Lou Ferrigno, a two-time Mr. Universe champion, came widely into prominence after starring in a small role in ‘Pumping Iron’ alongside Arnold Schwarzenegger. The man who popularized the Hulk on screen once shared anecdotes about raising a strong kid and how his fitness ideals intertwined with his parenting over the years.

In a 2021 interview, Lou Ferrigno was joined by his son Lou Ferrigno Jr., taking after his father’s name, and spoke about their foray into bodybuilding and how their father-son relationship evolved over the years. Let’s get into it.

What Lou Ferrigno wanted for his son and how it created a rift early on?

Speaking to Men’s Health magazine, Lou Ferrigno said, “I wanted to give him my name because I felt like he was destined for great things. I didn’t want him to go into bodybuilding, because bodybuilding is a very difficult sport”. Ferrigno was cautious if his son would face similar challenges as him in bodybuilding. Ferrigno answered if his relationship with physical fitness and parenting had evolved over the years.

He continued, “I wanted him to have a college education because he was very smart”. Ferrigno saw an easy way out to protect his son from the grueling world of bodybuilding, and his son’s grades helped his cause. Nevertheless, his son, Lou Ferrigno Jr. did end up becoming a bodybuilder. He further followed in his father’s footsteps to become an actor, starring in movies like Nightshade, Dreamcatcher, Final Frequency, and Blackout, among others.

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Ferrigno Jr. said, “There was definitely a time when I was like, “How am I going to live up to this?” He put this pressure on me, unjustly, because I didn’t choose any of this. His and my relationship wasn’t good”. Every son grows up to live up to their father, but Lou Ferrigno’s achievements were towering over a young Ferrigno Jr., too much for him to climb. However, he finally saw through the real intentions behind his dad.

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He continued, “It took some time, and it took a lot of soul-search­-ing, but I came to see him as a teammate and a coach, rather than the opposition”. Today Ferrigno Jr. and his dad are as close as ever. They work out together and are each other’s biggest support.

Issues that Lou Ferrigno had with his own dad, and what he learned from it?

His son’s resentment hurt Ferrigno (Sr). As per him, it hearkens back to his relationship with his own dad, Matt Ferrigno. He said, “My wife is a former psychotherapist. I decided to go into therapy because I didn’t want to be like my father. My father never had the ability to say he was wrong, he was sorry. . . . I didn’t want to be like him with my kids”. He changed his own parenting technique based on that.

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Ferrigno continued, “That’s why I let my kids speak when they’re angry. Sometimes I heard things I didn’t want to hear. But I’d rather have them express”. It was tough for him to give that freedom at first, but it definitely brought them closer over the period.