Arnold Schwarzenegger is considered as one of the best bodybuilders of all time. The physique Schwarzenegger had during his career was an inspiration to future stars. The legend inspired the greatest bodybuilders that came into action after him like Ronnie Coleman, Jay Cutler, and so on. However, there was another bodybuilder that made a massive impact during the 70s.

Lou Ferrigno was 6’5″ tall and around 260lbs in weight. He never won the Mr. Olympia title, but interestingly, he was recognized as one of the strongest professional bodybuilders. He had competed with Arnold but couldn’t get past him to win the title. However, in 1997, Arnold disclosed the biggest mistake his rival made in his career.

Arnold Schwarzenegger feels persistence might have been the key to Lou Ferrigno

Despite being taller and grander than Arnold Schwarzenegger, Lou Ferrigno couldn’t get past him. However, both these athletes had similar strengths, their enormous chests and arms. Arnold somehow defeated his rival whenever they competed. The difference in muscle definitions might be the key that comes with the high training and determination Schwarzenegger had. 

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In the documentary Stand Tall, 1997, Arnold revealed his thoughts about Lou not winning any Mr. Olympia title. Arnold said, “He should not have finished in 1975. He was to continue training for the next year.”

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According to Arnold, Lou had great potential to win and cling to the title for a long time. However, his early exit from professional bodybuilding made it not possible. Arnold added, “If he stayed in the weight category from Mr. Olympia and he trained and trained and trained four hours a day, in 1976 and 1977, he would have beaten anybody.” 

Somewhere deep inside, Ferrigno agrees with Arnold 

Interestingly, both Arnold and Lou feel the same about Lou Ferrigno’s career. Moreover, not only them, many veteran bodybuilders think about it in the same way. Ferrigno once stated to bodybuilding.com, “I was like a diamond in the rough. He was a selection diamond, and I was raw, so if I had more time to train, it would have been completely different.”

However, the fact is that Lou didn’t challenge the bodybuilders of that time or even himself enough to win the title. As the founder of Mr. Olympia, Joe Weider said, Lou lacked self-belief. And that was the difference between him and Arnold during their rivalry.

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Lou Ferrigno had enormous potential to win Mr. Olympia and maybe also to make a record. However, the veterans believe, he lacked self-awareness and self-belief to attain what he missed in his career. But people will always remember Lou Ferrigno in the bodybuilding world for his rivalry with Arnold Schwarzenegger.