Tom Platz is proving that age is just a number by maintaining the legendary leg strength that earned him the nickname 'The Quadfather.' At 70 years old, the bodybuilding icon still performs 15-rep sets of 315-pound squats. His longevity stems from a strict adherence to technical precision over raw power.

On May 16, Coachify.ai praised the bodybuilder for his consistency and hard work at his age in an Instagram post, captioning it, “Even in his 70s, legendary bodybuilder Tom Platz continues to train with the same intensity that built his iconic reputation years ago.”

Platz, “famous for developing some of the most impressive legs the sport has ever seen,” has also said, “I’m still squatting at 70 years old. I still squat 315 pounds for 15 reps, and my joints are fine.”

You may wonder how, because often people in their 70s encounter severe health and physical issues while training, and heavy training like Platz does is still a dream for many.

The answer lies in his technique. According to BoxLife Magazine, Platz once revealed in an interview that “I never had a knee problem in my life because of perfect, pure technique… Modern squatting is all about a hip thrust. People use their buttocks and lower back too much — not the quad.”

So, what is proper squatting according to Platz, and how can one fix their form to get the maximum results? Let's see it.

Talking about the correct form, Platz said, “It's a quad-dominant movement. Having the back not perfectly 90 degrees, but maybe four or five degrees off.

Most people who are fitness advocates nowadays are somewhere in the area of 45 degrees. It's easier to teach an incorrect squat than it is a correct squat.”

For a perfect squat, stand with your feet a little wider than your hips, engage your core, and keep your chest proud. Then slowly lower your glutes into a squat, keeping the bar over your center of mass.

One's thighs must be lower than or parallel to the floor before pressing their heels into the floor to lift their body.

In addition to squats, some of the exercises that Platz follows for his legs include:

• Leg extension: 5 to 8 sets × 10 to 15 reps
• Hack squats: 5 sets × 15 reps
• Lying leg curls: 6 to 10 sets × 10 to 15 reps
• Seated calf raises: 3 to 4 sets × 10 to 15 reps
• Standing calf raises: 3 to 4 sets × 10 to 15 reps
• Hack machine calf raises: 3 to 4 sets × 10 to 15 reps

Workout has played a vital role in developing the quads. Platz also opened up about a ferocious mentality that helped him master the technique.

Tom Platz’s ferocious mentality for squats

Fitness Volt shared an Instagram reel that Platz posted on December 17, 2025. On that post, the bodybuilder said,

“Every workout, especially the squat workouts, I used to look in the mirror and point to myself and say, Okay, you’re good, but I can be better. I can do better than you ever did. You hear me?

I’m coming after you, Tom Platz. I was the guy in my way, and I realized that, and I had to really perform and train super hard to become better than my expectations or better than what Tom Platz was.”

He added, “It’s really hard to do that every day because you’re not just going to the gym, you’re not just going to talk to the girls, get a few numbers, connect with them, it’s a ferocious, overwhelming mentality that takes you over. It takes over your existence, and then you do beat yourself.”

Platz also admitted that true gym progress is discomfort. He used to put pressure on himself before every target he set.

Follow Bodybuilding Bros for more.

Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil