Tag: bodybuilding

Recently I got to spend an hour and half talking to actor Lou Ferrigno, best known for his bodybuilding career and playing the comic book hero in the classic TV show, The Incredible Hulk.

Lou is 60 years old and looking as fit as ever, if not better than ever. He’s focused, hard working, intense, smart, driven, and dedicated.

We met because of our mutual admiration for actor/body builder Steve Reeves. I have a large collection of Reeves items, from his car to his gym to his trophies to his clothes. I also coauthored The Steve Reeves Cookbook.

Lou idolized Reeves, met him twice, and modeled the famous Reeves classic physique to sculpt his own impressive body.

Lou Ferrigno and Yours Truly

I wish I could share all of the 90 minutes we spent together. He was very open with me, and I want to honor his sharing. We talked about everything from mindset to motivation, from fitness to aging, from our fathers to our careers. Lou was just as interested in me as I was in him. Lou’s life has not been a piece of cake. He’s had many challenges, and he has triumphed over all of them.

“If I hadn’t lost my hearing, I wouldn’t be where I am now. It forced me to maximize my potential. I had to be better than the average person to succeed. That`s why I chose bodybuilding. If I became a world champion, if I could win admiration from my peers, I could do anything.” – Lou Ferrigno

Lou works out five times a week, even while traveling, for an hour. He does twenty minutes of cardio and the rest of the time is spent lifting iron. He eats the same thing every day, which is egg whites for breakfast and salads at night. He tops off his carb intake at 150 grams a day and none after 7 pm. He has a glass of red wine at night. He doesn’t smoke cigars. He’s a family man with a big career. Despite all his successes, he has big dreams and is driven for more.

I gave him my audio set, The Secret to Attracting Money. He pointed at the word “attracting” in the title, smiled, and said, “I’m very interested in this.”

We were talking about thinking positive when Lou stopped me and said, “I’ve never heard it put that way before.”

I was so caught up in the exciting moment of hanging out with a legendary action figure and super star that I had to ask him to clarify.

“What’d I say?” I asked.

Lou answered, “You said when people start thinking negative, they lose all their power.”

Turns out power is a core theme with Lou. He admitted he was the most competitive person on the planet. He also said he went into bodybuilding as a form of self-protection. He built a physical wall, literally, to protect himself.

Cookbook by George Helmer and me

Lou surprised me by asking what books influenced me the most. I didn’t realize just how much he still wanted to learn and grow and expand his success.

I told him about The Book of est and The Magic of Believing. He didn’t know of either but seemed fascinated.

Again, our ninety minutes together covered a lot of ground. I encouraged him to host his own event, turn his books into e-books, record audio versions of his books, and more. He was very open to my ideas, and answered all of my questions as well.

If I had to give you one take away point from Lou, it’d be this: Do something.

Do something.

He is a massive take-action guy. We agreed that ideas are a dime a dozen and talk is cheap. It’s action that separates the men from the boys, and women from the girls, the wannabees from the successes.

Action.

I’m impressed and inspired by Lou.

When we were to part, he hugged me. I was surprised, as I didn’t read him as a hugger, but I sure welcomed the embrace by the incredible Lou Ferrigno.

His site is at www.louferrigno.com

Ao Akua,

joe

PS – I’ll be in LA appearing on CBS television news this Saturday morning, talking about my book, Attract Money Now. Tune in if you’re in the LA area.

Member BBB 2003 - 2012

How did Hercules stay fit?

What did the greatest bodybuilder eat to stay healthy and win all those awards?

What can you and I learn from the nutrition secrets of the man who influenced more superheros than anyone else?

You may or may not know that I’m a fan of Steve Reeves, the actor who played Hercules, and the bodybuilder who won so many awards — Mr. Amercia, Mr. World, Mr. Universe — before steroids.

I have everything from Steve’s car (1976 Jaq XJS) to his home gym (commercial grade Universal).

Recently I teamed up with Reeves’ friend and business partner, George Helmer, and wrote an unusual cookbook about what Reeves ate as an actor and bodybuilder to live a long and healthy life.

It’s called The Hercules Cookbook: The Recipes and Nutrition Secrets of Steve Reeves.

This is far more than a cookbook. It’s packed with full-color photographs of Reeves on and off the movie set, and contains terrific stories about Reeves. It reveals what the world’s first film action hero ate to stay fit — before fitness was considered cool.

We are going to offer this collectible book as a downloadable e-book very soon. But I wanted you to know that if you wanted a limited-edition printed copy, signed by me and George Helmer, that we only have 250 available.

It’s just $29.95 (a screaming deal) but there are strictly only 250 copies being printed (and I’m keeping a box of them myself to give out as gifts).

This book has great stories from people who knew Steve best, great color photos, information on how he became an expert on nutrition, and what he ate during his years in bodybuilding, starring in films, and on his ranch. We have had this information for many years and now want to share it with you.

The book measures 8′ x 10′ inches and has 108 pages of little-known information and amazing color photos. You’ll love thumbing through the book, reading the stories, looking at the pictures, and trying out the recipes.

And don’t think Steve only ate nuts and bananas. He wasn’t a monkey. He enjoyed normal food made in special ways – including brownies!

We are now taking orders for this limited-edition printed book and will not charge your credit card until we ship your book. The books are due to ship on December 11, 2010, so you’ll get yours in time for the holiday season (assuming you order today).

Order by clicking right here. (If the link doesn’t work, go to http://www.stevereeves.com, click on the online store, and search under ‘books’.)

The book is a historic work, perfect for anyone interested in cooking, eating, nutrition, health, fitness, movies, classic bodybuilding or of course the great Steve Reeves.

Ao Akua,

Joe

PS – Remember, there are only 250 copies of the printed, collectible, signed book. To get yours, go to http://shop.stevereeves.com/store/viewItem.shop?idProduct=273 or go to http://www.stevereeves.com, click on the online store, and then search under ‘books’.

Member BBB 2003 – 2011