Larry Scott and Steroids: Biography & Workout Routine

Larry Scott (nicknamed “The Legend”) is the first ever and subsequently two-time winner of Mr Olympia. The future champion began to be interested in bodybuilding only in adolescence (at the age of 16), but by his full adulthood he managed to develop a physical form that was unattainable for most competitors.

Larry Scott Biography

Bodybuilder Larry Scott is a role model for many novice athletes for a reason: he was born on October 12, 1938 in Blackfoot (Idaho, US) into a family far from sports; in childhood, he was distinguished by a fragile physique, inferior in size to most of his peers; not having a sporting heritage, it also slowly developed with age; I could not really gain weight until I decided to radically change myself, taking up bodybuilding, first at an amateur, and then at a professional level.

Larry Scott’s life changed at the age of 16: during the spring cleaning, sorting out old trash, he accidentally stumbled upon a bodybuilding magazine. On the cover of the publication, next to a photo of Cuban bodybuilder George Payne, there was a headline that could not fail to attract attention – “You can achieve the same results in 30 days.” Scott from cover to cover studied the recommendations of the magazine and began active training. Following the publication methodology, by the end of the summer Larry had increased the volume of his hands to 30 centimeters. After such progress, the young man’s head did not even have a thought to stop doing heavy sports.

It is important to understand that in the 50-60s of the 20th century, when Larry Scott’s career began, the attitude towards bodybuilding in society was completely different. People did not care much about their own physical condition, so there were no numerous gyms, developed markets for sports nutrition and sports pharmacology. At that time, anabolic steroids were just beginning to appear on the market, and their use by athletes, if carried out, then in minimal doses. Nobody really knew anything about the benefits and dangers of steroids.

All this makes us more respect for the pioneers of bodybuilding, who achieved success primarily due to their dedication. Although to say that doping did not exist in the middle of the last century is to lie. It’s just that the effectiveness of the then drugs cannot be compared with modern counterparts.

But back to “The Legend” directly. To move from amateur to professional training, bodybuilder Larry Scott was forced to leave his hometown. He enrolled at the California Air College and moved to his assigned dorm room. The choice of educational institution was obvious, because the Bert Goodrich Wellness Center was located a few steps from it. There, the young man continued and tightened his own training to prepare for the competition.

Larry Scott’s first bodybuilding victory happened in his home state. In 1959, he won the Mr Idaho title, literally defeating his opponents. In 1960, after moving, the athlete took part in more prestigious tournaments – Mr Los Angeles and Mr California, respectively. At “Mr Los Angeles” he was not very lucky: the result – an honorable third place, which could not satisfy the ambitious newcomer. But on “Mr California” Scott’s fortune was on the side: the result – the first place, which brought Larry one step closer to his dream – the first place on Mr America.

From 1961 to 1964, Larry Scott’s victories only accumulated. Among them: the title of Mr Pacific Coast in 1961 and the title of Mr Universe in 1963-1964. Scott’s career peaked in the next two years. It was in 1965 and 1966, already an eminent bodybuilder, that Larry won Mr Olympia gold twice. These awards, by his own admission, became for him the highest point in his sports life. After them, interest in official competitions gradually faded away, but the athlete did not give up training to keep himself in shape.

Larry Scott ended his professional career at the age of 28, which shocked the sports community to say the least. In an interview, Scott admitted that it was not a lack of motivation that pushed him to leave, but a desire to focus on his personal life (not long before that Larry got married for the second time).

Despite the absence of official performances, the athlete never parted with sports. After moving to Salt Lake City, Utah, US, he opened Larry Scott Fitness & Nutrition. Its focus was and is the production of publicly available, but high-quality sports nutrition and the production of customizable exercise equipment.

In 1999, Larry Scott was inducted into the “Hall of Fame” IFBB for his services in bodybuilding.

Unfortunately, Larry Scott passed away on March 8, 2014. The cause of death is complications due to Alzheimer’s disease. He died in his home surrounded by close friends and relatives. He was 75 years old.

Bodybuilding Titles

Larry Scott’s sports career was short, but bright:

• 1959 – Mr. Idaho, 1st
• 1960 – Mr. California – AAU, Winner
• 1960 – Mr. California – AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
• 1960 – Mr. Los Angeles – AAU, Most Muscular, 3rd
• 1960 – Mr. Los Angeles – AAU, 3rd
• 1961 – Mr. Pacific Coast – AAU, Most Muscular, 1st
• 1961 – Mr. Pacific Coast – AAU, Winner
• 1962 – Mr. America, Medium, 2 and Overall
• 1963 – Mr. Universe, Medium, 1st
• 1964 – Mr. Universe, Medium, 1st and Overall
• 1965 – Mr. Olympia, 1st
• 1966 – Mr. Olympia, 1st
• 1979 – Canada Diamond Pro Cup, 9th
• 1979 – Grand Prix Vancouver, Did not place

Note that in 1979, bodybuilder Larry Scott tried to return to professional performances, but to no avail: he was ninth at the Canada Diamond Pro Cup, and at the Grand Prix Vancouver he did not get any prizes at all.

Special attention should be paid to the fact that the bodybuilder Larry Scott during his workouts tried out many different methods of pumping his arms until he developed his own effective “tool” for this. It was subsequently named after the athlete “Scott Bench”.

Larry Dee Scott was the first ever winner of Mr Olympia, the first and only winner of the real crown at Mr Olympia, the only one who never lost at Mr Olympia.

Larry Scott Workout Routine

Over the course of his life, Larry Scott has tried numerous and different workouts, but perhaps his most famous scheme is the 3-day workout routine for beginners. Simple but working training plan.

Day 1 (Monday):

• Barbell Back Squat – 2 sets per 12 reps (light version – 1 set per 7-8 reps);
• Hyperextension – 2 sets per 10 reps without additional weights (light version – 1 set per 10 reps without additional weights);
• Bent-Over Barbell Row – 1 set per 10 reps;
• Smith Machine Bench Press – 2 sets per 10 reps;
• Dumbbell Upright Row – 2 sets per 8 reps (light version – 1 set per 7 reps).

Day 2 (Wednesday):

• Seated Leg Extension Machine – 2 sets per 15 reps (light version – 1 set per 14 reps);
• Lying Leg Curl Machine – 2 sets per 15 reps (light version – 1 set per 14 reps);
• Standing Calf Raise Machine – 2 sets per 15 reps;
• Wide-Grip Dip – 2 sets per 15 reps;
• Hammer Strength Row – 2 sets per 15 reps (light version – 1 set per 12 reps);
• Standing Barbell Overhead Press – 1 set per 14 reps;
• Dumbbell Side Bend – 2 sets per 24 reps.

Day 3 (Friday):

• Leg Press Machine – 2 sets per 25 reps (light version – 1 set per 20 reps);
• Deadlift – 2 sets per 8 reps;
• Seated Calf Raise – 2 sets per 15 reps;
• Dumbbell Scott Curl – 2 sets per 15 reps;
• Dumbbell Pullover – 2 sets per 12 reps;
• Smith Machine Seated Shoulder Press – 2 sets per 10 reps;
• Crunches – 2 sets per 20 reps.

Was Larry Scott on Steroids?

It is not known exactly whether Larry Scott took steroids or not. But there are a great many rumors about this. Some argue that Scott was almost the last natural bodybuilder and deliberately refused to take anabolic steroids. Others – on the contrary, that he brought steroids to bodybuilding and even used them for a long time at the end of his career.

Leroy Colbert, Larry’s colleague and friend, takes the second point of view. In his video blog, the 82-year-old athlete talks about how Larry Scott used steroids and what problems he faced because of it. It is obviously impossible to verify this information. Therefore, it remains either to take Colbert’s word or not. The video can be found under the title “Larry Scott & Steroids”.

The fact is that in the period from 50 to 60 years, numerous and varied steroid products began to appear on the US pharmaceutical market, the distribution of which, to put it mildly, was poorly controlled. Methandienone in 1958, Stanozolol in 1962, Nandrolone Decanoate in 1962, and Testosterone esters before.

So if Larry Scott wanted to cycle on steroids, then he had all the opportunities for this. Even if detailed information about sports pharmacology was not found then. And draw your own conclusions from this.