“I Couldn’t Sweat”: Hollywood Actor Lou Ferrigno Recalled Brutal Training Sessions for His Role as Hulk in 2019

The Marvel superhero Hulk is well-known throughout the world. But the original Hulk from the Incredible Hulk series back in 1977 was played by none other than Lou Ferrigno. Ferrigno has achieved two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles. Despite being diagnosed with 80–85% hearing loss when he was just three years old, he didn’t give up. He continued to follow his passion and is now a living example for the deaf and bodybuilding communities.

Back in an interview in 2019, Lou Ferrigno was questioned about whether he put on more size after getting the role of Hulk. It was a straightforward answer by the bodybuilding legend.

Lou Ferrigno opens up about the hectic schedule

Lou Ferrigno was not only a dedicated bodybuilder but also a dedicated actor. To play his role, he wanted to look exactly like Hulk. As the technology wasn’t advanced enough to make him bulky, Ferrigno had to take this responsibility into his own hands.

“Yes I put more size on for the second one; another 10 to 15 pounds. But for the entire Hulk series I knew that I might occasionally suffer because I figured it would be hard to keep the definition,” Ferrigno added, “So I actually trained like I was training for a contest all year round because we were filming 22 episodes a year.”

According to Ferrigno, it was like a whole-year contest, which basically makes it tougher than a usual workout. Despite extensive training, he has never tasted the glory of Mr. Olympia. He also felt that working on a TV series that filmed 22 episodes a year was more hectic than everything else.

“It was brutal because you sit in the trailer wearing the makeup, and I couldn’t sweat at this time, so as soon as I finished work I went straight to the gym, no matter how tired I was,” Ferrigno said and continued, “If it was 2:00 o’clock in the morning I would go straight to the gym and have a one-hour workout to get the pump.”

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The bodybuilding legend hates CGI, and during that time, it wasn’t possible. So, Ferrigno had to work out even if he was fully tired while returning from the set.

Lou Ferrigno’s childhood struggles and success

An inability to hear properly affected Lou as a child a lot. He was bullied in his school because of this, and an ignorant father made the situation worse. Eventually, all the pain Ferrigno went through made him power-hungry.

The bodybuilding legend aspired to be like the superhero he most admired: Hulk. His favorite fictional character was the big green giant alien who could crush anything in his path. During his bodybuilding career, Ferrigno never imagined he’d end up with a contract to play the Incredible Hulk. The rest is history, for sure.

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Have you watched the Incredible Hulk TV series? Let us know in the comment section.