The Incredible Hulk Lou Ferrigno Workout Tips

Lou Ferrigno portrayed the Incredible Hulk on television every week in the late 1970s, and TV movies in the 1980s.  He's a big inspiration to me as he crosses the lines between two of my favorite hobbies, weightlifting and comic books. He started weight lifting at age 13. His role model was body builder and Hercules star Steve Reeves. He's won IFBB Mr. America, IFBB Mr. Universe, came second and third in the Mr. Olympia competition, and second in the Masters Olympia. His favorite superheroes as a child were Spider-man and the Hulk of course.

Lou's Bicep Tips

Lou likes the old exercise called 21s. You choose a weight that is about half of the heaviest weight you curl, then for the first seven reps, curl the weight as you would a barbell curl but stop on the way up with your arms parallel to the floor. That is when your half way there. That's your first seven. Then do seven more curls the rest of the way up from the half way point to the top. Finish by doing seven regular curls all the way up and down.

Lou likes to do about 14 sets total in his bicep training sessions. Lou says to always mix up the order in which you do your routines in order to confuse your muscles otherwise your muscles will not respond and gains will not come.

Lou likes to train his triceps on the same day as his triceps instead of working his back on arms day. He recommends doing biceps twice a week.

Bicep Workout Plan
# * Warm-up set
# Standing barbell curls —4 Sets 10 Reps
# Incline dumbbell curls —4 Sets 8 reps
# Preacher-bench — 4 Sets 8-10 Reps
# Concentration curls — 2 Sets 8-10 Reps
# Barbell-curl 21s —- 2 Sets 21 Reps

Here's Lou Ferrigno's chest routine.

Chest Routine
Bench presses 5 sets 10-6 reps
Incline presses 5 sets  10-6 reps
Decline presses 4 sets  10-12 reps
Dumbbell flyes 4  sets 10-12 reps

Dumbbell pullovers 4 sets  10-12 reps
superset with
Cable crossovers 3 sets  10-15  reps

References: http://www.simplyshredded.com/hulking-biceps-lou-ferrigno-arm-workout.html
http://www.louferrigno.com/
http://www.flexonline.com/lou_ferrigno_chest/training/204

LOU FERRIGNO, TWO-TIME MR. UNIVERSE, AS TOLD TO SHAWN PERINE
SENIOR WRITER
COPYRIGHT 2007 Weider Publications
COPYRIGHT 2008 Gale, Cengage Learning

Articles and other sections

In the Superhero Actor Workouts section we take a look at how actors got into shape to play superheroes on screen.