Little Louie Ain’t So Little Any More

From the weight room to the silver screen. Lou Ferrigno is one of the elite. Hailing from Brooklyn, NY Little Louie had a dream that he dreamed would no longer be a dream.

Life Isn’t Easy For Young Louie

As a child Lou suffered a case of bad ear infections which in result was a cause for a good portion of his hearing loss. Like many of the greats Lou didn’t let this setback hold him down. Instead he became very involved in athletics.

Training for Lou began at the age of 13. He was a very skinny and lanky youngster. Inspired by the late Steve Reeves, Lou grabbed the weights and started clanging 45’s. Year after year Louie trained and trained. Getting bigger and stronger.

Big Lou The Bodybuilder

1973 was the year Lou Ferrigno won his first major titles—IFBB Mr. America and IFBB Mr. Universe. At 21 years old not only did he bring home the title he achieved, and still holds to this day, The Guinness Book of World Records youngest bodybuilder to win the Mr. Olympia Competition.

Early in his bodybuilding career Lou was a laborer in a sheet metal factory. After the fright of almost losing a hand he had had enough. Still battling adversity Lou Ferrigno gave a noble attempt as a defensive lineman for the Canadian football league. That wasn’t his calling either. Still in good spirits he pushed on.

The Silver Screen

Four years later Lou Ferrigno would grace the silver screen. With the release of the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron, he began to gain attention from producer Kenneth Johnson. Standing tall at 6’5” and weighing a whopping 285lbs, Lou was the biggest bodybuilder at the time. Casting for the part of The Incredible Hulk he was able to get the part and even beat out Arnold himself. The show ran until 1981 with the final episodes showing in 1982.

The success that was brought by playing The Incredible Hulk continued on. Lou Ferrigno was cast as several other characters in films such as Hercules (1983), Sinbad of the Seven Seas (1989) and Cage (1989).

A Return To Bodybuilding

During the early 90s, Lou returned to bodybuilding. He decided to compete for the 92 and 93 Mr. Olympia titles. With an overall finishing of 12th and 10th place, Lou set his sights to the 94 Masters Olympia. His attempt to beat Robbie Robinson and Boyer Coe influenced the documentary, Stand Tall.

That would be his last competition.

Today

Since then Lou Ferrigno has been in several tv shows and even has a business geared towards fitness, Ferrigno Fit. As a father and a family man Lou spends his time with the his loved ones and style finds time to help people in their daily lives.

I leave you with some words of wisdom because the more you Ferrigknow the better off you are!