💪 Inside Lou Ferrigno’s 1992 Mr. Olympia Comeback

You can think of The Ripped Report as a digital workout partner who always pushes you to be better and never forgets to wipe down machines when we're done with them. Metaphorically speaking, of course.

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In 1992, 41-year-old Lou Ferrigno made an historic comeback to bodybuilding in the hopes of finally winning the Mr. Olympia. Here's the story behind his swan song.

Two generations of strength sports greatness collided when Ronnie Coleman hit the gym with Larry Wheels in Dubai. We can hear the plates rattling from here.

Mastering the art of ramp-up sets can make or break your strength workouts. Make sure you're doing them right with our comprehensive guide.

MR. OLYMPIA HISTORY

The Incredible Hulk Returns

Lou Ferrigno enjoyed plenty of success over the years. He won the Mr. Universe show, starred in Pumping Iron, and became a household name by playing the first-ever live-action Incredible Hulk. But one thing eluded Ferrigno his entire career: The Mr. Olympia crown.

But in 1992, 17 years after he left bodybuilding, Ferrigno returned to the Olympia to fill that one glaring hole on his resume. Weighing in at 290 pounds, the 41-year-old still looked like the comic book monster that made him an icon, but now he was squaring off against competitors like Dorian Yates and Kevin Levrone, who both had mass to spare.

It was a comeback that fans had longed to see — though it was one with an all-too-familiar ending for the veteran.

WORKOUT VIDEO

Name a Better Duo

Few bodybuilders in the early 2000s were as popular as Ronnie Coleman. The eight-time Mr. Olympia was considered one of the strongest ever to take the stage, and his old-school lifting videos on YouTube are the stuff of legend to this day.

So it's appropriate that Coleman recently partnered up with powerlifter Larry “Wheels” Williams, one of the only people who might be able to match Coleman's feats from decades ago. The two got together to train legs in Dubai, with Wheels performing a version of Coleman’s iconic 800-pound squat and 2,300-pound leg press workout from 2003.

Though Wheels didn't quite match the classic workout pound for pound, it was enough for Coleman to “knight” Wheels as the new “strongest bodybuilder in the world.”

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TRAINING TIPS

Ramp It Up

Getting strong isn’t all sunshine and rainbows. A 500-pound deadlift might sound like an alluring goal, but if you want to pull five plates or more, you have to build up to it the right way. No one walks into the weight room and immediately loads their max onto an empty barbell, after all. And to move up properly, you need to embrace ramp-up sets.

Ramp-up sets are the necessary stepping stones between your first warm-up set and your “working” sets. The driving principle behind these sets is to gradually increase weight while you decrease the number of repetitions you perform.

Below, we break down the science behind these ramp-up sets and explain how they can improve your workouts.

THE DROPSET

Grip Carefully

• The thumbless grip is a risky endeavor on the bench press. Find out if the benefits outweigh the potential dangers.

• The 2022 Europa Pro bodybuilding show is in the books, which means there are even more bodybuilders heading to the Olympia this December. Here's who came out on top.

• Classic Physique champ Chris Bumstead reveals the FST-7-inspired workout that helps him get stage-ready arms.

SOUND OFF!

Nothing But a Peanut

THE RESULTS ARE IN

Your Favorite Runners-Up

In the November 1, 2022, edition of The Ripped Report, we asked you to name your favorite bodybuilder never to win the Mr. Olympia. Here's how you voted:

1. Lou Ferrigno (38%)

2. Flex Wheeler (21%)

3. Kai Greene (16%)

4. Lee Labrada (8%)

5. Other (7%)

6. Shawn Ray (6%)

7. Victor Martinez (4%)