This post may contain affiliate links at no additional cost to you. As an Amazon Associate I earn from qualifying purchases. Click to view our full disclosure.
What's inside
Ever wondered how Lou Ferrigno built enough muscle to play the Hulk without any special effects? He’s shared a lot of it, in his own words.
In a Muscle & Fitness feature, Lou gave 30 of his best training tips for building size, including the exact exercises, sets and reps he used for his chest, shoulders, abs, calves and forearms. In this article, we’re covering what he said, his workouts as he shared them, and a weekly plan built around them.
Lou Ferrigno at a glance
| Height | 6 ft 5 in |
| Weight | 275 lb (when Arnold was winning the Olympia at 235), later up to 315 lb |
| Known for | The Hulk, Pumping Iron, Arnold’s great rival |
| Training style | Lots of volume, moderate weights, big basic lifts |
Source: Muscle & Fitness.
How big was he? According to Muscle & Fitness, he “first broke the 300-pound barrier in the off-season at the age of 20,” which was almost unheard of in the early 1970s.
Lou’s training principles, in his words
Start with the big lifts. “Focus first on the exercises that work the largest muscles and several muscles together. Get stronger on these basic lifts, and you’ll grow. You could get a tremendous full-body workout with just squats, bench presses, and barbell rows.”
You don’t need to lift super heavy. “I get size without going super heavy. Really heavy weights almost always lead to some form of injury.” His legs are a good example: “I’ve always made my best leg gains with moderate reps.”
Keep changing things. “I never use the same training program twice. I constantly play with exercise selection, the order of exercises, the body angle with which each exercise is done, poundages, sets, reps, pace, everything.”
Find your motivation. Remember the Pumping Iron scene where he shouts “Arnold!” on every rep? “I used Arnold to motivate my workouts.”
Food and sleep matter more than you think. “I’d say diet is 60% of the battle in bodybuilding, and training is the other 40%.” And for recovery: “Try to get at least eight hours of quality sleep each night.”
His workouts, as he shared them
These are the exact exercises, sets and reps Lou gave Muscle & Fitness. He didn’t share his weekly split there, so we’ve built one for you further down.
Chest
“The secret to chest development is to hit it from all angles,” he said. He also kept his bench grip “only slightly wider than shoulder width.”
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Bench press | 5 | 8-12 |
| Incline press | 5 | 8-12 |
| Decline press | 4 | 8-12 |
| Flat or incline flye | 4 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell pullover | 3 | 15 |
| Cable crossover | 3 | 10-15 |
Shoulders
“My shoulders were built mostly with overhead presses… five sets of each.”
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Behind-the-neck press | 5 | 10-12 |
| Front press (machine or barbell) | 5 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell side lateral | 5 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell rear lateral | 5 | 10-12 |
| Dumbbell front raise | 5 | 10-12 |
Abs (a giant set)
He did all four exercises back to back with no rest, rested 2 to 3 minutes, then repeated the giant set “one or two more times.”
| Exercise | Sets | Reps |
|---|---|---|
| Hanging leg raise | 3-4 | 15-20 |
| Roman chair sit-up | 3-4 | 50 |
| Bench leg raise | 3-4 | 30-40 |
| Crunch side bend | 3-4 | 30-40 |
Calves
He alternated: one calf workout with seated calf raises for 10 to 12 sets of 6 to 10 reps, and the next with standing calf raises for 10 to 12 sets of 15 to 20 reps.
Forearms
He trained them three times a week: wrist curls and reverse wrist curls, 5 sets of 15 to 25 reps each.
That’s a huge amount of work. Remember, this is how a 275 lb pro bodybuilder trained. Most of us will grow well on about half of it.
A weekly plan built from Lou’s training
This is Exercise With Style’s plan, built around Lou’s exercise choices and principles: big lifts first, moderate reps, and biceps trained with triceps, which is how he liked it (“I prefer to work biceps with triceps, rather than hitting them on separate days”). We’ve cut his volume down to something a regular lifter can recover from.
| Day | Session |
|---|---|
| Monday | Chest and back |
| Tuesday | Legs and calves |
| Wednesday | Rest |
| Thursday | Shoulders and arms |
| Friday | Legs and abs |
| Weekend | Rest |
Chest and back: bench press 4 x 8-12, incline press 3 x 8-12, flye 3 x 10-12, barbell row 4 x 8-12, dumbbell pullover 3 x 15, lat pulldown 3 x 10-12.
Legs and calves: squat 4 x 10-12, hack squat or leg press 3 x 10-15, leg extension 3 x 12-15, leg curl 3 x 12, standing calf raise 5 x 15-20.
Shoulders and arms: front press 4 x 10-12, side lateral 3 x 10-12, rear lateral 3 x 10-12, barbell curl 3 x 10, triceps pushdown 3 x 10-12, wrist curl and reverse wrist curl 2 x 15-25 each.
Legs and abs: front squat 4 x 10, Romanian deadlift 3 x 10, walking lunge 3 x 12 each leg, seated calf raise 5 x 6-10, then Lou’s ab giant set once or twice.
Is training each muscle about twice a week enough? Yes. Research found the total weekly work matters more than how many days you split it across.
How to progress: add a little weight when you hit the top of the rep range on every set. And in true Lou style, swap a few exercises every 6 to 8 weeks.
Questions people ask
Is this Lou’s exact routine?
The chest, shoulder, ab, calf and forearm workouts are exactly what he shared. The weekly plan is ours, because he didn’t share his split in that feature.
Should I do the behind-the-neck press?
Lou did, but it asks a lot of your shoulder mobility. Stick to the front press unless your shoulders feel completely comfortable.
Can a beginner follow this?
Not yet. Start with a simpler plan like Arnold’s Golden Six or the 3 day workout split, then come back to this.
Want more classic bodybuilders?
Check out Arnold Schwarzenegger, Steve Reeves and Tom Platz.
Happy lifting, and find your own “Arnold!” to chase!
This article is for general information and is not medical advice. Check with a doctor before starting a new training plan if you have an injury or a medical condition.
