Larry Scott Vacation Shock

When I was about age 55, I took my family to Hawaii and we took a family photo right on the beach. I had already noticed my pants were getting tighter but it really hit me when I saw that photo. I took one glance and I was stunned. My body looked doughy … thick … especially through the waist. I hated it … because when you get older big arms aren’t as important as a trim, hard waist. Here I was the 1st Mr. Olympia and quite frankly, I didn’t look the part. And it wasn’t like I was laying off either. I was training as hard as my joints could allow.

I didn’t know what to do. I didn’t want to use any of that illegal stuff so I put on my thinking cap and starting tinkering. After several months of testing, trial and error … reading and experimenting I got my trim waist back again … and I was still carrying pretty good size.

Here’s what I did …

First on my agenda was to determine my Protein to Carb Ratios because this information is even more important than calories because it gives me the ability to release Hormones that either burn or store fat.

I’m oversimplifying but … depending on what ratios you take in …The Pancreas releases either insulin which stores fat or Glucagon which burns fat. It all depends on the ratios of protein to carbs in your diet. Each person’s ratios are determined by their height, weight, gender, exercise activity, and age.

Calories are important but you can’t just count calories because the body reacts differently to protein than it does to carbohydrates or fats. But you do need to know how far you can drop your calories and still not lose muscle tissue. Muscle is the last thing you want to lose because, muscle is the furnace in which fat is burned. Less muscle … more fat stored.

That’s why the ratio of fat cells to muscle cells is such an important factor in determining your protein to carb ratios.

Once I had my ratios and my calories … I carefully selected low glycemic carbohydrates or it would blow my whole plan. (High Glycemic Carbs add more fat). This gave me a powerful nutrition base, now I was ready ramp up my program with Health Food Supplements.

Knowing there was no point in taking supplements if I couldn’t absorb them, I first had to clean out my digestive system.

When the late John Wayne passed away, his autopsy revealed over 37 lbs of impacted fecal matter in his intestines. Just the thought of all that poisoning convinced me to start off with a digestive track tune-up.

I combined psyllium seed powder, psyllium husks and apple fiber to cleanse the bowel … trace minerals to eliminate heavy metals and … high potency acidophilus to create healthy intestinal flora and tone the intestinal tract. Just the cleansing program alone made me feel like a new man. I was ready to take on anything.

I started with the basics … A high potency Vitamin A.B.C.D.E and Mineral formula to increase energy … boost immune response … and all 72 Ionized trace minerals in natural, blood plasma proportions to restore electrolytes for better endurance.

At age 64 I needed every Natural Growth Hormone source I could find and I knew from experience how hard it is to gain weight and lose body fat at the same time so, I alternated a weight gain protein with a Fat Loss protein both of which were high in IGF factors, easily converted to H.G.H. by the liver.

In addition I added Arginine and Lysine to my diet just before workouts and bedtime to get another Growth Hormone boost.

I added sugarless (won’t stop Growth Hormone release) Potassium Bicarbonate and di-basic potassium phosphate to my workout drink to boost energy and improve workout endurance.

One final Growth Hormone boost: I began taking a blend of L-Arginine Alphaketoglutarate and L-Arginine Ketoisocaproate which would increase the flow of nutrients to the muscle tissue … boost Growth Hormone, strength, power and recovery.

January first the health clubs are full of people. April first the Health clubs are almost bare. It isn’t that we don’t want to look good it’s just that we lose our motivation. How Come? Perhaps it’s because it takes about 9 days for your body to adapt to your workout program and your body begins to go stale. You get less and less Growth Hormone release … you make less progress and the summer takes you away.

It doesn’t me because I change my workout program at least once per week, most of the time several times a week. This keeps my program fun … fresh and motivating.