Lou Ferrigno Shares His Secrets to Building Huge Chest and Arms

Lou Ferrigno is a retired professional bodybuilder and an American actor, best known for starring as The Incredible Hulk. He has also appeared in several fantasy-adventure movies such as Hercules and Sinbad of the Seven Seas, and as himself in The King of Queens and I Love You, Man. As a bodybuilder, on the other hand, Ferrigno has won the IFBB Mr. America title and two IFBB Mr. Universe titles.

Although he is 70 years old now and away from competitive sport for over two decades ago, Lou Ferrigno trains like a pro bodybuilder and shares his fitness secrets with fans. He regularly shares his workout videos on social media and keeps fans updated about his fitness routine.

In one such Facebook video, the retired bodybuilder revealed that he trains almost every day and remains consistent in his workout and diet routine. He believes that consistency is the only way he has been able to attain the results he has throughout his professional bodybuilding career. He explained that this was his best-kept fitness secret.

According to Lou Ferrigno, “There are three great secrets: eat good, sleep good, and train good. And remember one thing: health is your greatest wealth. Don’t forget that.”

Previously, Ferrigno has also shared his secrets to building huge chests and arms. So, if you are someone who is dedicated to building a massive upper body just like the Hulk himself, here are some of his secrets that might surely help you. But before unfolding Ferrigno’s secret, let’s look at the bodybuilder’s everyday chest and arms workout.

Lou Ferrigno’s Arms and Chest Workout

Warm-up

Treadmill jog or walk: 10 minutes

Machine preacher curls: 3 sets of 12 reps

Machine chest press: 3 sets of 12 reps

Triceps kickback: 3 sets of 10 reps per arm

Alternating dumbbell curls: 3 sets of 10 reps per arm

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Lou Ferrigno’s Secrets to Building Enormous Chests and Arms

According to Ferrigno, the secret to great chest development is to target the muscles from all angles—decline, incline, and flat, and add variety in the form of presses, dips, pec decks, cable crossovers, and flyes.

1. Include Bench Press in Every Other Chest Workout Day

According to Ferrigno, if you want well-defined pecs, you ought to do as many bench presses as you can. He believes that a bench press is the single best exercise for developing pecs, and is beneficial for triceps and shoulders too. He suggests that you must do benches at least every other chest day.

2. Be Mindful of Your Grip

When doing chest pressing movements, Lou Ferrigno recommends using a grip that’s slightly wider than shoulder width. Doing this helps in two ways: it gives a tighter contraction at the top of the movement and offers a better stretch in the muscles as well.

3. Do not Compromise Good Form for Inappropriate Weights

In an interview with Men’s Health, Ferrigno said, “I’ve seen guys pick up 50-pound dumbbells, swing them, drop them, because they want to make an impression.” He further added, “You don’t want me to be angry, and you won’t like when I’m angry, because you don’t want me to become the Incredible Hulk. So, make sure you do the exercise correctly.”

He suggests using lighter weights and advises focusing more on the exercise’s form. If the form is incorrect, there is no way that particular exercise will benefit you.

4. Focus on Supersets for Biceps and Triceps

Lou Ferrigno says he worked his triceps and biceps together on a single day. He preferred doing supersets but usually started his arm workouts with biceps and wrapped up with triceps moves.

5. Do Not Chase Heavy Weights

For chest and shoulder presses, Lou Ferrigno recommends using slightly lighter weights because he believes that heavy weights always lead to some form of injury or pain.

“I get size without going super heavy. Really heavy weights always lead to some form of injury. This is especially true on chest and shoulder presses because there’s a tremendous temptation to bounce the weight to cheat up a few more pounds.”

Most importantly, the retired IFBB bodybuilder suggests focusing first on the workouts that work the largest and several muscles together. “Get stronger on the basic lifts, and you’ll grow.”

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Takeaway

Lou Ferrigno advises everyone to focus more on basic training and believes that you can get a productive full-body workout with just bench presses, squats, and rows when done with the correct form.