Larry Scott curl: one of the best exercises for biceps

Do you spend all your time at the gym, but still don't have big, powerful biceps? If you're not gaining arms, it's because your weight training program is ineffective. Fortunately, there is a simple and formidable exercise to get big biceps: the Larry Scott Curl.

Who is Larry Scott?

To begin with, Larry Scott was an American bodybuilder known for his enormous biceps but not only... Today deceased of the Alzheimer's disease at the age of 75 years (1938-2014), he was the very first Mister Olympia but especially he popularized certain exercises of body-building which we use today.

His arm circumference was 50 cm, a feat for a bodybuilder of that time. He was nicknamed "The Legend".

In 1965, he won the first Mr Olympia competition in history, and again in 1966 just before Sergio Oliva and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

The big arms of this bodybuilder will never disappear from the collective memory of bodybuilders. His arms were huge thanks to a unique biceps workout he did on a weight bench. Larry popularized this equipment on a worldwide scale and this weight bench now bears his name. Mind you, he didn't invent the machine, but he did help improve it and make it known. It is Vince Gironda who created this equipment of musculation, on the other hand Larry Scott with invented the exercise "Developed Scott" which will be taken again by Arnold.

The invention of exercise

The famous exercise is commonly known as the Larry Scott curl (or "Preacher curl"), which he practiced on his weight bench. These movements are perfect to increase the volume of the muscular fibres and to acquire quickly large biceps. Indeed, since the elbows are blocked on the desk, it is difficult to cheat and to take momentum to bend the arms.

As we have just explained, when the body-building practitioners carry out the standing curl, they take a much too heavy load. This often leads to making a swing which is not good neither for the back nor to develop its arms in an optimal way.

Different muscles are used and the biceps swell more.

Muscle groups involved in this exercise

The Larry Scott curl is the best exercise for isolating the arm muscles. The main muscles involved are the biceps brachii and anterior brachialis, and the supporting muscles are the brachioradialis (long supinator) and the forearm and finger flexors.

The brachialis is composed of two fascicles (or portions): the long biceps (eccentric part) and the short biceps (concentric part). When the arm is forward, the long portion is inhibited and it is the short portion that is worked the most. In order to balance the lack of rotation of the Larry Scott curl, it is recommended to complete by an exercise with the elbows backwards, like the inclined curls, to work the long biceps.

How to position yourself at the lectern?

This biceps isolation exercise is simple to perform and effective. It is nevertheless necessary to position oneself well in order not to injure oneself and to obtain better results.

The first thing to check is the seat adjustment. You should be able to rest your elbows on the desk while keeping your back straight. If you have to lean forward, your seat is too high or your desk is too low. Make sure that the top of the desk is 5 to 10cm below your armpits.

Next, sit in the chair, rest your torso on the desk and take the barbell supine so that your palms are facing the ceiling. Each hand should remain in line with your forearms and your wrists should not be "broken" during this biceps exercise. Lock your legs and pull your abs in. You are in the right position to perform the movement.

To learn more about bodybuilding holds, you can read this article: The different bodybuilding holds to adopt

If this exercise is perfect for men, unfortunately, for some women, the developed chest being pressed or even crushed on the desk, they can feel pain or be uncomfortable.

How do you perform this weight training exercise correctly to stimulate biceps hypertrophy?

After completing your warm-ups and you're in the right position, you can begin the bending exercises. Inhale and contract your biceps to lift the bar up and back to your chest. You must use an EZ bar. Your elbows and shoulders should not move. When you reach the top, hold the contracted position, then exhale as you lower the bar back down, still controlling the descent. That is to say that to work well your muscular fibres, you must lower your bar as slowly as possible. You must stop the descent just before your arms are tense.

Be careful not to overload the bar. This exercise puts all the weight on the arms, without cushioning the back and legs. In addition to the risk of injury, the movement will not be effective because you will detach the triceps from the desk and you will help your whole body to raise the bar. What you should absolutely avoid.

It is recommended that you perform 8 to 12 reps. So take a load that allows you to reach the end of your 10 reps.

Some variations to build up your biceps

To add a little originality to your workout routine, you can perform these variations of the Larry Scott curl.

The biceps curl with the pulley

Place the desk in front of a pulley and grasp its attachment. Using the pulley puts tension on your biceps from the beginning to the end of the elbow flexion. These muscle stretches will make the movement more fluid.

The biceps curl with dumbbells

It is also possible to replace the bar with a dumbbell. Performing this movement with one arm allows a better muscle congestion. It is even more recommended to choose a reasonable load and not to stretch the arm too much in the downward phase. To add difficulty, when you carry out this exercise, try to keep the arm which does not work in continuous tension during the execution of the other and vice versa.

The reverse desk curl

The position remains the same, but the grip is different. Instead of taking the bar in supination, you will have to take it in pronation (the palm is directed towards the ground). For this variation of the exercise, it is advised to use an EZ bar with a moderate load. This movement allows you to work the forearms more.

In addition to the pupil curl and the variations listed below, here is a video that shows several other exercises that can replace the standing or pupil curl to help you develop your biceps:

What if the desk is not available in your gym?

If your gym does not have a desk, there is nothing to stop you from training on an adjustable bench, inclined at 45 degrees. The exercise is performed unilaterally with a dumbbell or a pulley, you will be standing and your desk will be the bench.

There are also weight machines that repeat the movement of the curl desk. The curl can be more or less effective depending on the machine.

7 things to remember about the Larry Scott curl

1 - The Larry Scott is a bodybuilding desk that was made famous by the first Mr Olympa.
2 - This desk is very effective for isolating and working the arm muscles quickly.
3 - The muscles most solicited are the biceps brachii and the anterior brachii. When the arm is forward, the portion of the biceps that is most worked is the short head.
4 - A good position is essential for prevent injury and to get better results.
5 - To build muscle without injury, the bar should not be overloaded.
6 - The variations of the curl pupitre make it possible to bring a little originality to your session of musculation of the arms. The pulley curl, the alter curl and the inverted curl are the most effective variations.
7 - If the desk is not available in your gym, you can use a bench or do other exercises to develop your arm muscles.

Finally, if you are looking to develop all the muscles of the arm: biceps, triceps and forearm, with a complete program over several weeks, you can try this one.

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Know your arm circumference: are your biceps average?

Dips: how to perform this multi-functional bodybuilding exercise?

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