Larry Scott is bodybuilding. Yes, that is a whole sentence. He’s arguably probably the most prolific bodybuilder ever and was the primary to bring the obscure sport to the mainstream. Not only was he the winner of the very first Mr. Olympia in 1965, he got here back in 1966 and have become the primary back-to-back Mr. Olympia champion! Sure, many others got here after Larry Scott, but he was the primary bodybuilder and a trailblazer who made having mass look amazing! We will lay out not only one Larry Scott workout routine but 2! If you must train just like the “Legend,” keep reading.
Who’s Larry Scott?
Larry Scott was born in 1938, and that is where his story starts. Growing up, Larry Scott was not this genetic monster destined to be the highest bodybuilder she would later develop into. Slightly, Larry may be very open about how he was just a thin, scrawny little kid. That was until he stumbled upon a bodybuilding magazine in a dumpster on the age of 16. This discovery was his first experience with bodybuilding, and he became hooked.
His transformation from a thin teenager to a bodybuilding legend is really inspiring and a testament to the facility of dedication and exertions; you would even say he was the primary “motivational transformation.” If he were alive today, he’d of course have a brief video with edited progression shots in it.
On the time, he reportedly weighed lower than 130 lbs at 5’8″. He was also said to have narrow shoulders, which is mostly an automatic disqualifier from being an expert bodybuilder with any variety of meaningful presence. As he won Mr. Olympia afterward in his life, it’s obvious he learned to take care of it.
From 16 to twenty, Larry Scott trained hard. He learned quite a bit and altered his training until he had placed on a major amount of muscle and began his profession in 1959. He made waves immediately, winning contest after contest. He won IFBB Mr. America in 1962, IFBB Mr. Universe in 1964, after which the primary two Mr. Olympia contests in 1965 and 1966. He would then retire, leaving a legacy as a trailblazer of the game.
Larry Scott Workout Routine
As mentioned above, we’ll review two different workout routines for Larry Scott. Since Larry Scott had trained for a few years, he utilized quite a few workout routines and methods throughout his time.
It’s hard to 100% confirm this information, but multiple sources have said Larry Scott’s workout routine varied greatly from when he first began figuring out to afterward in his profession. The determining factor is reportedly his use of steroids. Now, we will not 100% confirm what caused his training to vary, so take that with a grain of salt.
The reasoning would make sense as the whole volume increased dramatically.
Larry Scott 3-Day Full Body Split
Larry Scott’s “before” workout had him training 3 days every week using a full-body split. He only used one exercise per body part and would then use high volume, generally 6 sets. This makes this program insanely easy.
Further, he primarily used moderate reps, on the lower end. Most exercises were performed with 6-8 reps and only one with 8-10 reps. Besides, he performed 15-20 reps for his calves after which a crazy 100-150 bent knee leg raises.
He got this workout routine from Vince Gironda, who uses this training style and other methods, corresponding to an 8×8 routine. To refresh your memory, Vince Gironda is well-known to be one in every of the first mentors of Arnold Schwarzenegger and his bodybuilding success.
To be clear, though we suggested this could be “low-volume” to his workout routine later in his profession, this remains to be high-volume as he’s using about 18 working sets per muscle group.
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Barbell Squats | 6 | 8 |
| Bench Press to the Neck | 6 | 6-8 |
| Calf Raises | 6 | 15-20 |
| Behind the Neck Shoulder Press | 6 | 6-8 |
| Lat Pulldowns | 6 | 8-10 |
| Barbell Tricep Extension | 6 | 6-8 |
| Preacher Curls | 6 | 6-8 |
| Bent Knee Leg Raises | 1 | 100-150 |
Larry Scott’s 6-Day Body Part Split
Compared, his “after” program had him training five days every week using a typical body-part split, or “bro-split,” just like the Arnold split Any such workout was used in the course of the peak of his profession, and the added volume probably contributed to his becoming the primary Mr. Olympia.
It is also believed that he built this training program under the guidance of the identical god-like figure in bodybuilding, Vince Gironda! Again, Vince was accountable for mentoring lots of the top early bodybuilders; he was a pivotal figure in his own right and a fountain of information!
While Larry Scott does use barely higher reps, 8-12, he still uses a comparatively high variety of sets per exercise, averaging 5. The sheer amount of volume per muscle group in a single training session can be a focal point. For instance, he used 28 sets to coach his chest in someday!
Chest
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Wide Grip Barbell Bench Press | 5 | 5-8 |
| Incline Dumbbell Press | 5 | 5-8 |
| Parallel Bar Dips | 5 | 10-12 |
| Incline Dumbbell Flys | 5 | 8-12 |
| Decline Dumbbell Flys | 5 | 8-12 |
| Push-ups | 3 | AMRAP |
Back
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Wide Grip Chin-ups | 5 | 5-10 |
| Hanging Scapular Rotation From Bar | 5 | 10-12 |
| Straddled Single Arm Lat Pulldowns | 5 | 8-12 |
| Close Grip Seated Cable Rows | 5 | 10-12 |
| Crossbench Dumbbell Pullovers | 5 | 10-12 |
Shoulders
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Standing Barbell Overhead Press | 5 | 5-8 |
| Dumbbell Scott Press | 5 | 5-8 |
| Barbell Front Raises | 5 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell Lateral Raises | 5 | 10-12 |
| Rear Delt Raises | 5 | 10-12 |
Arms
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Barbell/Dumbbell Scott Curls | 5 | 10-12 |
| Single Arm Biceps Curls | 5 | 10-12 |
| Barbell Overhead Triceps Extensions | 5 | 10-12 |
| Single Arm Triceps Extensions | 5 | 10-12 |
| Reverse Barbell Curls | 5 | 10-12 |
Legs
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Narrow Stance Barbell Squats | 5 | 5-8 |
| Hack Squats | 5 | 5-8 |
| Barbell Stiff Leg Deadlifts | 5 | 5-8 |
| Leg Extensions | 5 | 10-12 |
| Standing Calf Raises | 5 | 15-20 |
Abs
| EXERCISE | SETS | REPS |
| Sit-ups | 3 | 15 |
| Bent Knee Raises | 3 | 15 |
| Leg Raises | 3 | 15 |
Scott Curls And Scott Presses
You do not develop into Mr. Olympia without leaving a mark within the gym; Larry Scott created two exercises: the Scott curl and the Scott press. We wanted to provide these two special attention to further elaborate on tips on how to perform these exercises and the ingenuity of Larry Scott and Vince Gironda. It’s interesting to have a look at how these trailblazers trained, as they literally invented some exercises as they went on to fulfill their needs.
Scott Curl
Larry Scott was known for having massive arms, especially his biceps. A part of this growth was his use of what is develop into often called “Scott curls.” Scott’s curls are mainly preacher curls, and the terms are likely to be used interchangeably.
If there’s any major difference, it’s that a Scott curl can be performed with free weights and a preacher curl with a machine, but that is really splitting hairs. Either way, Larry Scott first performed them using the back of a bench. As such, this caused his elbows to be close together along with his arms unfolded barely with external rotation. When you watch a whole lot of guys do preacher curls, their elbows will probably be out wide, and their arms will probably be barely internally rotated. Don’t try this!
What’s interesting is that one in every of the explanations Larry did that is that he believed the exercise stretched the bicep on the very bottom of the movement. He emphasized the necessity to go all the way in which down and get that full stretch. Actually, he was known to advertise little mini reps at the underside of the movement as a finisher.
With what we now learn about stretch-mediated hypertrophy, it seems he was right! Actually, here’s a study during which trainees performing preacher curls with just the lower half of the rep saw 2.25% greater growth than those that trained using just the highest portion!¹
Scott Press
The Scott press is one other exercise made famous by Larry Scott. Vince Gironda designed it specifically for Larry so he could grow his shoulders. Larry believed his triceps were too strong for normal overhead presses and all the time overpowered his delts. To get around this, Vince created this unique exercise for him.
The Scott press is a dumbbell shoulder press, however the elbows don’t extend; they stay at a 90-degree angle. You start the movement as you’d any dumbbell overhead press. You then drive your arms up, but your elbows stay bent. This may drive your elbows up, and the dumbbells will move towards your head. It looks easy, nevertheless it’s pretty complicated to master resulting from our natural inclinations. Here’s a video of the Legend himself performing it!
Larry Scott Weight loss plan
Larry Scott was one in every of the primary bodybuilders to place a serious emphasis on nutrition in bodybuilding. Well, perhaps the second bodybuilder, as he got most of his education from, again, the legendary Vince Gironda.
Either way, Larry Scott generally stuck to a high-protein, high-fat, low-carb weight loss program. For instance, he was known to follow the “steak and egg weight loss program” advocated by Vince. The steak and egg weight loss program is precisely what it appears like, as that is all you’d eat. It was believed to support muscle growth, increase testosterone, and burn fat.
Even when not on this weight loss program, he maintained similar macros. He ate a whole lot of meat, eggs, cheese, and milk. Larry Scott also ate just a few carbs, including a minimum amount of vegetables.
Desiccated Liver Tablets
Larry Scott also consumed a ton of liver tablets day by day, something that was common amongst early bodybuilders. This was one in every of his primary supplements.
Liver tablets packed a ton of minerals, vitamins, and BCAAs, which helped nourish his body, support muscle growth, and maintain a healthy body.
Protein Powder & Amino Acids
Larry Scott was well-known for being a fan of protein powder. He did advocate whole foods but was realistic in regards to the have to support an elite bodybuilder.
With that said, he was known to take no less than one serving day-after-day, and plenty of days, he’d take two. Further, Larry was known to make protein shakes using as much as ⅔ quarts of cream and milk to extend total calories and further increase his protein intake along with healthy fats and nutrients.
Digestive Enzymes and Hydrochloric Acid Tablets
During Larry Scott’s bodybuilding period, taking digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid tablets was one other common practice. These are supposed to aid within the digestion of food and the absorption of its nutrients.
It just so happens that enzymes and the importance of gut health have recently made an enormous comeback. When you were to have a look at numbers, we might bet “gut health” is one in every of the highest rising topics of interest. So mainly, Larry Scott and his fellow lifters were once more following solid dietary principles many years ago.
Training Like Larry “The Legend” Scott
Larry Scott is a monumental figure in the game of bodybuilding and fitness as a complete. He was a trailblazer and created a pathway for all future bodybuilders. What’s interesting is just how accessible his training was. Yes, Larry Scott used a whole lot of volume, but his workout routines were terribly easy in comparison with today’s. We love that; it shows effectiveness doesn’t should be complicated. Though Larry Scott used various workout routines, his training methodology all the time shared a standard theme: do what works after which do it quite a bit.
References
- Sato Shigeru, Yoshida Riku, Kiyono Ryosuke, Yahata Kaoru, Yasaka Koki, Nunes João Pedro, Nosaka Kazunori, Nakamura Masatoshi. Elbow Joint Angles in Elbow Flexor Unilateral Resistance Exercise Training Determine Its Effects on Muscle Strength and Thickness of Trained and Non-trained Arms. Frontiers in Physiology, volume 12, 2021. 10.3389/fphys.2021.734509. 1664-042X
