started competing a little bit here and there some small PW thing contest my parents went to the contest and supported me when I went to the teenage Mr America I'm like wow the

teenage Mr America I want to go my dad said okay I'll take you I'll go fly with you I'm a teenager a young kid living at home at age 19 Tom took second place in this contest and the following year he'd won the Mr Michigan event remarkably he also won the 1975 Michigan senior State powerlifting championships with the following lifts squat 550 lb deadlift 630 lb bench press 365 lb through those Early College years I would win you know I won a power lifting contest many power lifting contests and I get a pat on the

back and go home put my trophy on the mantle you know I'm like that's it that's it unsatisfied with the lack of Challenge from powerlifting competitions young Tom decided to throw himself into bodybuilding starting his first cycle at age 20 I I trained till I was uh just about 20 years old before I took my first steroid and back then uh they were even more controversial they are now because not everybody took steroids I've competed uh about two Mr michigans at that point without drugs I was just about the end of my first Mr Amer

contest and I decided that it was time to do it Tom was one of the very few honest and transparent bodybuilders about his steroid use at a time when it was way more controversial often discussing it openly in his seminars well I would say the reason I started taking steroids I got tired of play some second I play second all the time and first place winner always had this sarand WP finish a drug look I decided that this is very important to me and I felt that I would undertake certain risks and pursue steroid therapy

and I did for about a decade what I would take is what the girls took years ago every Olympia that I competed in I think I spent almost $300 he even hosted a show where he interviewed some of the biggest names in bodybuilding about the details of their steroid use guys like Ronnie Coleman Aaron Baker Chris Cormier and Paul DEET most of them chose to hide their identity but to the average bodybuilding fan they were easily identifiable except for Lee Priest who chose to show his face at the age of 20 Tom competed in the

1976 AA Mr America held in Philadelphia and weighed a massive 200 lb at 5'7 where he took third in the short class and failed to capture the contest's best legs the 1977 AE Mr America featured a great lineup of bodybuilders vying to win the biggest title in amateur bodybuilding Tom placed second and won the contest's best legs the 1987 Mr America was an absolute shocker as the prejudging got underway the 21-year-old Prodigy Ron tufl was pushed to the Limit by the radically improved Tom plats in the short class over the last 2 years Tom had

tasted bitter defeat from the younger Ron but this year was a different story always playing Superior leg development Tom had miraculously added pounds of muscle to his upper body to challenge Ron who won by a Slim 4 to3 decision from the judges Tom was once again out of the race this year or so it seemed another bodybuilder Making Waves in this year's contest was Tony Pearson Tony had good structure with wide shoulders he was ripped to the Bone but he struggled to add more muscle mass to his thin frame and Arnold himself took him under

his swing after seeing him squatting rep after rep with a heavy weight at the weight training pit at Venice Beach in the medium height class Tony beat out a tough field of some of the 20 top amateur bodybuilders in the country in the tall class a big but decidedly smooth Manuel Perry repeated his class win from 1977 over a pretty competitive lineup as Ron Tony and manuell lined up for the overall decision Ron was confident that the Mr America Title would be his Tony was more ripped than any of the other class winners but he

lacked calf development and wasn't as thickly developed as the massive Ron eventually and to the shock of everyone the new overall Mr America winner was Tony Pearson however the contest wasn't over just yet even though Tony had won the overall title the team for the IBB Mr Universe still was yet to be decided since the Mr Universe would be held in weight classes instead of the height classes that were judged in the Mr America contest there was still more judging to be decided fearing that the same group of Judges would be deciding the team for

the Mr Universe Ron tufl packed up his belongings and left the auditorium when the medium class for the universe team walked on stage Tony was expecting a rematch with Ron but was surprised to see the massive Tom Platz in his place instead now with a different set of Judges the new judging panel appreciated the new muscle mass that Tom had added to his upper body along with his incredible legs and chose him over Tony to represent the American team at the ifbb Mr Universe and just like that Tom won the pose down beating Tony Pearson

only 10 minutes after he won the Mr America oh my God Joe weer on the phone invite me out to photo shoots in California I'm like this is Hollywood this is what I'm looking for I'm going to California and I'm going to with Arnold and that's my goal in my life and I can do this I know that I have to do this there's no question hi I'm Tom CL Welcome to Hollywood California you know I moved out to California I moved out in 1978 with 50 bucks in a playing that's all I had to

my name I live with 25 people across the street from the gym and I dreamed and every day and I still a do about win Mr Olympia we all went to Gold's Gym like anointed zombies anointed zombies we didn't care about the money all we wanted to do was train together in the same gym the fitness industry back in 1977 was 15 people 10 guys five girls that was the fitness industry when Tom first arrived in La he discovered that the squat rack was hidden in the back of the gym collecting dust even in bodybuilding

Mecca he encountered the same knocks against the squat that he had heard as a teen it will thicken your waist widen your butt and throw off your entire ire physique he paid no attention to the comments and went to work it could be argued that he was partly responsible for reintroducing leg training using the squat rack back in the late '70s when I first went to California I thought whatever Arnold does I'm going to do so I train with him 6 days a week twice a day go here's what the best in the world does

the very best in the world I got small in weak I got small in fat training twice a day six days a week I'm like I'm depressed I'm in heaven and I can't put it together I took 3 weeks off and I'm I'm new to Gold's Gym Joe Gold's bugging me to pay membership and I don't have any money okay Joe gold you gotta pay for membership pretty soon Tom like I don't have any money yet Joe can I can you wait till after the Mr Universe he was okay okay I went back to the

gym after 3 weeks off and I was I'm I'm bigger and I'm stronger I'm picking the big dumbbells 180 pound dumbbells back in my the 90 pound 90 kilogram kilogram dumbbells like I realized I can't train six days a week twice a day I can train three and four days a week that's the secret for me having trained with Arnold to diminishing returns Tom began experiment in with different work on Styles eventually settling on a unique though barbaric system while some of his contemporar sought to mimic the typical high volume training approach and others copied

the Arthur Jones and Mike mener high-intensity approach Tom described his unique training style as high volume and high intensity during his prime it was common for him to train using heavy weights and High Reps for both upper and lower body journalists even recorded his use of time sets he doesn't do sets he just does reps after reps after reps yeah you know it's a half reps and quarter reps then baby reps as he calls them so you'd end up like he was leaning way back doing you know lot pull Downs to the front you got

you're having a hell of a tricer workout whilst you're helping him he often told others that he trained on instinct which helps him explain why his rep ranges shifted anywhere from 5 to 5050 on a given exercise after making a strong impression at Gold's Gym Tom moved on from the aaou and took his massive defined physique to the ifbb stage he stole the show at the 1978 World amateur championships and crowned a year of frustration by winning the Mr Universe middleweight class and earning his Pro card despite the Triumph he didn't see a future in

the sport and wasn't convinced bodybuilding was a livelihood Joe gold the owner of Gold's Gym said you know you G have to pay for a membership pretty soon Tom I'm like oh Joe look I don't have any money I didn't I was a broke bodybuilder like most guys he goes after the Mr Universe we'll talk I won the universe and I came back after the okopoko Mr Universe but Joe gold said Tom come here I'm like oh no he wants some money I'm like oh God what am I going to do and he goes welcome

to the club he called Arnold up he called Frank Zayn he says Tom's one of us he never pays for nothing ever and I walked in that gym any kind of clothes I wanted anything I wanted was mine I was considering ing going and getting a job teaching after the Mr Universe contest in 1978 I was at work I was broke I was handing out Beach Towers on the beach and Zayn took me aside Zayn said Tom wait I'm teaching right now at Santa Monica High School he goes the opportunities to come to you it's

going to come wait two months before the magazine comes out phone's going to start ringing promoters around the country going to start calling you I guarantee it you have the leg thing going on that's that's the thing you should Market your legs I'm like Frank you think so I didn't know he goes yeah you have something we never we don't all have okay he said to me here's what you do here's how much you should charge for the seminar and the exhibition here's what you should tell them as far as getting half in advance he

he he taught me how to book my own show so sure enough I was starving figuring out how to eat tuna for the for the next two months you know and all of a sudden the phone started ringing promoters around the country started calling me and I'm like wow Tom anxiously embraced his professional status booking seminars and posing exhibitions all over the United States and around the world he even released a leg training manual to capitalize on his most famous body part although Tom was happy with his status as Mr legs he desperately wanted the

respect of the judges and to move up in the rankings at the Mr Olympia and in 79 I was eligible to compete in the Mr Olympia I was like do I deserve to be here with all the guys that are my heroes and my mentor figures I wasn't ready to be a new Pro yet I was like insecure as soon as Tom arrived as a new Pro in 1979 the bodybuilding world was both shocked at the amazing lower body he displayed and immediately awakened to a new possibility of what could be achieved but with a

strong lineup That consisted of 15 competitors the largest ever up until that point and with tough competition the rookie Pro placed eighth in the under 200 lb division undeterred Tom was determined to come back and rank higher next year but he and the entire bodybuilding scene were in for the biggest controversy in the sports history so far but I'm going over to the ad Olympia in Australia I'm on the plane long plane ride from La somebody gave me a book to read Jonathan livson seagull and I thought maybe something to do with the seagull the

golden Seagull I that's to doesn't work and then I came back home and I was redoing my marketing my mail order pages and uh my dad said how about the golden eagle I said I think that's it depending on who you ask the 1980 Mr Olympia contest staged in Sydney Australia is either the most controversial in the events history or a close second to 1981 the contention centered on the participation of Arnold Schwarzenegger who had announced his retirement from competition in 1975 after winning six consecutive Mr Olympia titles I'm retiring from bodybuilding competition I only

stopped competing but I'm not stopping bodybuilding it's a greatest thank you starring in Conan the Barbarian required Arnold to transform as body from a lean young Warrior of about 215 lb to a full-bodied robust king of about 230 lb Arnold set to training and began using his old bodybuilding routines to build a Conan body somewhere along the way his training Partners encouraged him to enter the Olympia I was in the gym every day with Arnold prior to that 0 Olympia I knew something was up he was looking too good so I knew there something he

was planning on doing something and he's a good shape for a movie leading up to the contest Arnold was going around saying was just going to be the television commentator yeah yeah in fact I saw Arnold at World jym training with Joseph will Coach maybe a month before that Olympia so I went I went up to Arnold I said you know I looked at him he's going to you know the tank top and stuff and had a tan already and I said to Arnold I said Arnold are you training for something you look like almost

in contest shape here you know he was just a little bit smaller than he used to be but he looked pretty good seemingly only in Sydney to do commentary for cbst TV Arnold stunn the bodybuilding World on the even the contest by declaring that he was returning to competition in pursuit of a seventh title so Boer told me that um they're at this meeting and Arnold walks in and that shocked most people because people didn't expect Arnold to be competing because he didn't announce it at all he didn't sign for the contest earlier he just

came into the meeting everybody's like freaking out about that since 1975 or 74 they Mr Olympia was held with the under 200 and the over 200 pound class that's right that's right and then Bo your Co and a few other guys told Ben weer we should just have one class 15 out of 16 guys agreed except for Arnold Arnold was the only one who wanted two classes so Boer stood up and he said you're the only one here that wants to have two classes why don't you tell us what's the reason why do you want

to have two classes and he said Boyer why don't you act like a man so Mike mener got pissed off and he stood up for for Boyer so then he goes shut up mener he goes everybody knows you you're not you w you lost the Olympia last year because you let your stomach hang out so that was it he got pissed off and he ran toward Arnold and he pointed his finger at him there was going to be a fight and then I guess Phil Pearl and Ben weer broke it up there's always tension between

Mike and Arnold there was tension between those two always as Mike would say you don't need to train six days a week twice a day like Arnold does you only need to train two or three times a week Arnold doesn't like to lose AR no doesn't like being criticized I remember that it's my second Olympia and I'm backstage and I'm like I'm in my second Olympia and these two guys are going to fight each other like oh my God I can't handle this I'm like get away from me and I was like dismissing I'm like

I'm going to go over here and warm up okay 19 80 was another disappointing year for Tom as he watched in despair from the sidelines as the top six athletes were called out for the POS down and his name was not called you saw that movie The Comeback right they focused only on Arnold and Tom Platz in that movie I for some reason I guess they thought that Platz would be like Arnold's biggest competitor or maybe the other competitors didn't want anything to do with it I mean it turns out that plat wasn't even close

to being no he was only ninth he placed ninth in the contest that Arnold ended up winning a decision that caused an uproar within the bodybuilding Community he's one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time entering the Olympia after a 5-year layoff it's hard for him not to win granted all of the judges were his buddies his friends watching the video the video doesn't look looks looks like you could win the show I honestly believe that that night I felt otherwise uh after watching the video I said well whatever only one month after the Sydney

Fiasco Tom came so close to winning the professional Mr Universe contest but replaced a disappointing second to jph Wilcos also regarded as a very good friend and training partner of Arnold who promoted The Show by that point Tom was more determined than ever to bring his best physique to the big stage but he and the rest of the competitors were in for a very unpleasant surprise the following year in the aftermath of the 1980 Mr Olympia better known as the Sydney Affair the rumors of the contest being fixed had Serv throughout the bodybuilding magazines as

a result many top bodybuilders proposed a boycott including Boer Co and Frank Zayn who decided to sit out the 1981 Mr Olympia and Mike mener who quit bodybuilding allog together in protest and they strongly encouraged all the other top bodybuilders to follow their lead the prevailing rumor was that Franco Columbo was going to enter the 1981 Mr Olympia with his best friend Arnold again promoting the biggest contest in bodybuilding Franco competed in his first Mr Olympia back in 1972 finishing fifth behind Arnold Sergio Oliva Serge ubra and Frank Zayn but Franco was never one to

be satisfied by just being on stage he needed to excel that drive helped him climb up to the runnerup spot at the Olympia in 1973 and he won the new under200 lb division in 74 and 75 but like many greats of the day he just couldn't claw his way past Arnold who was an immovable Presence at the top of the overall Podium throughout the early 70s but then it happened Arnold stepped away from bodybuilding in 1976 leaving the Mr Olympia Crown wide open though there was still stiff competition like Frank Zayn Ed corny Ken Waller

and Mike Catz that year none of them could match Franco's dense musculature and disciplined conditioning the Sardinian strongman finally walked away with his long awaited win and established himself as a force in the sport but what could have potentially been the start of a long reign as Mr Olympia ended the next year when Columbo competed in the first ever World's Strongest Man contest he and L farno represented the bodybuilders and squared off against powerlifters and a multitude of other athletes during a loaded carry race in which contestants strapped a fridge to their back backs Franco's

leg buckled and he ended up either tearing or straining every tendon and ligament in his left knee V is broken but I know it's not broken with such injury it would be a miracle if Franco could even stand on stage again let alone win a contest the caliber of the Mr Olympia the doctors had told Franco that his bodybuilding career was over if he was lucky he might be able to walk again after years of therapy heavy leg exercises like squ thoughts were going to be a thing of the past and stepping on stage to

compete again was a pipe dream Franco laughed at the doctors and rigorously engaged in his own Therapy Program back in the gym Franco had rebuilt his physique while training with Arnold before the 1980 comeback pleased with how his body looked Franco decided to follow his friend's lead and make his own return to the stage in 1981 he trained like a man possessed for this comeback he deliberately held back on his chest and back training and focused on his arms calves and thighs his lat training was replaced with hours of abdominal and forearm training as well

as carefully building up his injured left thigh and the question was was 1981 going to be 1980 all over again coming into the 1981 Olympia Tom was 26 A middling Pro noted as much for his his lack of upper body mass as his outstanding legs but that summer he had pushed his workouts into new Realms of torture and made one of the most dramatic one-year transformations in the history of bodybuilding had appe pealed 225 lbs 30 more than the previous year Not only was his upper body catching up to the previous high standards of his

legs his legs were also traveling where none had gone before 1981 was a Do or Die year for Tom and after his defeat to wil CA Tom resolved to completely transform his physique and shock the world at this year's contest he was seen doing repetition squats with 600 lb a Gold's gy Tom would psych himself up with self- hypnosis he would see himself squatting with 800 lb doing dips with 200 lb strapped to his waist one mental trick he used was to wear long socks to fool himself into thinking he was shorter than he was

and if you're really short it means you don't have that far down to go which meant he got to lift extra weight his ex-girlfriend was also training at the same gym as him 1981 4 months to go for the Mr Olympia my fiance left me for my training partner I was so hurt and so baffled that this girl could do this to me I went to the gym and my ex-t training partner and my ex fiance were kissy face Huggy Bear in the gym and I'm there there at the same time with me I decided

to take all that energy and put it into the gym squeeze it it would break would break [ __ ] steel man that that that feeling like you had a [ __ ] do it I just opened the door to the Gold Gym that year and boom everything would work it was a magical year any exercise I did was wow mindblowing every and I I would train like every day every day look better and better I'm in the mirror I'm scared myself in the [Music] mirror even with the boycotts the roster was still stacked there

was Tom Platz who came in his all-time best shape then there was the perennially underrated Danny Padilla at the leanest he had ever been rounding out the favorites were potential Challengers like Chris Dickerson Roy Kender and jessb Wilcot coming back to the 1981 Mr Olympia after a prolonged absence never mind a career-threatening injury was a big task but in typical Franco form he touted a massive upper body that looked like a throwback to his 19 76 Olympia winning physique his lower body however was almost non-existent by the standards of an elite bodybuilding competition his legs

were way out of proportion his calves were still impressive but his poor quads could not keep Pace with his award-winning upper body the thighs had come up in size from their atrophied state but the separation and definition always a struggle for him were non-existent on stage adding to this problem was a very distracting case of of gyno on one of his nipples and amplifying the weaknesses in Franco's body was the strength of the hungry competition not wanting to pass up the opportunity for another shot at the contest that many people thought he should have won

a year earlier Chris Dickerson ignored the boycott and came in Peak condition despite the lack of impressive thickness and mass that he demonstrated in Australia a year ago his legs were still one of the best on stage with complete development in the quads and outstanding caves his physique was one of balance and Symmetry and the Judges usually loved the package that Chris brought to the stage Roy calendar was in the shape of his life and he knew it always one of the thickest and most massive bodybuilders in the world Roy was more ripped than ever

before and he was ready to pull off a major upset even though all the competitors were supposed to stay relaxed Big Roy could not resist extending one of his massive thighs forward and proudly showing off the incredible quad separation one of the biggest surprises of the contest was a shredded and ripped Danny Padilla Danny was almost unrecognizable as his genetically perfect body seemed completely devoid of fat he dieted for this show like he had never dieted before it was hard to believe it was the same Dany who had once devoured two dozen donuts the night

before a contest and it actually chewed gum on stage as he easily won the 1977 afab Mr America show this year however his face was so gaunt as the skin tightly stretched over his fat-free cheekbones that the audience had to look closely to make sure this really was the Giant Killer In the Flesh the real surprise of the show however was none other than Tom Platz as he stepped on stage the audience gasped not since the appearance of the mythical Sergio Aliva had the audience witnessed such a Marvel of mass and thickness his f legs

looked remarkably even more massive as the individual heads of the quadriceps each stood out as thick slabs of beef however it was his upper body that had the audience in shock Tom looked like he had added at least 15 lb of beef above the waist since his disappointing Ninth Place finish a year ago his pecs were massive and full and his thick wide lats were among the best on stage Tom's thick as a brick ABS highlighted his amazing condition to a delighted capacity crowd it wouldn't be hyperbole to say that his massive physique blew every

other competitor off the stage the moment he arrived by the end of the prejudging the majority of the crowd had plats calendar and Pilla at the top of the roster Dickerson for all his balance and symmetry seemed to be overwhelmed by the size and impressiveness of the new Mass monsters Franco despite all his confidence and courage could not realistically be higher than fifth with zero separation in his legs after all how could anyone win the Mr Olympia title while missing a major muscle group they're going through the mandatories they asked for the ab thigh post

so Franco's got those great abs he's sitting his abs and he's twisting his leg this way that way he couldn't get one line in his legs and Pla is just smiling and the crowd's digging They're laughing and plat hits his abs and he W puts that leg out boom stri everywhere I mean that was it he was Franco was dead right there now the stage was set for one of the most exciting and controversial Mr Olympia contests ever and the question was would the controversy and dark cloud of the Sydney Affair resurface one year later

in Columbus Ohio after the debacle of last year there was palpable tension as the final judging began first came the announcement that juice of wil cause was awarded sixth place the current professional Mr Universe winner was making his Olympia debut at this contest and was in very good shape so everyone was expecting this place and there was no surprise and just mild Applause from an anxious audience but then fan favorite Padilla was called for fifth the booze poured down from the stands forcing the announcer to wait for cm to return to the auditorium when Roy

Calendar's name bellowed through the building for fourth place it dawned on everyone that Franco had somehow reached the top three and everyone started screaming expletives at the judges and the booing reached an even higher level the hostility in the room reached to Crescendo when Tom Platz learned his fate as a third place finisher most of the audience sprung to their feet booing and screaming at the top of their lungs at the absurdity of the decision and when it came time to announce the second place winner Chris Dickerson found himself reliving the events of last year

at this point people were actually starting to throw objects coins bounced off the edge of the stage onto the judge's table as Ben weeder raised Franco's arms overhead in Victory Arnold and Joe weer dared not walk on the stage and into the frenzy mob of screaming fans Joe weer and Arnold did come out and hold his hand up Joe weer wouldn't go up there I think he left and he was really upset I think it was Ben weer and one of the sponsors if you look at Arnold didn't go out there either pictures with Arnold

and Franco in the trophy were taking back stage that was kind of a smart move on his part and an oblivious Franco didn't seem affected At All by the booing from the audience to his mind he deserved the title and there was no controversy at all well um I should have won okay I'll admit I raised Franco's hand and I say congratulations I also admit when I went back to the dressing room was where I punched the wall you know get pissed off at the C you know I I didn't think it was appropriate to

go call just fact you know I didn't didn't feel that was right I was RIS but I thought it was appropriate to shake his hand at the time and that's the way happened whatever what reason it happened what I just felt that I had to continue from where I was and I felt I was in a lofty position to being third place and I could capitalize upon that win as I saw it after the Fallout of the controversial Olympia no one came out looking better than Tom refusing to comment negatively on his placing he acknowledged

the positive contributions that both Arnold and Franco had made to the sport bodybuilding I had the option the Split Second decision should I punch Franco in the face should I walk off stage the rest of the guys should I congratulate him and for some reason God put in my head go over and say congratulate Franco I'm not that I'm that great of a sportsman it just it felt like it was the right thing to do at that time parlaying his uncrowned Mr Olympia title into Dollars Tom traveled the world as the most popular bodybuilder on

the planet over the next year with each appearance he seemed to get larger and more developed surely he was on his way way to a certain victory at the 1982 Mr Olympia or was he in 81 CIA came along all of a sudden I was lofted into uh third third place that year but that was my year all of a sudden all of a sudden I'm doing more exhibitions than ever traveling to every country in the world making more money as a bodybilder more money for something I enjoyed had a passion for doing the I

could never dream of it was like wow I don't need to eat I don't need to sleep I can PL through time zones who cares I'm training to Olympia Olympia's mine this year 82 Olympia in London um about 3 weeks before the show on my arm I was training for the show under those conditions it's too much intensity my arm tore bicep actually ruptured and pulled off the bone okay I got a little sloppy I was a little tired my nutrition wasn't that good probably the water variation was upset traveling a lot two weeks to

go I can't use my bicep at all so I called Mike mener I said Mike show me how to use these stupid Nautilus machines where you don't have to use your biceps you can sort of you know do pullovers like this without your biceps my was kind of sat down with me in the gym he go he showed me everything I could do in the gym without using my biceps but went to the 82 Olympia in London he' starting to roll up I could hide it perfectly nobody knew it happened but I I made the

mistake of telling somebody I told Arnold and Arnold told the judge and this judge told that judge so when I went on stage Tom can you walk forward please can you show me your left Bice oh my God okay it's it's over and the first award goes to the man in sixth place Tom Platz USA in 1983 Tom made the trip to Munich Germany but only as a special guest poser and not to compete in the Mr Olympia the reason I'm not competing is that my bicep is still bothering me and I can't I don't

feel I can be at my best and I don't want to compete unless I'm at my best I um do want to say like I always do is that you give me the energy give us all the energy to do what we do and without you all we could never be here and I want to thank you for that he resolved to make things better in 1984 however this didn't go to plan his enormous legs seemed bigger than ever and they threw off his proportions even more than usual in addition his injured biceps still seemed

smaller than his other arm Tom was definitely one of the crowd favorites but his best days on stage seemed to be sadly behind him at the 1984 Mr olymp in Ninth Place contestant number five Tom [Applause] Platz with the prize money being $100,000 the 1985 Mr Olympia was not a $1,000 gig anymore it was a prestigious contest that gathered the very best of bodybuilders around the world with a new record of 24 competitors the rising star Lee Haney winning the previous this year and guys like Albert beckles Mohamad mawi and Rich gaspari the competition was

too tough for Tom with his enduring injury he placed seventh which was an improvement for last year and it was evident that his bodybuilding career was coming to an end hi welcome to the 22nd Mr Olympia event the most thrilling moment of your entire life 86 Olympia I placed my lowest but was able to to go out there able to walk to the front of the sa people look at me your eyes opened up everybody's eyes stood up and yelled something on like and they yelled with their arms up and nobody was on the earth

it was most incredible the most meaningful experience ever in my life this is how the late journalist Peter McGuff who attended the 86 Mr Olympia described Tom's showing that night in one of his articles during the prejudging every plot's movement threat the foundations of the Veterans Memorial Auditorium and when it came to the evening posing round sheer hysteria took over coming out to the familiar refrain of Ride Like the Wind Tom after a minute went into his kneeling thinker's pose whereupon the music changed to the gutsy thump of The Beatles Twist and Shout with the

guttural tones of John Lennon screeching away Eagle Mania took over from Beetle Mania as Tom jumped from the podium right to the edge of the stage hitting the audience with every pose in the book and a few that weren't after three encor this wasn't a guest spot remember it was a contest the eagle glided off leaving a satiated audience gasping for breath I've never seen or heard anything like it despite getting by far the most riotous reception of the night Tom eventually finished 11th and at that point everyone was unaware it would be his last

Mr Olympia contest in 1987 Tom would attempt to gain a top three placing at the Detroit Pro championships to qualify for that Year's Olympia however he finished sixth in a contest won by Mike Ashley and just like that the career of one of the most intense and charismatic bodybuilders ever was over there was a time when you got real depressed when you lose something that was so important to you and it it was a personal choice but it's time to get out nobody said retire I chose to retire but it was time every decade a

new generation of guys come up like it's time let get out I can not do what I do if it wasn't for me getting the energy from you I just want to say thank you for giving me the energy I mean I can be you know feeling sort of out of it you know sort of tired when you get up here it's all of a sudden something happens inside you Mr Lex to Plus in a way it's like my religion this is what kep me alive always saves you you notice that iron always stay here

in bodybuilding you can't think about the money you think about the heart the passion the love the commitment and the energy you're willing to put into it that close to death even willing to die to get it when I was a little kid I promised myself that that I would never leave the gym a loser you [ __ ] promise yourself You' be the best [ __ ] person to be that that is what makes you train that is what makes us grow nobody [ __ ] knows the secret that is it [Music]