FLEXONLINE.COM 45■ When Lou Ferrigno placed third
in the heavyweight class at the
1975 IFBB Mr. Olympia, he
instantly became the most
famous bodybuilder in the world.
Not simply because the moment
is captured forever in the cult
classic, Pumping Iron. It was also
due to the fact that Arnold had
just announced his retirement,
and “Big Lou” appeared poised to
take his place.
Lou had all the necessary
ingredients to become the next
Mr. Olypmia. At 6’5” and 268
pounds, he had the biggest arms
and chest in bodybuilding, and
the drive and desire to match.
Instead, he became even more
famous by winning the title role
in the television series Incredible
Hulk and didn’t stand on a
bodybuilding stage for another
17 years!
I first met Lou Ferrigno in Gold’s
gym in 1980 when he was still
starring in the Incredible Hulk on
TV. Lou always kept in top shape
despite his long and arduous
filming schedule, and when he
found out that I had photographed
Sergio Oliva in Paris, France, at
Serge Nubret’s show, he was all
over me with nonstop questions
about the Myth.
“What did his arms look like?
Does he still have that amazing
taper? Was he in great shape?”
And so on. In fact, he asked me
so many questions that it was
almost unreal, and together with
Samir Bannout, I would have to
say that he was the greatest
lover of bodybuilding that I ever
met. But Lou wasn’t merely the
heir apparent to Arnold
Schwarzenegger, he was now
already a household name. Deep
down, though, it was clear that
he still really wanted to be Mr.
Olympia. The Incredible Hulk still
felt as if he was living in Arnold’s
shadow!
In 1992, after 17 long years,
Lou Ferrigno surprised everyone
when he made the brave
decision to return to the world
of pro bodybuilding, and I was
lucky enough to watch him train
and prepare for the 1992 Mr.
Olympia in Helsinki, Finland.
Lou trained exactly the same
way as he did back in the
seventies. He worked each body
part twice a week, in 12 total
sets, consisting of three
exercises for 8-12 reps. This
time, he added cardio, which
meant he could eat greater
amounts of food. When asked
whether he trained for just a
pump or to muscular failure. He
replied, “Both.”
A few weeks before the
contest, I photographed Lou
training his deltoids at
Bodymasters, and he discussed
his shoulder training.“Whenever I encounter a
plateau in my training (and it
happens from time to time,
particularly at the advanced
level), I immediately begin
varying my routine in an effort
to hit the muscle in a slightly
different fashion. I rely on
assorted techniques
depending on the problem
muscle, but one of my all-time
favourites is the pre-
exhaustion principle,
particularly when it comes to
delt training.