Nobody could accuse Tom ‘The Quadfather’ Platz of having chicken legs, but that wasn’t always the case. Inhibited by a lower spine complication, Platz was unable to train his legs, which led him to have quite the unfortunate nickname. So before he became ‘The Quadfather,’ Platz was the ‘chicken leg guy.’ Then, he transformed his legs to become one the most insane legs in bodybuilding history, with unparalleled muscle definition and gorgeous cross-striation.

In 1992, Platz went head-to-head with ‘Dr. Squat’ Fred Hatfield in a competition, now known as the “squat-off,” and forever cemented himself in bodybuilding lore. In the competition held in Germany, Platz squatted an astonishing 500 pounds for 23 reps, rightfully earning his new nickname and moving past his chicken leg days forever. Today, even at 68, Platz boasts massive legs that any bodybuilding enthusiast would be in awe of. And he’s added comedian and longtime UFC commentator Joe Rogan to that list.

Joe Rogan left speechless by the Quadfather’s legs

Last year, Rogan invited Ben Patrick, a.k.a. The Knees Over Toes Guy, who introduced the comedian to the art that is Platz’s leg development. Although Rogan knew that bodybuilding fans consider Platz the bodybuilder with the best legs, he didn’t know, how massive and flexible Platz’s legs actually were. So when Patrick showed the UFC commentator, he flipped out.

While explaining his point on flexibility and the correlation with leg strength, Patrick gave the example of Tom Platz. The founder of the ATG system said that he had learned an aspect of extreme flexibility from Tom Platz. Despite having “arguably the best bodybuilding legs,” which were “like the most muscular legs,” Platz was very flexible. When he asked Rogan if he knew about the bodybuilding icon’s flexibility, he said, “No.” So the YouTuber told Rogan to look it up, and when he did, Rogan couldn’t believe his eyes. 

“That guy’s legs are as big as my whole body,” said Rogan during the podcast, as he browsed through the images of The Quadfather showing off his insanely muscular yet flexible legs. 

“Yeah, bro. That’s bonkers, right?… those legs are bonkers!” repeated the UFC color commentator. It seemed he was at a loss for words. “That does not look real,” added the 55-year-old. The podcast host also pointed out how Platz, “had a regular-sized upper body for a bodybuilder.” However, his legs were unmatched.

Patrick then explained how studying athletes like Tom Platz inspired him to come up with his own system of knee rehabilitation and working out.

Ben Patrick’s focus on flexibility

At one point in his life, Ben Patrick suffered severe knee problems. However, after studying exceptional athletes from all disciplines and scientific studies, Patrick devised his own training methodology. While nearly every trainer in gyms across the world warns their clients to move their knees over their toes while doing leg exercises, Patrick followed the exact opposite.

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Patrick found that “outliers” like flexibility and a full range of motion were common among athletes like Tom Platz, who remained injury free. So he developed a specific set of progressions that emphasize flexibility, full range of motion, and building strength through the entire range of motion for a specific joint. Today he often appears on podcasts like ‘The Joe Rogan Experience’ and has nearly a million subscribers on YouTube. How did you react to Tom Platz’s legs? Was your reaction similar to Rogan’s? Let us know in the comments.

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