"It's the bully who has the problem," Ferrigno told a group of children athletes at D1 in West County.
It's hard to imagine the Incredible Hulk being bullied, but that's exactly what Lou Ferrigno told kid athletes when he dropped by D1 gym in West County for a visit on Thursday.
Ferrigno, of The Incredible Hulk fame, is in town for the Wizard World Comic Con this weekend.
He lost 75 percent of his hearing as a young boy after a terrible ear infection. The resulting speech impediment and the need to wear a hearing aid made him a target for neighborhood bullies. Ferrigno told kids that it's never the victim's fault if they get bullied.
"It's the bully who has the problem," he said. He then advised them to be strong when facing a bully, but also to ask an adult for help.
"I got into bodybuilding to defend myself," he said. "It saved my life." He went on to say that he made his own weights from scraps picked up at a junkyard and read magazines to teach himself how to work out.
Photography by Ben Randolph
Lou Ferrigno stops by D1 in West County and chats with the gym's young athletes.
"Bodybuilding put me on the right path," he said. He started training at 13 to feel as strong as his comic book heroes. He later won bodybuilding titles right out of high school, receiving his first Mr. Universe title at 21.
When asked to audition for The Incredible Hulk TV show in 1977, he jumped at the chance.
Kids asked how much he worked out as the Hulk—three hours a day—and if he ever got green makeup in his eye. He told them it took three hours to get coated in greasepaint and he had to wear painful contacts to get the mean green eyes. "It was like looking out of little peepholes," he said.
He joked that the hardest part about being the Hulk was not all the workouts, but trying to not to sweat the makeup off. When asked how he spent his time off, Ferrigno said under a couple of fans and held his arms out, giving a dramatic sigh.
Ferrigno also gave the kids some healthy advice: "Eat good, train good, sleep good." He said there's no shortcut to good fitness, just hard work. "I worked harder than any person because I knew I could succeed."
Ferrigno, now 67, said he still works out an hour and a half a day and eats healthy to maintain his fitness.
D1 is a training center with a unique 55-yard indoor turf field. Their Scholar-Athlete program gives kids a chance to train and gain confidence just like a Collegiate Division 1 player. Co-owner Dan Connolly said their students are into a wide range of sports, from figure skating to football. "They may not be on a team, but D1 can be their team," he said.
Kids 10 years old and under get free admission to Wizard World St. Louis, April 5–7 at America's Center. Families are encouraged to donate gently used comic books or kid-friendly graphic novels at the convention. Donated comics will be given to the local Gene Slay's Girls and Boys Club. In return, visitors will receive a pre-signed celebrity photo, while supplies last.
