Lou Ferrigno's training: the Incredible Hulk

In the world of bodybuilding, the name Lou Ferrigno is known to all. He is a famous American bodybuilder. He is also famous in the world of cinema thanks to his performances in the role of Hulk. Comic book or bodybuilding lovers, here is everything you need to know about his life and training.

Who is Lou Ferrigno?

Louis Jude Ferrigno or Lou Ferrigno was born on November 9, 1951 in Brooklyn. Of Italian origin, he grew up in New York. Since his childhood, he experienced hearing problems. At the age of 3, it was determined that he was 80 % deaf. This made his childhood difficult, as other children made fun of him when he wore his hearing aid.

To compensate for his disability, Lou Ferrigno turned to the world of comics. He loved superhero stories. The Hulk was his favorite character. In fact, the Hulk was one of his inspirations when he was starting out in the bodybuilding world. He was also inspired by Steve Reeves or Hercules in the movies. Indeed, he did bodybuilding to forget all his socialization problems.

In addition to bodybuilding, he entered the world of film in 1977. He played the role of the Hulk in the television series "The Incredible Hulk". He also lent his voice in the film directed by Ange Lee in 2003 and the cartoons.

As for Lou Ferrigno's private life, he married a psychotherapist named Carla Green. With her, they had 3 children: Shanna, Louis and Brent. Lou Ferrigno has started a fitness business. He also sells DVDs dedicated to weight training tips. Today, he also helps the American police.

Lou Ferrigno, the bodybuilder

Having a difficult childhood because of his deafness, Lou Ferrigno started training at the age of 13. Through his efforts and training, he won several competitions. His first triumph was Mr. America in 1971. Then, he obtained the title, Mr. Universe in 1973. At 21 years old, he is the youngest champion of the competition to have this stature to this day.

In 1974, Lou Ferrigno appeared for the first time in the competition, Mr. Olympia. He came in 2nd behind Arnold Schwarzenegger. A year later, he was in 3rd place still after Arnold Schwarzenegger. Since then, he tried to beat Schwarzenegger in Mr. Olympia. After his defeat, he started playing football in Canada. It is only in 1990 that he resumed the competition. He finished 12th in 1993 and 10th in 1994 in Mr. Olympia. He has not competed since 1994, but has continued to train.

Measurements:

Height : 1m94 -

Competition weight: 125 kg

Lou Ferrigno, the actor

Lou has many strings to his bow as he is also a comedian. In the face of his attempts to defeat Arnold Schwarzenegger at Mr. Olympia, Lou Ferrigno was the subject of a documentary called Pumping Iron. In this film, he announced his desire to play "The Incredible Hulk" on the big screen. This was his biggest break into the film world, as a producer allowed him to realize his dream. Thus, he played the Hulk, Dr. Bruce Jenner, in the television series in 1977.

He has also participated in other series such as Matt Houston or The Man Who Fell. His other films are : Arnold the Magnificent, Hercules... Lou Ferrigno, the green giant also lent his voice in the movie "The Avengers" in the Marvel Universe, alongside Iron man, Captain America, Thor, etc in 2012, 2015 and 2018. At present, he is the one who lends his voice to Hulk in Avengers.

His filmography will be complete since this American actor will win the razzie awards for his role of Hercules.

He will also help Mickaël Jackson in a physical preparation to help him prepare his 2009 tour.

How does Lou Ferrigno train?

Lou Ferrigno has been training since a young age. It's clear that his training is tough. In fact, it enabled him to win several titles in various competitions. In the 70s, bodybuilders didn't always rest.

For them, the philosophy is "more is better". For the Hulk, training was 6 times a week. His day off was Sunday. Here's how he divided his workouts.

1st day: pectoral and back

For develop pectoral muscles and his back, Lou Ferrigno performs different exercises. He starts with 5 sets of 6 to 8 reps of bench press, incline press and pull over. He continues with 5 sets of 6 to 8 reps of high bar pull-ups. He also performs T-bar rowing, deadlifts, vertical and horizontal pulls, and dumbbell rows. The series are always 5 with 6 to 8 repetitions.

Day 2: Shoulders and arms

To get an impressive stature like the Hulk, you can take inspiration from his workouts and exercises. To get broad shoulders and muscular armsHe performs alternating curls, alternating curls on an incline bench, concentrated curls and desk curls. He performs lateral raises, bird and frontal raises. He also does Arnold presses, military presses in front, behind the neck and also with dumbbells. He doesn't forget the triceps either with high pulley extensions, rope extensions and barbell extensions, but also dumbbell kickbacks and dips. The series go from 4 to 5 times with 6 to 8 repetitions.

Day 3: Legs

For the legs, Lou Ferrigno's exercises are 5 sets of thigh press, hack squat, barbell squat behind but also squat in front, leg extension and leg curl and straight leg deadlift. The repetitions are 10 per set.

Day 4: Back and pectorals

For Thursday, Lou Ferrigno resumes the back and pectoral development exercises. He does T-bar Rowing, rowing, and high bar pull-ups just like Day 1. For each exercise, he continues to do 5 sets of 6-8 reps.

Day 5: shoulders and arms

On Fridays, Hulk does the shoulder and arm exercises again. He performs concentrated, alternating and inclined alternating curls as well as straight bar curls. He then does Arnold presses as well as high pulleys for the triceps, rope tricep extensions and others. For 4 to 5 sets, he does 8 to 10 reps.

Day 6: legs

The leg exercises are the same as on Wednesday. He does 5 sets of 10 reps of squat, leg extension and leg curl, thigh press and others.

Day 7: rest

After six consecutive days of training, Lou Ferrigno rests on day seven. A good nap and a good diet are in order.

What is Lou Ferrigno's diet?

For 1.95 m, Lou Ferrigno weighs 125 kg during the competition period, while during the off-season he can reach 145 kg. In order to keep his muscle mass, he follows a good high calorie and protein diet. Indeed, he eats every 2 to 3 hours. He stops before his stomach is too full and eats again without waiting to be hungry. Discover his diet for a day.

He eats 6 times a day. For the first meal, he eats a piece of toast and a piece of fruit, an omelette with 5 eggs and one or two cups of whole milk. For the second meal, he eats 85 g of nuts, two cheese or meat sandwiches on whole wheat bread with two cups of whole milk. For the next meal, he has a tuna salad, fruit, yogurt and 2 cups of whole milk.

For the pre-workout meal, he drinks a protein shake, 470 ml of whole milk, 80 ml of egg and milk protein. All this is accompanied by a fruit. For the 5th meal, he eats a steak, vegetables, a baked potato and 2 cups of whole milk. To end the day, he has 85 g of raw sunflower seeds, 85 g of hard cheese, accompanied by 2 cups of whole milk.

According to Lou Ferrigno's advice, the last meal of the day should be eaten as close to bedtime as possible. This will help recovery and build muscle fibres.

Lou is currently the promoter of a bodybuilding competition which is located in California as he lives near Santa Monica: His name is Ferrigno Legacy which has taken place every year since 2014.

In 2020, and at age 68, he is now a recruiting manager for the Socorro Sheriff's Office after 20 years as a volunteer police officer in California.

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