Prior to teaching Bikram yoga, LaMott excelled in athletics, dance, theatre, and the performing arts. From 1969-1980, LaMott studied violin privately with Doris Walters. In 1978, he was accepted to Stanford University on a full academic/athletic scholarship as a halfback on the Stanford University football team. In 1982, LaMott transferred to the Julliard School of Performing Arts in NYC, where he studied dance.

Throughout the 1980s, LaMott also taught aerobics. In 1983, he taught with Body Design by Gilda Marx, NYC. In 1985, he was recruited by a Milan, Italy-based company to assist with the start-up of a Body Aerobic company that he managed and also worked for as an instructor.