Lou Ferrigno

'The Hulk'

Born November 9, 1951. Is an American actor, fitness trainer/consultant, and Ex-Pro-Bodybuilder.

As a bodybuilder, Ferrigno won an IFBB Mr. America title and two consecutive IFBB Mr. Universe titles, and appeared in the bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron. As an actor, he is best known for portraying the title role in the CBS television series The Incredible Hulk. He has also appeared in European-produced fantasy-adventures such as Sinbad of the Seven Seas and Hercules, and as himself in the sitcom "The King of Queens" and the 2009 comedy I Love You, Man.

Early Life:

Ferrigno was born in Brooklyn, New York to Matt Ferrigno, an Italian American New York City Police Department Lieutenant, and his mother Victoria. As an infant, he suffered an ear infection and lost some of his hearing. Ferrigno started weight training at age 13, citing body builder and Hercules star Steve Reeves as one of his role models.

Ferrigno's personal heroes as a child were Spider-Man and the Hulk. Appropriately, he would later play the role of the Hulk himself in the Incredible Hulk television series and related TV movies. He was also a fan of the Hercules films that starred Steve Reeves. Ferrigno frequently points to Reeves as one of his primary role models and would later play Hercules just as Reeves had.

BodyBuilding Career:

After graduating from Brooklyn Technical High School in 1969, Ferrigno won his first major titles, IFBB Mr. America and IFBB Mr. Universe, four years later. Early in his career he lived in Columbus and trained with Arnold Schwarzenegger. In 1974, he came in second on his first attempt at the Mr. Olympia competition. He then came third the following year, and his attempt to beat Arnold Schwarzenegger was the subject of the 1975 documentary Pumping Iron. Following this, Ferrigno left the competition circuit for many years, a period that included a stint as a defensive lineman for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League.

During competition, Lou Ferrigno weighed 285 lb (130 kg) in 1975, and 316 lb (143 kg) in 1992; at 6 ft 5 in (1.96 m) he was one of the tallest professional bodybuilders at that time.

Ferrigno competed in the first World's Strongest Man competition in 1977, where he finished fourth in a field of eight competitors. While competing, Ferrigno regularly went to see a physician who checked up on whether he was doing damage to his body.

In the early 1990s, Ferrigno returned to bodybuilding, competing for the 1992 and 1993 Mr. Olympia titles. Finishing 12th and 10th, respectively, he then turned to the Masters Olympia, coming second in 1994 to Robby Robinson. After this, he retired from competition.

Acting Career:

Ferrigno signed up with Universal Studios in 1977, and beat out both Arnold Schwarzenegger (although both Ferrigno and Schwarzenegger himself have gone on record saying Arnold was not in the running[citation needed]) and Richard Kiel for the title role opposite Bill Bixby as the Hulk in The Incredible Hulk. Richard Kiel was hired for the series first, and scenes were filmed. It was quickly determined he was not muscular enough, and Ferrigno was signed. One brief shot of Kiel remains in the pilot movie. Although Ferrigno and Bixby did not share lines on camera (except for one episode, "King of the Beach"), the two were friends. Ferrigno continued playing the Hulk role until 1981, although the last two episodes were not broadcast until May 1982. Later, he and Bixby co-starred in three The Incredible Hulk TV movies. There were major talks of another movie, The Rebirth of The Incredible Hulk, but due to Bixby's illness, the project never went beyond the earliest stages of development. Ferrigno continued to keep in touch with Bixby until his death on November 21, 1993. Ferrigno attended Bixby's funeral in California.

Ferrigno played himself during intermittent guest appearances on the CBS sitcom, The King of Queens, beginning in 2000 and continuing until the program's conclusion in 2007. He and his wife Carla were depicted as the main characters' next-door neighbors. Because of his role as the title character on The Incredible Hulk, he is often the target of Hulk jokes by Doug and his friends.

He made cameo appearances as a security guard in both the 2003 film Hulk and the 2008 film The Incredible Hulk, in which he also voiced the Hulk.

Ferrigno appeared as himself in the 2009 feature film comedy I Love You, Man.

Personal Life:

Ferrigno sees his loss of hearing as influential towards bodybuilding and his life: "...if I hadn't lost some of my hearing, I wouldn't be where I am now. It forced me to maximize my own potential. I had to be better than the average person to succeed."

Ferrigno married Susan Groff in 1978, divorcing a year later. On May 3, 1980, he married psychotherapist Carla Green, who then also began serving as his manager and later became a personal trainer. They have three children, Shanna, born 1981; Louis, Jr., born 1984; and Brent, born 1990. Shanna has a recurring role as Nurse Janice in Days of our Lives, and appeared in the NBC series Windfall, as well as the television movie Within, and in 2005 she appeared in the E! reality television series, Filthy Rich: Cattle Drive. Louis, Jr. was a linebacker for the University of Southern California Trojans football team.

On February 13, 2006 he was sworn in as a Los Angeles County reserve sheriff's deputy.

He still trains daily and also sells his own line of fitness equipment through his company, Ferrigno Fitness.

A Few Videos Of Inspiration...

1. Lou Ferrigno Workout

2. Lou Ferrigno - Mr Olympia 1992

3. A Tribute To Lou Ferrigno

Franco Columbu

'The Sardinian Strongman'

Born August 17, 1941. Is an Italian actor, former bodybuilder and World's Strongest Man competitor.

Columbu was born in Ollolai, Sardinia (Italy). Starting out his athletic career as a boxer, Columbu progressed into the sport of Olympic Weightlifting, powerlifting and later bodybuilding, winning the title of Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981. At 5 feet and 5 inches in height (some magazines reported as short as 5'3"), Columbu is shorter than most of his bodybuilding competitors, but that did not prevent him from achieving widespread success.

Columbu competed in the 1977 World's Strongest Man competition and was actually in fourth place. During the Refrigerator race, while ahead, he stumbled, and was shown on national television collapsing with a grotesquely dislocated leg. That ended his participation in the World's Strongest Man contest. In the end, he finished in fifth place. He received a reported $1 million in compensation for his injury. It took six hours of surgery to remove all the muscle and fix his leg. Doctors told him he would never walk again, but Columbu fully recovered in three years. After Arnold Schwarzenegger's comeback victory in the 1980 Mr. Olympia, Franco followed suit and won the 1981 Mr. Olympia.

Columbu is a long time friend of Arnold Schwarzenegger, whom he met in Munich in 1965 and against whom he competed in several international-level bodybuilding competitions. For the Mr. Olympia competitions however, he competed in the under 200 lb (90.7 kg) category, whereas Schwarzenegger was in the over 200 lb category. The final champion was determined by a pose down between the two class winners. The IFBB has since abandoned weight classes. Arnold and Franco were inseparable during the early to mid-1970s and frequently trained together. Columbu served as the best man at the wedding of Schwarzenegger and Maria Shriver in 1986. Columbu and Schwarzenegger had been encouraged to come to America by bodybuilding guru Joe Weider in 1969; Weider sponsored them with an $80/week stipend and the two European bodybuilders began a bricklaying and patio business called European Brick Works in 1969, according to a report in The New York Times.

From the time he arrived in America in 1969, Franco Columbu was considered one of the world's strongest men. He held a number of powerlifting and Olympic weightlifting world records. He also performed a strongman act in which he routinely popped a hot water bottle by inflating it orally, lifted vehicles on stage (while someone else was changing a tire) and deadlifted over 700 lbs for repetitions. He designed a comprehensive workout for men in 1988 to flatten the stomach, narrow the waist, and eliminate love handles. He is both a chiropractor and a weightlifter and his career parallels that of American weightlifting champion Karyn Marshall, who has used chiropractic therapy to train for competitions and who became a chiropractor herself.

A Few Videos Of Inspiration...

1. Franco Columbu

2. Franco Columbu - The Road To Olympia

3. Tribute To Franco Columbu

Arnold Schwarzenegger

'Austrian Oak'

Born July 30th 1947 In Thai Austria

Schwarzenegger is considered among the most important figures in the history of bodybuilding, and his legacy is commemorated in the Arnold Classic annual bodybuilding competition. Schwarzenegger has remained a prominent face in the bodybuilding sport long after his retirement, in part because of his ownership of gyms and fitness magazines. He has presided over numerous contests and awards shows.

For many years, he wrote a monthly column for the bodybuilding magazines Muscle & Fitness and Flex. Shortly after being elected Governor, he was appointed executive editor of both magazines, in a largely symbolic capacity. The magazines agreed to donate $250,000 a year to the Governor's various physical fitness initiatives. The magazine MuscleMag International has a monthly two-page article on him, and refers to him as "The King".

One of the first competitions he won was the Junior Mr. Europe contest in 1965. He won Mr. Europe the following year, at age 19. He would go on to compete in and win many bodybuilding contests, as well as some weightlifting contests, including five Mr. Universe (4 – NABBA [England], 1 – IFBB [USA]) wins, and seven Mr. Olympia wins, a record which would stand until Lee Haney won his eighth consecutive Mr. Olympia title in 1991.

Competition Weight: 240 lbs (top 250 lbs)

Off Season Weight: 260 lbs

Strongman:

In 1967, Schwarzenegger competed in and won the Munich stone-lifting contest, in which a stone weighing 508 German pounds (254 kg/560 lbs.) is lifted between the legs while standing on two foot rests.

Mr. Olympia:

Schwarzenegger's goal was to become the greatest bodybuilder in the world, which meant becoming Mr. Olympia. His first attempt was in 1969, when he lost to three-time champion Sergio Oliva. However, Schwarzenegger came back in 1970 and won the competition, making him the youngest ever Mr. Olympia at the age of 23, a record he holds to this day.

He continued his winning streak in the 1971–1974 competitions. In 1975, Schwarzenegger was once again in top form, and won the title for the sixth consecutive time, beating Franco Columbu. After the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, Schwarzenegger announced his retirement from professional bodybuilding.

Months before the 1975 Mr. Olympia contest, filmmakers George Butler and Robert Fiore persuaded Schwarzenegger to compete, in order to film his training in the bodybuilding documentary called Pumping Iron. Schwarzenegger had only three months to prepare for the competition, after losing significant weight to appear in the film Stay Hungry with Jeff Bridges. Lou Ferrigno proved not to be a threat, and a lighter-than-usual Schwarzenegger convincingly won the 1975 Mr. Olympia.

Schwarzenegger came out of retirement, however, to compete in the 1980 Mr. Olympia.Schwarzenegger was training for his role in Conan, and he got into such good shape because of the running, horseback riding and sword training, that he decided he wanted to win the Mr. Olympia contest one last time. He kept this plan a secret, in the event that a training accident would prevent his entry and cause him to lose face. Schwarzenegger had been hired to provide color commentary for network television, when he announced at the eleventh hour that while he was there: "Why not compete?" Schwarzenegger ended up winning the event with only seven weeks of preparation. After being declared Mr. Olympia for a seventh time, Schwarzenegger officially retired from competition.

Steroid use:

Schwarzenegger has admitted to using performance-enhancing anabolic steroids while they were legal, writing in 1977 that "steroids were helpful to me in maintaining muscle size while on a strict diet in preparation for a contest. I did not use them for muscle growth, but rather for muscle maintenance when cutting up." He has called the drugs for "tissue building."

In 1999, Schwarzenegger sued Dr. Willi Heepe, a German doctor who publicly predicted his early death on the basis of a link between his steroid use and his later heart problems. As the doctor had never examined him personally, Schwarzenegger collected a US$10,000 libel judgment against him in a German court. In 1999, Schwarzenegger also sued and settled with The Globe, a U.S. tabloid which had made similar predictions about the bodybuilder's future health.

A Few Videos Of Inspiration...

1. Arnold Schwarzenegger Pumping Iron

2. A Tribute To Arnold Schwarzenegger

3. Arnold Schwarzenegger Bodybuilding Tips

Mike Katz

'Man Of The Century'

Born November 14, 1944 In New Haven, Connecticut

Whenever talk of the sport’s best chest is debated, Mike Katz is a name that quickly enters the discussion.  In addition to his mighty pecs, he is also remembered for one of the most famous scenes in Pumping Iron, when Ken Waller steals his T-shirt.

Katz is one of the many iron warriors who were influenced by Steve Reeves. Watching the movie Hercules, young Katz was so inspired by the physique of 1947 Mr. America Reeves that he decided muscles should be part of his own future.  Katz also found inspiration in Bill Pearl and later in Harold Helland, who became his training partner at Helland’s garage gym.

Katz’s first bodybuilding competition was a 1959 teen YMCA event in Waterbury, Connecticut, and, like fellow 2007 inductee Boyer Coe, Katz spent many summer weekends competing in regional contests.  The results of these events were not reported in the magazines of the time and are, therefore, lost.  At the age of 18, he place 10th in the Mr. Nutmeg State and, in 1964, he was declared Mr. Teen Connecticut.

After an All-American college football career, Katz went on to play in the NFL for the New York Jets, but a knee operation in 1968 ended his career and prevented him from being a part of the Jets’ winning Super Bowl team in that final year.

Joining the IFBB in 1969, Katz placed second in the tall class at the Mr. American in New York City, and then won that title the following year.  In September 1972, he won the IFBB Mr. World, as well as best back, best chest and most muscular at the White Plans County Center.  In his first Mr. Olympia in 1976, Katz placed second in the heavyweight class.  He then took a few years off from competing – during which tim he made guest-posing appearances – before wrapping up his competitive career with a 15th-place finish at the 1981 Mr. O.

After his bodybuilding career ended, Katz kept busy – he was the first person of fame or notoriety to work with Eunice Kennedy Shriver when she began Special Olympics projects in New Haven, and his World Gym East was the first franchise organized after Joe Gold began offering them.  The gym name changed to Planet Fitness in 2004.  Katz, who has bachelors and master’s degrees in health and physical education, and a pre-doctorate in administration and supervision, retired in 1999 from Hamden High School, where he had been teaching for 33 years.

He stays in touch with his bodybuilding roots by judging contests, and he has judged the Olympia several times.  He still trains four or five times per week and runs his gym.

A Few Videos Of Inspiration...

1. Mike Katz The Best Bodybuilding Amateur Of 70

2. Posedown!!

3. Mike Katz VideoBiograpgy

Serge Nubret

'The Black Panther'

Serge Nubret (Born October 6, 1938 in Anse-Bertrand, north of Grande-Terre, Guadeloupe) is a French professional bodybuilder, bodybuilding federation leader, movie actor and author. Serge was awarded many bodybuilding titles including Mr. Europe (1966), Mr. Universe (1976) and WBBG Pro. Mr. World (1977). Serge Nubret's nickname is "The Black Panther" and "The Nubret Lion".

Career And Bodybuilding:

Serge NUBRET was born on the 6th of October 1938 in Anse Bertrand, Guadeloupe. After happy childhood, running around and playing in the fresh air of such an environment, he moved to France to pursue his scholarship, he was 12 years old. Soon enough, he became aware of his exceptional potential for athletics. Thus, in 1958, back in Guadeloupe after accounting studies, he decided to dedicate himself to bodybuilding which was to become, in his own words, his "reason of being". Gifted with real artistic aptitudes, Serge NUBRET was then ready to fulfilling his potential of becoming the "sculptor of his own body".

All were amazed and perplexed when he started to talk about his intention to becoming a world champion after only 2 years of training. Living up to his words, in 1960 he became the IFBB World Most Muscular Man in Montreal. From this day forward, this exceptional athlete kept improving, winning the most prestigious titles including NABBA Mr Univers in 1976 (London), Mr World WBBG and Mr Olympus in 1977 (New York) and another World champion title in 1981 (Geneva). In 1982, 22 years after his first world class achievement, further demonstrating his lifetime dedication, he became the WABBA world champion in Rome, winning his fifth major title. In 2003, Serge NUBRET offered a stunning last show to his public during the World championships in France (Gravelines)... He was 65 years old!

Additionally to being recognized by experts, peers and fans as a reference in the bodybuilding field, Serge Nubret has also dedicated himself to development and promotion of Bodybuilding. He became the head of the France and Europe IFBB bodybuilding federation from 1970 to 1975. He is also the founder of the WABBA since 1976 with one objective in mind: ensuring that affiliated athletes receive the best support via representing organisms. The cinema could not miss out on such a character. Thus, Serge NUBRET featured in 25 movies including « The Titans » with Giuliano GEMMA (1961) « César et Rosalie » with Romy SCHNEIDER and Yves MONTAND (1972) and « Le Professionnel » with Jean-Paul BELMONDO (1981). Serge NUBRET remains one of the most significant figure and for lots of bodybuilders, he represents the out-of-the-box aesthetic reference. His legacy is well alive, witnessing the Golden Age of bodybuilding when balance and harmony were keys to all achievements

A Few Video Of Inspiration...

1. Serge Nubret Tribute

2. Serge Nubret The King Of Body Building

3. Serge Nubret Guest Posing 1985

Ed Corney

'Master Poser'

Ed Corney (born November 9, 1933 in Hawaii) is an American former professional bodybuilder.


Bodybuilding Career:

Ed Corney is a legendary bodybuilder from the Golden Age of bodybuilding and is widely regarded as the greatest poser that the sport has ever known. He has won the IFBB Mr. America, IFBB Universe, IFBB Masters Olympia 60+ (twice) and is a member of the IFBB Hall of Fame.

In 1950, he enlisted in the United States Coast Guard and, after serving in New York City, moved out to California. It was there that he met bodybuilder Millard Williamson, who encouraged him to begin weight training.

At 160 pounds and age 33 (which is a very late age to begin bodybuilding), Corney entered and won his first contest in 1967, the Mr. Fremont, held in Northern California. His wins the following year included Mr. Heart of California, Mr. Northern California and Mr. Golden West.

He continued to climb the bodybuilding ladder with impressive wins at the 1970 Iron Man, the 1971 AAU Mr. California, the 1971 IFBB Mr. USA, the 1972 IFBB Mr. America and the 1972 IFBB Mr. Universe that was held in Baghdad, Iraq.

Corney achieved even broader public recognition as a result of his appearance in both the book and movie versions of Pumping Iron. He was pictured on the cover of the book and on the posters for the movie. In the film we see him not only training alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger with an absolutely mind-numbing intensity, but also flowing flawlessly from one of his classic and unique poses to the next as Arnold comments, "Now that's what I call posing."

Corney's pioneering posing transitions distinguished him from his peers at the time, and his incredible stage performances are still revered and imitated to this day.

In 1994 Corney returned to competition. He won the 60+ division of the Masters Olympia in both 1994 and 1995, placed 11th overall in 1996 and took second in the 60+ division in 1997. He also competed in 1998 in the only Masters event ever to be held at the Arnold Schwarzenegger Classic.

Corney remains very active in the sport to this day. In 1999 he suffered a heart attack while undergoing shoulder replacement surgery. A blood thinning medication that was given to him to treat the heart attack caused him to suffer two strokes. After a short period in a coma and some time using a wheelchair, Corney fought his way back to health. The wheelchair is now gone, donated to a worthy local charity, and Corney is back at the gym seven days a week. He is a fixture at various annual bodybuilding events like the Mr. Olympia Expo and the Arnold Classic Expo, and he continues to counsel young athletes through personal training sessions near his Central California home and public lectures.

A Few Videos Of Inspiration...

1. Ed Corney Working Out

2. Ed Corney Posing

3. Ed Corney Training

Sergio Oliva

'The Myth'

Early life:

Oliva was born in Cuba on July 4, 1941. At the age of twelve he worked with his father in the sugar cane fields of Guambaco. When Oliva was 16, his father suggested that he enlist in Fulgencio Batista's army. In the absence of a birth certificate, the recruiting officer took the senior Oliva's word that his son was old enough to enlist in the fight against communism.

After losing the war to Fidel Castro, Oliva stayed local and took to hanging out at the beach. There he met a fellow sun worshipper who invited him to the local weightlifting club. After just six months of training Oliva was doing clean & jerks with over 300 pounds. Totaling 1000 pounds in the three Olympic lifts at a bodyweight of 195 lbs, considered a middle-heavyweight.

Because of an injury of the top weightlifter, Alberto R. Games, he was chosen to represent Cuba at the 1962 Central America Games hosted in Kingston, Jamaica. In 1962 the National Weightlifting Championship for Cuba was won by Alberto Rey Games Hernandez; Sergio Oliva took second place. Alberto Games was unable to attend the Central American Games because of an injury.

During his stay in Jamaica, Oliva snuck out of his quarters while the guards were distracted. He ran at top speed until he was safely inside the American consulate. Arriving breathlessly he demanded and received political asylum. Soon, sixty-five other Cuban nationals followed him, including Castro's entire weightlifting team. Soon afterward, Oliva was living in Miami, Florida working as a TV repairman.

Life in the United States:

In 1963 Oliva moved to Chicago, Illinois. There he worked at a local steel mill and began working out at the Duncan YMCA. Working 10-12 hour days at the steel mill and putting in another 2.5–3 hours at the gym gave Oliva very little time for anything else. Soon the bodybuilding grapevine was abuzz with gossip about a Cuban powerhouse who lifted more than any of the local Olympic champs. Oliva won his first bodybuilding competition the Mr. Chicagoland contest in 1963. Then he was successful again at the Mr. Illinois in 1964 but he lost in 1965 at the AAU Jr. Mr. America winning 2nd place even though he won the trophy for "Most Muscular". In 1966, he won the AAU Jr. Mr. America and again he claimed the trophy for "Most Muscular". He then joined the International Federation of BodyBuilders IFBB in which he won both the professional Mr. World and Mr. Universe Contests. In 1967 he won the prestigious Mr. Olympia contest, making him the undisputed world champion of bodybuilding.

Oliva then went on to win the Mr. Olympia title three years in a row. At 5 feet 9 inches and at a contest weight that varied between 240-255 lbs.

Personal:

• He served the city of Chicago as a police officer for more than 25 years.
• In 1986, Sergio survived being shot by his then-wife Arleen Garrett. He sustained 5 bullet wounds.
• His son, Sergio Oliva Jr, is following in his father's footsteps into competitive bodybuilding in Miramar Beach, Florida.
• Oliva co-starred with Mil Máscaras in a Mexican wrestling movie in 1975 called El Poder Negro (Black Power), in which he played a super-strong dockworker who runs afoul of the local crime syndicate and helps Mil Máscaras to bring them to justice. His co-star was Venezuelan actress and singer Lila Morillo.
• In 1977, Oliva starred in a second Mexican action film (this time a wrestling/ western hybrid) called "The Terrible Ones" (aka "Los Terribles")

A Few Videos Of Inspiration....

1. Sergio Oliva The Greatest.

2. Sergio Oliva 1985

3. Sergio Oliva Junior (It Runs In The Family)