Most bodybuilding fans know that Arnold Schwarzenegger and Lou Ferrigno had a great rivalry during their competitive days. However, there are moments when the 7-time Mr. Olympia also praised Ferrigno for his physique and work ethic.

One such moment appears in a June 13 YouTube video posted by The Howard Stern Show, featuring Schwarzenegger.

When the host started talking about the Austrian Oak’s balanced physique and how it could become a bodybuilder, and dragged in the name of Ferrigno, Schwarzenegger said,

“I mean, first of all, Lou Ferrigno had a terrific body, and he was very well balanced.”

Later talking about Ferrigno’s Mr. Olympia winning chance, the 7 time Mr. Olympia said, “Uh, the only thing is that he did not stick with it for this extra few years after the Mr Olympia 1975 because he could have been Mr. Olympia, you know, the year or the next year, two years later, three years later if he would have stuck with it.”

Ferrigno first competed against Schwarzenegger in 1974 at the age of 22. However, Schwarzenegger successfully defended his titles for 5 consecutive years.

Again in 1975, Ferrigno competed at Mr. Olympia but failed to defeat Arnold. In 1976, he did not return.

But according to Arnold, if Ferrigno had completed again in 1976 or later with consistency, he would have been a winner because,

“He was enormous, and he was like, the first guy being 6'5" tall.”

Although Ferrigno returned to Mr. Olympia in 1992 and 1993, he finished 12th and 10th, respectively, leaving his hopes for the title behind.

This was not the first time Schwarzenegger praised Ferrigno. He once appreciated Ferrigno for the hard work he put in.

Arnold Schwarzenegger praises Lou Ferrigno for his hard work

Muscle Mind Media shared a short YouTube reel on February 23, 2025, featuring Schwarzenegger discussing Ferrigno.

In the video, Schwarzenegger was seen saying,

“I really got to appreciate Lou because he was one of the very few bodybuilders to work his a** off, you know, not only in the gym.

I mean, he was a sheet metal worker. He was a weightlifter; he was playing football up in Canada. He went into professional wrestling and weightlifting, and then into the movies. You know he played the Hulk. He did a really great job there. Then, after that gig was over, he became a personal trainer, and he was training celebrities here in Hollywood.”

Ferrigno has been a hard worker since his teenage years.

He grew up with limited resources and could not afford a proper gym. So he started his gym journey by building his own equipment from scratch.

Apart from that, he has seen many ups and downs but has never stopped working hard. From working as a sheet metal worker in 1971 to playing for the Toronto Argonauts in the Canadian Football League in 1976, Ferrigno has done it all.

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Written by

Supradeep Dutta

Edited by

Ashvinkumar Patil