Skip La Cour is one of the most popular alleged natural bodybuilders. Many natties aspire to attain his physique. But is this a pipe dream? Can you get there naturally? Is Skip La Cour natty or not?

image via: bodybuilding.com
The personal website of Skip La Cour reveals that in his prime his body stats were:
Height: |
5’11” (180cm) |
Weight: |
216 lbs (98kg) |
Off season weight: |
Up to 240 lbs (110kg) |
The numbers above represent an exceptional muscular development. The size of Skip La Cour rivals many former bodybuilding champions.
One of the best ways to learn if someone is natty is to compare him to IFBB pros who have competed during the Golden Era of Bodybuilding.
This method works nicely. There is no need for a lab, and yet the results are very accurate.
Note: Most bodybuilders from the Golden Era took steroids. Back then, steroids were legal and available in abundance in gyms.
The first bodybuilder to whom we will compare Skip La Cour is the legendary Mike Mentzer.
Mike had the following body stats in his prime:
Height: |
5’8″ (173 cm) |
Weight: |
225 lbs (103kg) |
Off season weight: |
unknown |
To summarize: Mike Mentzer was 3 (three) inches shorter than Skip La Cour and only 9 (nine) lbs heavier than him in contest shape.
If we assume that both athletes were about 5-8% in a shredded condition, their respective lean body mass would be:
Mike Mentzer – 213.75 lbs (95% of 225 lbs)
Skip La Cour – 205.2 lbs (95% of 216 lbs)
Isn’t it weird that natural bodybuilders are getting so close to former champions?
Is whey protein getting as good as Deca?
Another bodybuilder from the Golden Era to whom we will compare Skip La Cour is three times Mr. Olympia Frank Zane.
In his prime, Zane had the following body stats:
Off-season weight: |
200 lbs (91kg) |
Competition weight: |
185lbs (83kg) |
Height: |
5’9” (175cm) |
Arms: |
18” (45cm) |
To summarize: Skip La Cour is 2 inches taller than Frank Zane and weighs 16lbs more. At 5% body fat, the respective lean body mass of both athletes would be:
Frank Zane – 175.75 lbs (95% of 185lbs)
Skip La Cour – 205.2 lbs (95% of 216 lbs)
The difference amounts to 30lbs. Isn’t it weird that there are natty bodybuilders who weigh 30lbs more than a former Mr.Olympia?
The next bodybuilder that we will use for a comparison is Sergio Oliva a.k.a. The Myth. The body stats of Sergio Oliva were:
Height: |
5’10” (178 cm) |
Weight: |
225 lbs (103kg) |
Off season weight: |
unknown |
To summarize: Sergio Oliva is an inch shorter than Skip La Cour and only 9lbs heavier. At 5% body fat, the lean body masses of the two bodybuilders were:
Sergio Oliva – 213.75 lbs (95% of 185lbs)
Skip La Cour – 205.2 lbs (95% of 216 lbs)
The difference is 7-9lbs in favor of Oliva.
Finally, we will compare Skip La Cour to Flex Wheeler – a symbol of symmetry and great lines.
In his prime, Flex Wheeler had the following body stats:
Height: |
5’9″ (175 cm) |
Weight: |
210-225 lbs (95 – 102kg) |
Off season weight: |
265-275lbs (120-125kg) |
To summarize: Flex Wheeler was an inch shorter than Skip La Cour and only up to 9lbs heavier than him in contest condition.
Makes you wonder…
You fail to mention the introduction of creatine to natural bodybuilding. This can put 5-10 lbs of water inside of a natural bodybuilder’s muscles.