Larry Scott’s Workout Routine and Diet Plan

Who wouldn’t have heard the name of the legendary Larry Scott? He was the very first Mr.Olympia and amongst the first few men who had 20-inch arms. He belonged to the Silver Era of Bodybuilding.

Owing to his impressive persona, he was nicknamed “The Golden Boy”. Becoming the first Mr. Olympia also made many people call him “The Legend”.

Larry started his bodybuilding journey as a skinny teenager. But the way he transformed his body to become big and muscular is quite phenomenal.

So without further ado, let’s find out how he did so by throwing light on Larry Scott’s workout routine and diet plan.

Larry Scott’s Workout Routine

Larry got started with bodybuilding as a weakling who fantasized about the idea of having a strong and muscular body. He was pretty committed to making it a reality and his commitment kick-started his journey in the world of bodybuilding.

Larry got to train under the famous bodybuilding legend Vince Gironda aka the Iron Guru. Under his guidance, Larry was able to build a physique that made him a bodybuilding legend.

You might be surprised to know that Larry’s arms were his weakest body parts. But his dedication to training them enabled them to balloon up to 20 inches when he used to hit a bicep pose.

Under the guidance of Vince Gironda, Larry got exposed to a variety of exercises. Some of those exercises might be called unconventional in the current times, but their effectiveness has always been unquestionable. One such exercise was the preacher bench curls.

Performing the preacher bench curls gave Larry one of the best biceps in the history of bodybuilding. They were round, full, peaked, and three-dimensional. Larry used to perform the preacher bench curls so religiously that it was soon called the Scott Curls.

Larry was never into lifting super heavy weights. Instead, he usually chose to go with moderate weights. This in turn enabled him to give his muscles a skin-splitting pump. Even to build his mountainous biceps, he never curled more than 175 lbs.

Being quite passionate about the sport of bodybuilding, Larry used to hit the gym 6 days a week. Each of his training sessions extended for about 2 hours totaling up to 12 hours of workout per week.

Now let’s have a look at the exercises that Larry performed for each of his muscle groups:-

Chest

• Wide grip barbell bench press- 5 sets of 5-8 reps
• Incline dumbbell press- 5 sets of 5-8 reps
• Parallel bar dips (with elbows flared out)- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Incline dumbbell flys- 5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Decline dumbbell flys- 5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Push-ups- 3 sets of AMRAP

Back

• Wide-grip chin ups- 5 sets of 10 reps or AMRAP
• Hanging scapular rotation from the bar- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Straddled single arm lat pulldowns- 5 sets of 8-12 reps
• Close-grip seated cable rows- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Crossbench dumbbell pullovers- 5 sets of 10-12 reps

Shoulders

• Standing barbell overhead press- 5 sets of 5-8 reps
• Dumbbell Scott press- 5 sets of 5-8 reps
• Barbell front raises- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Lateral raises- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Rear delt raises- 5 sets of 10-12 reps

Arms

• Barbell/Dumbbell Scott curls- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Single-arm bicep curls- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Barbell overhead triceps extensions- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Single-arm triceps extensions- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Reverse barbell curls- 5 sets of 10-12 reps

Legs

• Narrow stance barbell squats- 5 sets of 5-8 reps
• Hack squats- 5 sets of 5-8 reps
• Barbell stiff-leg deadlifts- 5 sets of 5-8 reps
• Leg extensions- 5 sets of 10-12 reps
• Standing calf raises- 5 sets of 15-20 reps

Abdominals

• Sit-ups- 3 set of 15 reps
• Bent-knees raises- 3 set of 15 reps
• Leg raises- 3 set of 15 reps

Larry used to keep his rest periods between the sets as little as possible. This approach enabled him to train his muscles to their fullest potential which put them into growth mode.

Weight Progression

Larry had advised that a beginner lifter should choose a weight that can let him perform 10-12 reps with proper form.

Once he is able to do so, he must consider adding weight that makes it pretty challenging for him to perform the lat reps.

Increasing the weight by just 5 lbs in each workout will subject the muscles to progressive resistance which will facilitate both strength and size gains.

Workout Volume

Larry advised the beginner lifters to perform no more than 3 sets per exercise. As they get stronger over time, they must consider performing 4-5 sets on each exercise.

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Larry Scott’s Diet Plan

Larry was an ectomorph. His body had a natural tendency to stay skinny. Thus, to put on impressive muscle mass on his frame he had to eat a lot of quality foods.

He said once that muscle gaining was something that didn’t come naturally to him. Nevertheless, he went on to become the very first Mr. Olympia.

In order to gain lean muscle mass, Larry followed a “high-protein, low-carb, and high-fat” diet plan. It enabled him to pack on muscle size on his frame without making him appear fat and bulkier.

Larry’s daily protein intake came from eggs, cheese, meat, cottage cheese, and beef. He ate almost little to no carbs. However, he included some vegetables in his diet plan.

Simple carbs like sugar and flour had no place in Larry Scott’s diet plan. Talking about fruits and other high-carb foods, even they were consumed by him quite rarely.

Larry consumed 6-7 meals in a day. Let’s find out what all food items were there in Larry Scott’s meal plan:-

Meal 1

• Milk
• 6 eggs
• Bacon

Meal 2

• Protein shake (made with heavy cream, protein powder, and whole milk)

Meal 3

• 1 cup cottage cheese
• Vegetables
• 8 oz. steak

Meal 4

• 6 egg omelet
• Cheese
• Toast

Meal 5

• Protein shake (made with heavy cream, protein powder, and whole milk)

Meal 6

• Any meat with cheese

Larry Scott’s diet chart also had plenty of supplements. They were suggested to him by his nutritionist Rheo Blair who happened to be a former bodybuilder and owner of a supplement company.

Let’s discuss that in the next section.

Larry Scott’s Supplements

Apart from eating nutritious whole-food items, Larry also included certain supplements in his nutrition plan. Talking about their importance, he said,

“You do need to eat good quality foods, 3 times per day. But you can’t get it all with just regular food. That is where supplements come in.”

Larry Scott’s supplements stack included the following:-

• Protein powder
• Amino acids
• Desiccated liver tablets
• Digestive enzymes and HCl tablets
• B-complex

The use of protein powder and amino acids kept his body in an anabolic state. Both of them work significantly well in promoting muscle recovery and growth.

The rest of the supplements he consumed fetched his body essential vitamins and minerals. This in turn kept his body in great condition. Their consumption also assisted the process of muscle building by boosting digestion and assimilation of nutrients.

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Final Thoughts

Undoubtedly, Larry Scott revolutionized the world of bodybuilding with his iconic physique. Later on, he went on to inspire many bodybuilding greats including Arnold.

And still, he is a source of inspiration to many upcoming bodybuilders. Even though he didn’t have the genetic predisposition that favors bodybuilding, with his perseverance and dedication he became a bodybuilding legend.

If you too feel inspired and empowered by his journey, it’s an indication for you to get started with the process of transforming your body. You can utilize the info mentioned in this post to do so.

Just make sure to modify it a bit based on your training goals and experience. We are sure that a fitness regime that is based on the legendary Larry Scott’s training routine will fetch you the best results.