"The Legend" Larry Scott Workout and Diet

In this article you will learn how Larry Scott trained and ate to build his incredible physique.

Who Is Larry Scott?

Larry Scott is arguably the most prolific figure in bodybuilding.

Before him, bodybuilding was an obscure hobby that only a few people cared about. But after Scott hit the scene people were drawn to the sport like a magnet.

Men wanted to look like him, and women would break their necks trying to get a glimpse of him as he walked by.

He inspired many men around the world to pick up the iron including the bodybuilders of the Golder Era like Arnold Schwarzenegger.

He helped take bodybuilding from a cult activity to a mainstream global phenomenon.

Mr. Scott was also the back-to-back winner of the first (and second) ever Mr. Olympia title.

The Larry Scott Workout Routine

The workout below helped him go from a pencil-neck weakling to a fitness icon.

Larry Scott used a total body workout routine to build the foundation of his physique. The workouts contain just one exercise for each muscle group.

Each exercise was performed with 6 sets and a varying amount of reps, depending on the muscle group.

Larry Scott Workout Routine

This workout was performed 3 days a week with 1-2 days rest in between each workout.

Barbell Squats 6 x 8
Bench Press to the Neck 6 x 6-8
Calf Raises 6 x 15-20
Behind the Neck Shoulder Press 6 x 6-8
Pull-Downs 6 x 8-10
Barbell Tricep Extension 6 x 6-8
Preacher Curls 6 x 6-8
Bent Knee Leg Raises 1 x 100-150

Scott took special care to perform each rep in a slow, controlled manner.

Keep tension on the muscles to overload them. Do this by not fully locking out at the top of each rep.

Rest under 60 seconds between sets. This keeps the blood pumping into the working muscles. It also makes for a fast paced and intense training session.

On rest days go on a long walk or do some light stretching. Eat a bunch of good food and get some rest so you recover.

Barbell Squats – 6 Sets, 8 Reps

Back squats are essential for having a noteworthy physique. Skip leg day and you might as well not show up to the gym at all.

Squats engage your entire body and build every muscle in your body from the ground up.

Bench Presses to the Neck – 6 Sets, 6-8 Reps

Also called the guillotine press. Neck presses are one of the best chest building exercises on Earth.

They are especially effective at shaping the pecs nicely.

Calf Raises – 6 Sets, 15-20 Reps

Don’t neglect your calfs.

Strong calfs are needed to build an athletic physique. Strong calfs also help ‘root’ you to the ground when performing heavy squats, deadlifts, and other standing exercises.

Behind the Neck Presses – 6 Sets, 6-8 Reps

Behind the neck presses are great for building the shoulder muscles, especially the front deltoids. Use a weight you can control completely when performing this exercise.

Behind the neck presses can put your shoulders in a dangerous position. Make sure you practice with light weight and increase gradually. This is a smart practice for all exercises, but especially for behind the neck presses.

Front Pull-Downs – 6 Sets, 8-10 Reps

I’m bias toward pull-ups, but something can be said for pull-downs and their effectiveness.

Pull-downs are perfect for building strength that enables you to perform pull-ups.

Pull-downs also allow you to CONCENTRATE on training your back muscles. Building mind-muscle connection is important.

Mind-muscle connection carries over to other exercises and will unlock better gains.

Being able to hone-in on specific muscles is key to building a strong, thick, and ripped back.

Laying Barbell Tricep Extensions – 6 Sets, 6-8 Reps

Lying Barbell Tricep Extensions are kind of a mix between skull crushers, pull-overs, and french press. That’s probably why they are so effective.

Lying tricep extensions allow you a lot of movement to fully develop the tricep muscles. The triceps stretch back, pull forward, and press up the weight.

Once you have a feel for this exercise and can engage your triceps to do all the work, your tricep muscles will explode.

Preacher Curls – 6 Sets, 6-8 Reps

Larry Scott spent so much time at the preacher curl bench they began calling them ‘Scott Curls’.

Scott loved isolation exercises later in his career. Preacher curls allowed perfect isolation of the bicep muscles so they were trained to the maximum.

Preacher curls completely eliminate momentum. There’s no chance to compromise form with your arm pinned in position. This makes Preacher Curls unmatched for bicep development.

Bent-Knee Leg Raises – 1 Set, 100-150 Reps

Bent-Knee leg raises are ideal for building a strong core. This exercises builds v-shape abs. The trick is to fully isolate the abdominals to pull up your legs.

Eliminate body swing and momentum. Focus on slow, controlled movements.

Only an absolute beast could complete 100+ reps in one set. Complete all bent-knee leg raises in as few sets as possible for best results. Try these and you will have six-pack abs in no time.

Notes about the Larry Scott Workout Routine

Starting Weight and Progression

Start with a weight that is easy to lift for the number of reps shown for each exercises.

Keep adding weight until you can barely do the top amount of reps per set for each exercise. That’s your starting weight.

Add more weight as you become stronger. If you can lift a weight for the full amount of reps noted in the workout, increase the weight by 5 pounds next workout.

Continuously adding weight week-over-week is called progressive overload, and it is key to gaining muscular weight and strength.

Workout Volume

The bodybuilding greats of the Golden Era were no strangers to high volume workouts.

As a beginner you may want to do just 3 working sets of each exercises.

Add more sets as you get stronger to give yourself a chance to get used to the volume. Maybe add a set every month or two, but this will vary person to person.

The Larry Scott Diet

Larry Scott was one of the first to advocate the importance of nutrition in bodybuilding. It’s widely said that bodybuilding is 80% nutrition.

This is true in most regards.

To take a page from The Legend himself, here’s an excerpt from Larry Scott’s seminar on bodybuilding nutrition:

What I am about to tell you is very controversial and misunderstood. When I say bodybuilding is 80% nutrition, that doesn’t mean that you don’t have to workout, just take supplements, eat and you’ll gain. What it is means is this:
Working out is catabolic. You tear your body down. Muscle breaks down. You gain while you rest and when you supply yourself with lot’s of good nutrition.

So, what did Larry Scott eat during his bodybuilding days? Like his coach Vince GiRonda, he advocated a high protein, low carb diet. (Using the steak and eggs diet to achieve top form.)

Scott said meat, cheese and eggs where the bulk of his diet. Cottage cheese and beef of all kinds being his favorite and most commonly consumed.

Larry Scott ate almost NO CARBS and very little vegetables.

He also supplemented his diet with protein shakes. While really gaining weight from 170-210 pounds, Scott hyper-dosed his protein shakes, consuming 2 cups of protein powder with 2/3 quart of cream and milk every day.

Sugar and flour were all but eliminated from his diet. Fruits and other high carb foods were rarely eaten.

Larry Scott on Nutrition Supplementation

Larry Scott advocated the use of supplements to maximize performance, health, and energy:

“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.”

In addition to protein shakes, Larry Scott took the following supplements:

Desiccated Liver Tablets

Liver tablets are one of nature’s most perfect foods. Liver is high protein with zero carbs, and provide amazing muscle building properties

Liver is loaded with vitamins, minerals, and has a complete BCAA profile. Not only that, but liver has a mysterious substance that increases endurance and power output.

Many Old School bodybuilders took liver tablets for energy and increased strength. In fact they pounded liver supplements – Larry Scott, and other bodybuilders, consumed over 150 liver pills per day.

This provided a steady flow of high quality muscle building nutrients. I understand why, whenever I take liver tablets I feel like an unstoppable machine.

Protein Powder

Milk and egg based protein powders are the best. Avoid the cheap soy based protein supplements because they are inferior.

Transparent Labs makes one of the top protein powders on the market.

Optimum Nutrition whey protein is a good second choice.

Digestive Enzymes and Hydrochloric Acid Tablets

Enzyme tablets and hydrochloric acid tablets (Peptain HCL) were taken daily to help digestion and the assimilation nutrients.

You gotta eat to grow, and digestion stresses the system. Enzymes help digest food better so you can maximize muscle growth, have more energy and better gut health.

Amino Acids

Amino acids are the building blocks of protein. They repair muscle tissue and shield muscles from being catabolized (broken down by the body and used as fuel).

Amino acids are potent muscle builders because they are essentially ‘pre-digested’ proteins. Meaning your body can use them quickly for energy and muscle building material without spending energy digesting them.

Having amino acids means protein from food and supplements are readily available in large supply to be used for muscle building.

B-Complex Supplement

B-vitamins are essential for health. They make the entire body more efficient in almost every way.

Taking a B-Complex vitamin supplement ensures complete and well rounded nutrition.

One key point to remember is that supplements work unless you do!

Yes, nutritional supplements did help Larry Scott build an incredible physique, but don’t think they are some magic pill that will turn you into a stud overnight.

You need to train hard to provide the right environment in your body for supplements to benefit you.

It just so happens that the Larry Scott workout is just what you need to milk those supplements for all their worth.

Get after it.

Larry Scott’s contribution to the sport of bodybuilding is unmatched. His passion for fitness resulted in Scott spending the majority of his life advocating bodybuilding.

Larry Scott would be considered a hard gainer. He had to fight for every ounce of muscle mass.

Every pound of muscle and every fraction of an inch of size was gained through hard work and clean eating.

His consistency and dedication allowed him to build an impressive physique. After a few years of hard work and good eating, he added many muscular pounds to his 5’9″ frame.

“The Legend” Larry Scott Workout and Diet

Who Is Larry Scott?