Written by Garett Reid | NSCA, CSCS, CISSN, M.S.E.S.S
Fact checked by Kiel DiGiovanni, Co-founder
FACT CHECKED
Larry Scott is bodybuilding. Yes, that's a complete sentence. He's arguably the most prolific bodybuilder ever and was the first to bring the obscure sport to the mainstream. Not only was he the winner of the very first Mr. Olympia in 1965, he came back in 1966 and became the first back-to-back Mr. Olympia champion! Sure, many others came after Larry Scott, but he was the first bodybuilder and a trailblazer who made having mass look amazing! We're going to lay out now not just one Larry Scott workout routine but 2! If you want to train like the "Legend," keep reading.
Who is Larry Scott?
Larry Scott was born in 1938, and this is where his story starts. Growing up, Larry Scott was not this genetic monster destined to be the top bodybuilder she would later become. Rather, Larry is very open about how he was just a skinny, scrawny little kid. That was until he stumbled upon a bodybuilding magazine in a dumpster at the age of 16. This discovery was his first experience with bodybuilding, and he became hooked.
His transformation from a skinny teenager to a bodybuilding legend is truly inspiring and a testament to the power of dedication and hard work; you could even say he was the first "motivational transformation." If he were alive today, he'd for sure have a short video with edited progression shots in it.
At the time, he reportedly weighed less than 130 lbs at 5'8". He was also said to have narrow shoulders, which is generally an automatic disqualifier from being a professional bodybuilder with any type of meaningful presence. As he won Mr. Olympia later on in his life, it's obvious he learned to deal with it.
From 16 to 20, Larry Scott trained hard. He learned a lot and altered his training until he had put on a significant amount of muscle and started his career in 1959. He made waves immediately, winning contest after contest. He won IFBB Mr. America in 1962, IFBB Mr. Universe in 1964, and then the first two Mr. Olympia contests in 1965 and 1966. He would then retire, leaving a legacy as a trailblazer of the sport.
Larry Scott Workout Routine
As mentioned above, we will review two different workout routines for Larry Scott. Since Larry Scott had trained for many years, he utilized numerous workout routines and methods throughout his time.
It's hard to 100% verify this information, but multiple sources have said Larry Scott's workout routine varied greatly from when he first began working out to later on in his career. The determining factor is reportedly his use of steroids. Now, we can't 100% verify what caused his training to change, so take that with a grain of salt.
The reasoning would make sense as the total volume increased dramatically.
Larry Scott 3-Day Full Body Split
Larry Scott's "before" workout had him training 3 days a 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 just one with 8-10 reps. Besides, he performed 15-20 reps for his calves and then a crazy 100-150 bent knee leg raises.
He got this workout routine from Vince Gironda, who uses this training style and other methods, such as an 8x8 routine. To refresh your memory, Vince Gironda is well known to be one of the primary mentors of Arnold Schwarzenegger and his bodybuilding success.
To be clear, even though we suggested this would be "low-volume" to his workout routine later in his career, this is still 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
In comparison, his "after" program had him training five days a week using a typical body-part split, or "bro-split," similar to the Arnold split This type of workout was used during the peak of his career, and the added volume probably contributed to his becoming the first Mr. Olympia.
It's also believed that he built this training program under the guidance of the same god-like figure in bodybuilding, Vince Gironda! Again, Vince was responsible for mentoring many of the top early bodybuilders; he was a pivotal figure in his own right and a fountain of knowledge!
While Larry Scott does use slightly higher reps, 8-12, he still uses a relatively high number of sets per exercise, averaging 5. The sheer amount of volume per muscle group in a single training session is also a point of interest. For example, he used 28 sets to train his chest in one day!
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 don't become Mr. Olympia without leaving a mark in the gym; Larry Scott created two exercises: the Scott curl and the Scott press. We wanted to give these two special attention to further elaborate on how to perform these exercises and the ingenuity of Larry Scott and Vince Gironda. It's interesting to look at how these trailblazers trained, as they literally invented some exercises as they went on to meet their needs.
Scott Curl
Larry Scott was known for having massive arms, especially his biceps. Part of this growth was his use of what's become known as "Scott curls." Scott's curls are basically preacher curls, and the terms tend to be used interchangeably.
If there's any major difference, it's that a Scott curl would be performed with free weights and a preacher curl with a machine, but that's 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 with his arms spread out slightly with external rotation. If you watch a lot of guys do preacher curls, their elbows will be out wide, and their arms will be slightly internally rotated. Don't do that!
What's interesting is that one of the reasons Larry did this is that he believed the exercise stretched the bicep at the very bottom of the movement. He emphasized the need to go all the way down and get that full stretch. In fact, he was known to promote little mini reps at the bottom of the movement as a finisher.
With what we now know about stretch-mediated hypertrophy, it seems he was right! In fact, here's a study in which trainees performing preacher curls with just the lower half of the rep saw 2.25% greater growth than those who trained using just the top portion!¹
Scott Press
The Scott press is another 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 regular overhead presses and always overpowered his delts. To get around this, Vince created this unique exercise for him.
The Scott press is a dumbbell shoulder press, but the elbows don't extend; they stay at a 90-degree angle. You begin the movement as you would any dumbbell overhead press. You then drive your arms up, but your elbows stay bent. This will drive your elbows up, and the dumbbells will move towards your head. It looks simple, but it's pretty complicated to master due to our natural inclinations. Here's a video of the Legend himself performing it!
Larry Scott Diet
Larry Scott was one of the first bodybuilders to put a major emphasis on nutrition in bodybuilding. Well, maybe 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 diet. For example, he was known to follow the "steak and egg diet" advocated by Vince. The steak and egg diet is exactly what it sounds like, as that's all you would eat. It was believed to support muscle growth, increase testosterone, and burn fat.
Even when not on this diet, he maintained similar macros. He ate a lot of meat, eggs, cheese, and milk. Larry Scott also ate a few carbs, including a minimum amount of vegetables.
Desiccated Liver Tablets
Larry Scott also consumed a ton of liver tablets daily, something that was common among early bodybuilders. This was one 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 about the need to support an elite bodybuilder.
With that said, he was known to take at least one serving every day, and many days, he'd take two. Further, Larry was known to make protein shakes using up to ⅔ quarts of cream and milk to increase total calories and further increase his protein intake in addition to healthy fats and nutrients.
Digestive Enzymes and Hydrochloric Acid Tablets
During Larry Scott's bodybuilding period, taking digestive enzymes and hydrochloric acid tablets was another common practice. These are meant to aid in 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 a massive comeback. If you were to look at numbers, we'd bet "gut health" is one of the top rising topics of interest. So basically, Larry Scott and his fellow lifters were once again following solid nutritional principles decades ago.
Training Like Larry "The Legend" Scott
Larry Scott is a monumental figure in the sport of bodybuilding and fitness as a whole. 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 lot of volume, but his workout routines were terribly simple compared to today's. We love that; it shows effectiveness doesn't need to be complicated. Even though Larry Scott used various workout routines, his training methodology always shared a common theme: do what works and then do it a lot.
Check out our full collection of celebrity and pro athlete workout routines!
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
Garett Reid
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