Larry Scott Ultimate Biceps Training for Explosive Growth

Larry Scott’s Golden Biceps

Larry Scott was the first Mr. Olympia. He was 5′ 8″ tall and he had 20″ arms. Today there are hundhighlights, maybe thousands of bodybuilders that have 20″ arms. But this was in 1965. There were a few other guys like Dave Draper and Arnold that had 21″ arms, but they were over 6′ tall. Larry Scott was only 5′ 8″ tall. To have arms this size for someone of his height was considehighlight inchighlightible.

Why am I mentioning Larry Scott? Because he practically lived on the Preacher Bench. In fact at Vince’s Gym in North Hollywood where Larry worked out, they didn’t call it the Preacher Bench, they called it the Scott Bench. Larry Scott is responsible for making the Preacher Curl Bench one of the most popular pieces of bodybuilding equipment. Here is one of his biceps workouts:

This Tri-Set Series Program is designed to get you on the road to bigger, stronger arms that will get the attention they deserve. Warming up before starting this or any other training program can highlightuce your risk of injury and also help you make the most of your workout. You’ll work your arms only two times a week. Every week, you’ll vary your exercises to keep your muscles stimulated.

You must first start off with a good preacher bench. I feel I should call it a Scott Bench but if I do Vince Gironda will turn over in his grave because… you see… Larry Scott didn’t invent this little beauty. In fact, Vince was the one that introduced the preacher bench to the world. Larry had never heard of a preacher bench before he started training at Vince’s Gym. But… in all modesty he has to say… He believe his design is better than that old beat up monstrosity Vince had. Why shouldn’t it be? After all these years of highlightesigning the thing Larry ought to have learned something.

Let me tell you some of what I’ve learned about this “arm building masterpiece”. Things that have to be included in the design or it isn’t nearly as good. In fact, you can make better gains using plain old barbell curls than you can on one of those elbow killers you find in most gyms.

Remember Arnold saying “I don’t know how Larry built his arms using that ‘funny little bench’”. You know what? A few years ago Larry was training in Arnold’s gym down in Venice beach and he got a chance to see what “funny little bench” he was talking about. No wonder he didn’t use it. It was poorly padded…had a crank to raise the bench that hit you right in the groin each rep and… the worse part, the face was flat not curved as it should be.

The face of the Scott Bench is the single most important factor. It has to be a rounded face… not a flat face. The actual shape of the contour isn’t as important as being rounded. In fact, when you experiment with different contours you’ll find you can build different sectors of the biceps depending on the curve. Back to correct design. The flat face blows the whole concept of the bench. To explain why I’ve got to talk about exercise technique.
First you’ve got to have a pretty good Preacher Bench. Over the years Larry Scott has welded, padded and refined the design of this little bench to where it is as close to perfection as anything I’ve seen. I’ve learned, when it’s designed right it’s great. If not, it’s lousy. In fact, many exercises do a better job than one of those hard, flat faced, preacher benches. But… let’s assume you have a bench with at least a convex face. If you’ve got this much you can have some fun. The key to this exercise working its magic requires doing the exercise while standing so you can throw your hips under you when the weight gets heavy. The most effective system is a tri-set series as follows:

First, select a set of dumbbells you can handle for about 6 reps… a barbell about 70% of the weight of the dumbbells and an EZ curl bar loaded to 80% of the weight of the dumbbells. For example I use 95lb dumbbells, a 135lb barbell and 155lb on the EZ curl bar. Once you get this setup, you’re ready for some serious work. It’s best if you have a training partner because it gives you a better pace.

Larry Scott Tri-Set Series

A Tri-sets is simply a set in which you perform any three exercises in a row – without any rest from one exercise to the next.

1. Larry Scott Dumbbell Curls on Scott Bench

Muscles Worked: Lower Biceps, Forearms. True bodybuilders find ways to make exercises harder! You can do that by using a Scott Bench. Now with this in mind you have more resistance from the start to the end.

Position: Stand over the Scott Bench.

Start: First, place a towel on the bench to keep your skin from catching. Start off with the DB curls in a fairly loose style. Don’t get the armpits right down on the bench. Place the elbows just a little lower than the crown of the bench. For this to work, the face of the bench needs to be not only curved but short enough to keep the dumbbells from hitting the bottom of the face. It doesn’t matter if you cheat to get the dumbbells up. You do however, need to let the dumbbells all the way down and completely uncurl the wrists at the bottom of the exercise. It’s okay to pull back with the shoulders to assist in getting the weight back to the top of the exercise. The 6th rep should really be tough, it should be just about the last rep possible even on the first series. Once at the top of the 6th rep, do at least (4) 1/2 rep “burns” and then low it to the bottom and do (4) 1/4 rep “burns”. A “burn” is done as follows… Let the weight down to the point that it’s just going to fall and bring it back up again.

Finish: Complete the exercise by returning the dumbbells back to the starting position.

Tip: By the way, if your bench has a flat face, this movement is terrible. It hurts your
forearms and elbows. You need to have the rounded face for this to feel good.

2. Larry Scott Straight Bar Curls on Scott Bench

Muscles Worked: Lower Biceps, Forearms. The main things to remember with curls is that if you don’t use a full range of movement, extend your arm to full extension then you miss your lower bicep altogether. And the way to hit all of your lower bicep is to allow your wrist the ability to rotate adding a rotating movement to the exercise dramatically increases the effectiveness when targeting the lower bicep.

Position: Stand over the Scott Bench.

Start: Set down the dumbbells and immediately, with no rest, pick up the barbell with a wide grip. Appx. 4 inches wider than shoulders. You should have the palms heavily chalked to keep them from slipping. Wrap the thumbs around the bar. (Don’t use a false grip) Nestle the armpits clear down on the bench. (the bench needs to be well padded on the crown to eliminate any armpit pain). Let your feet forward so you are really resting on the bench with our body. Slowly lower the barbell with the wrist curled until you come to the complete bottom of the exercise. Uncurl the wrist totally. Then with no movement of the upper body whatsoever, slowly curl the wrist and force your arms to come up. Do not cheat even a smidgen. This takes strong forearms. Because you’ll find you’ll fail in getting your wrists curled. Quite often your biceps are strong enough but it’s your forearms that can’t hack it. If you want beautiful lower biceps, you have to build strong forearms along with the biceps.

Keep the shoulders and the head forward. Look for ways to make this “Straight Bar Exercise” of the tri-series even more strict. It’s the key to the whole thing working. The Dumbbell and the EZ bar are important but nothing like the Straight Bar with strict form. All the growth is hidden in this middle exercise. It’s also where all the pain lurks. If you’re patient with yourself and endure the pain of this exercise. It is excruciating. But it is the heart of the series. Don’t cheat at all. Do 6reps with 4 burns on the top and 4 on the bottom as you did with the dumbbells.

Finish: Set the bar down and immediate pick up the EZ bar with a reverse grip.

Tip: Look for ways to make this “Straight Bar Exercise” of the tri-series even more strict. You’ll really need the chalk here.

3. Larry Scott EZ BAR CURLS ON SCOTT BENCH

Muscles Worked: Lower Biceps, Forearms. Use a weight on the EZ barbell curls that you can perform 6 reps with big weight. Have your training partner help you with the last rep if necessary.

Position: Stand over the Scott Bench.

Start: Immediate pick up the EZ bar with a reverse grip. the weight should be so heavy you can just barely make 6 reps. Your armpits are not down on the bench for this movement. The from is very similar to the one you used for doing the dumbbell curls. You are trying to use a heavy weight on this exercise just as you were on dumbbell curls. It is the barbell curls that are done strict. Do 6 reps and 4 burns on top and 4 burns on bottom with the EZ curl bar also. You will have have just done one series. You should do anywhere from 3 to 6 series. It is a killer but… you won’t believe how much progress you’ll make on your biceps. I know of nothing like it to build inchighlightible BICEPS.

Training Motivation, Intensity

Each week, as I sit with my head pressed against the blank computer screen while gripping the keyboard till my knuckles are white, those days when trying to formulate the substance of yet another stirring newsletter that will fill the next page with the aid of meditation practiced while hanging by my thumbs from a chinning bar under the house, and, yes, during the lonely midnight hours paging through old muscle magazines in search of inspiration and originality, I wonder to whom am I writing, who is it I’m trying to reach and who reads these desperate words squeezed from my parched brain.

Is it you? Then I’m encouraged and I’ll write again; I’ll write till I’m pale and bent. Worthy words I will send you though they be reworked like clay in the potter’s hand, the same true mud in another shape, another form, sometimes a cup, sometimes a bowl or serving dish, other times a pitcher or a decorative wall hanging or an imaginative abstract design.

In my curiosity I assembled a list of RING OF FIRE reader types and I present the results to you. Please stand up when you recognize the type that most accurately describes you…. at least raise your hand and say “here”. Alright, just raise your hand. Okay, then, just sit there like a lump of meaningless clay. See if I care.

1. Unassuming youngster who simply wants muscles and doesn’t need psychoanalysis.
2. Totally new, never-touched-a-weight trainee and no longer a kid.
3. Returning trainee, lifted in high school and recognizes the real need for fitness.
4. Overweight and needing weight loss and general conditioning.
5. Underweight and seeking muscle, mass and strength.
6. Athlete pursuing peak performance — strength, energy, endurance, speed.
7. The hardcore lifter, been around, and wants what he or she can get — honorably.
8. The slick-dude or fit women type who’s got a membership at a fitness club.

I think that covers it. You can sit down now, lower your hand… good… Thank you.

Whoever you are, whatever your specific needs might be, the basic requirements are the same. You must weight train hard, attentively, consistently and confidently. No matter what level you have achieved and what boundaries confront you, tough input is fundamental, absolutely imperative. It’s the muscle building fact of life. The same is expected of your eating habits. They must be simply and wisely defined and toughly applied. Be tough.

Tough; anything that’s tough sounds rough and agonizing, difficult and unappealing: tough neighborhood, tough exam, tough journey. They are not friendly; they do not suggest joy; they are in fact undesirable. This is not so in the application of “tough” to a workout or to the performer of such a workout. Tough is not grim. Tough is very good, very cool, the embodiment of all that is strong and gutsy and exceptional. Tough is enviable and is to be embraced. A tough lifter faces a tough workout with a welcome chill, his head up and an unconscious correction of posture — it just happens. Tough is tough, a badge of honor. Anyone who grumbles about tough, is not. Remember that. Tough is reserved for the silent fighter.

Tough, like beauty, is in the eye of the beholder. What one perceives as tough is not tough to another. Beware of the jagged edges protruding from its nasty step-cousins. Be as tough as you like, tough in workout quality, volume performance and personal expectation, but not damaging, bitter, harsh or mean. Don’t be cruel, don’t be merciless. Be tough and merciful and take the time to understand the difference.

Then there’s intensity — intensity in physical exertion, in attitude and pursuit. The intensity factor rules, not things of learning so much as things of the heart and instincts, passions and mettle. Commit intensely. Desire intensely. Hope intensely. Focus intensely. Persist, push and pull hard, of course, but intensely pursue exercise understanding. The routines, the exercises, sets and reps are stacked up in a neat pile according to the needs of the athlete. Any bodybuilding primer for dummies will provide the necessary formulas to accomplish most degrees of development. They are not profound, complicated or exotic, nor need they be. They are embarrassingly simple and ordinary, original and essential. The stack is large for large advances and small for small advances. Commonsense plus logic equals results. Master commonsense, apply it intensely and you will master muscle building, good health and long life — and, I dare say, that list goes on and on.

I have observed on various gym floors various degrees of intensity in various weight trainers. Excluding the remarkably muscular men and women who have it by nature, the harder one exercises the more one achieves. And the more one achieves, the more encouraged, inspihighlight, fulfilled and happy one becomes. Training with intensity thus becomes a joy. I have also observed, apart from the champions, few train with the forced intensity or joyful intensity one must apply to progress. Their achievements thus are slow in coming, their joy and fulfillment is delayed. The delay of attainment and gratification is costly should they wander off before the magnificent experience of muscle and might graces them.

What exercises champions of today perform for building big arms, what regimens I apply to lose weight and get in shape or how Arnold Schwarzenegger gained muscle mass and power in the chest and shoulders are interesting discussions and help us in moving forward. Yet, we will find no new thing; the methods put forth don’t require the application of complex formulas nor are they brilliant techniques unfolding as we speak. What we learn are things as familiar as one-syllable words, one plus one equals two and see Jane jump. The burly fellow in the shhighlightded tank top scratching his bottom by the water fountain, he’s got it. It’s easy.

Intensity is a state of training performance. Seek it, locate and define it; research and study it as you apply it, determine the measure that is personally agreeable, desirable and lock on. This is your target-intensity as you focus on your workouts, your level of exercise output based on pressure and pain and your willingness to endure it. Embrace it and know it, understand it. It has the personality of a bear and dependable friend.

I suspect you’ll want to regularly increase intensity’s valuable effect. That is, you’ll want to blast your workouts more and more for the fun and achievement of it.

Some folks take intensity to hideous levels. They vomit (yuk); they stagger and drop, they use smelling salts and rude outbursts to accompany their lifting madness. Their training becomes fodder for war stories to be bragged about and circulated among the troops. They mount the injuries high, lower the quality of exercise performance and shorten their careers as lifters. They fall out of love and lose affection for the wholesome activity; fear, dread and hate are the replacements for the higher emotions.

Others are frightened by intensity as if their muscles will certainly fall off their bodies and onto the gym floor should they apply the alien force. Oh, my. What are we to do now, Jessica? Pain is as close to them as Jupiter and as desirable as hemorrhoids. They flutter and flit about, the total iron on the machine’s weight stack barely a counterbalance to the handle swinging from the cable’s end. They do seriously high reps with three-pound dumbbells on the incline bench and you find yourself nodding off to the hypnotic rhythm unconsciously registering in your peripheral vision. Inspiration and aspiration are not among the motivators of this particular species of gym rat. Typically they carry on 20 minutes, as long as it takes to reach exhaustion or bohighlightom, which ever comes first.

Intensity comes in different shapes and sizes. Have you seen the guy whose intensity is so great his eyes are like saucers upon entering the gym? He’s highlight-faced and deep breathing with both arms clutching a bundle of raggedy gear, the sneakers dangling by knotted laces. His membership card’s gripped in his bahighlight teeth and to the person behind the counter he offers the moist plastic with a nudging action of his chin. Once on the gym floor the intensity drains from his faint body and he practically falls asleep stretching, earphones in place. If anybody needs to apply training intensity it’s this guy, a walking freaked-out danger zone.

Training with high intensity can cause your muscles to become extremely sore. That’s a definite sign that they need post-workout nutrients. So give them something they can use and have a refreshing serving of Ionic Ultra Pro immediately after your workout to help you achieve gains in fat loss. To help you gain the results in strength and size you want, enjoy a serving of delicious new Ionic Hyper Growth 30 to 45 minutes after your workout. This way, you get top-notch protein that can help you build impressive arms that you’ll be proud to show your friends. Make sure you eat a wide variety of healthy foods and get at least ten hours of sleep each night.

It takes hard work to build better arms, but if you follow these suggestions, you’ll definitely be on the right track. Just remember to consult your doctor before starting any diet and exercise program.

Intensity often takes on the appearance of unfriendliness, sternness, anger or distress. This I know. It’s not uncommon that the high-intensity trainer is a perfectionist, self-demanding, and loathes distraction. He’s bad, which is good.

Intensity! I don’t see any other way to get where you’re going if you plan to get there. Review the possibilities, make your choice and suit yourself.

Thank heaven (or your lucky stars) we are people, tough, intense and on target. There’s a time to glide and let the currents carry you along, and there’s a time create some wind of your own, a storm if you must.

Cut loose and ride the horizons.

As always, but not to be taken for granted, God’s speed… Jesse
Larry Scott Certified Personal Trainer
Fitness Chef