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In late 2019, the bodybuilding community lost a legend. Franco Columbu is often regarded as one of the most influential bodybuilders of all time. Not only was he a very strong individual, but his physique was impressive enough to bag him 2 Mr. Olympia titles. In 1976, Columbu became the shortest man ever to win the Olympia, a record that still stands today.
Columbu was born in 1941 in Sardinia, the second largest island off the coast of Italy. He originally desired to be a boxer, but quickly got into weightlifting. You might recognize Franco as Arnold Schwarzenegger’s main training partner. Truth be told, the two were best friends, and they pushed each other to the max. Their combined accomplishments are second to none, so you’re probably wondering what the typical Franco Columbu workout routine looks like.
Background and Accomplishments
Throughout his career, Franco Columbu was a renowned actor, boxer, powerlifter, and bodybuilder. He was not only the first man under 200 pounds to win Mr. Olympia, but he’s also the strongest pound-for-pound bodybuilder ever. During his prime as a bodybuilder, he was also competing in strongman competitions at a high level.
At the peak of his career, Columbu boasted very impressive numbers for bench press, deadlift, and squat. Weighing only 185 pounds, he had the following personal record lifts:
Bench Press: 525 pounds
Squat: 655 pounds
Deadlift: 750 pounds
As you can tell, Franco Columbu is well known for his insane deadlift max. Even more impressive is the fact that he was simultaneously at the highest level for both powerlifting and bodybuilding. Franco won numerous competitions in both sports throughout his career:
Bodybuilding:
Mr. Olympia – 1st place – 1976, 1981
IFBB Mr. World – 1st place – 1971
Mr. Universe – 1st place – 1970
World’s Strongest Man:
5th place – 1977
In addition to his many accomplishments as an athlete, Columbu also appeared in 23 major films. He used his physique to his advantage for most of his roles like Pumping Iron, The Terminator, and Conan the Barbarian.
Franco Columbu's Workout Routine
There is no set in stone workout routine from Franco Columbu’s glory days, but we can get an idea from old content. In past interviews, Franco emphasized that he trained every body part, a training style that was uncommon in the golden era. Although it’s a short clip, you can get a glimpse at Columbu training in the video below.
After reading Franco Columbu’s books, Winning Bodybuilding, and The Bodybuilder’s Nutrition Book, it’s clear that he had the sport down to a science.
He trained each body part twice a week “as hard and relentless as possible each time”. On most days, Columbu would workout twice a day, hitting a different muscle group in each session.
His training split was fairly unorthodox; in past interviews, he mentions that the routine spans for two weeks.
Day 1: Chest, Shoulders, and Arms
Day 2: Back and Legs
Day 3: Chest and Shoulders
Day 4: Arms
Day 5: Back and Legs
Day 6: Chest and Shoulders
Day 7: Off day
Day 8: Arms and Legs
Day 9: Back
Day 10: Chest, Shoulders, and Arms
Day 11: Back and Legs
Day 12: Chest and Shoulders
Day 13: Arms
Day 14: Off day
As you can see, Franco Columbu trained 6 days each week and hit each muscle group at least twice a week. Although they’re not mentioned in the routine, he did abdominal work 3-4 days each week. Note that he also went heavy on deadlifts every other leg day.
How Did He Train The Chest?
Franco Columbu quite literally had a shelf as an upper chest. I’m sure you could balance two bottles of expensive liquor on his pecs without fear of them breaking. In his book, Winning Bodybuilding, he seems to favor the bench press, incline press, dips and chest flys as his go-to chest exercises.
If you watch the above video of Franco training for the 1981 Olympia, you’ll notice that he trains in the hypertrophy rep range. From past interviews, we can infer that he was a fan of progressive overload where the weight increases with each set. Considering his powerbuilding background, Franco Columbu often trained heavy for low repetitions on compound lifts.
Franco Columbu’s Chest Workout
Barbell Bench Press: 4 sets of 12, 10, 4, 4 reps
Barbell Incline Press: 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Flat-bench dumbbell Flys: 3 sets of 15, 10, 8 reps
Dips: 3 sets to failure
Cable Crossovers: 3 sets of 20 reps
Although the repetitions are just speculation, the exercises above are exactly what Franco would do on chest day. As the number of repetitions decreases, the amount of weight used generally increases.
Back Workout
Besides his chest, Columbu was also well known for his back. He had that tortoiseshell look that screamed thick, solid, and tight. His years of deadlifting likely contributed a great deal to his musculature, but so did other exercises.
More than anything, Franco Columbu emphasized wide grip pullups with no added weight. If you take a look at the picture below, you’ll notice just how wide his grip was. He also went full range of motion of each rep and often paused at the top of each rep.
Here’s a blueprint for how he trained his back:
Wide-grip Pullups: 4 sets to failure
Barbell Bent-over Row: 3 sets of 10 reps
Seated Cable Row: 3 sets of 12 reps
Dumbbell Rows: 3 sets of 10 reps
T-Bar Rows – 3 sets of 12 reps
It’s no secret, you have to row to grow. Despite this, it’s evident that pull-ups were a key aspect of Columbu’s back workout.
Build Massive Arms Like Franco Columbu
Franco was praised for his arms, which were often much bigger than competitors who weighed more than him. His arms were so great, in fact, that he won the “best arms” at the Mr. Universe and Mr. World competitions.
Franco Columbu has written extensively about his arm workouts, and he always mentions intensity and super-setting exercises. The exercises below are what he recommended for maximal growth and balance.
First Super-Set:
Incline Dumbbell Curls with Tricep Pushdowns
Curls: 3 sets of 10, 8, 8 reps
Pushdowns: 3 sets of 10, 8, 8 reps
You start with incline dumbbell curls immediately followed by tricep pushdowns. The first set is done with a slightly lighter weight to prime your muscles, and the last two are heavier.
Second Super-Set:
Semi-cheat Curls with Lying Tricep Extensions
Semi-cheat Curls: 5 sets of 6 reps
Lying Tricep Extensions: 5 sets of 10, 6, 6, 6, 6 reps
The tricep extensions Columbu refers to can otherwise be known as skull-crushers. You want to go heavy for these two exercises, with an exception for the first set of extensions. The semi-cheat curls imply that you’re “cheating” by swinging the weight up. Allow for a slow eccentric contraction to feel the burn in your biceps.
Third Super-Set:
Barbell Curls with Close-Grip Bench Press
Neutral Barbell Curls: 5 sets of 10 reps
Close-Grip Bench Press: 5 sets of 10 reps
These exercises are classics but often disregarded. Bicep curls with a barbell are perhaps the best compound exercise to build your arms. Control each rep on the way down, and squeeze at the top. Remember to keep your elbows close to the body and focus on the mind-muscle connection. For the close-grip bench press, you want your hands about 6 inches apart, and then simply perform a bench press as normal. If you never implement the close-grip bench press, you’ll be surprised at how much tension the movement puts on your triceps.
Leg Workout
With a record 655 pound squat, it’s clear that Franco Columbu trained legs hard. Like I mentioned above, he did deadlifts every other leg day. He did, of course, emphasize squats, but lunges and leg presses were equally important.
His typical leg day included:
Deadlift – 6 sets of 5, 5, 5, 3, 1, 1 reps
Back Squat – 5 sets of 10, 8, 6, 4, 2 reps
Quad Extensions – 3 sets of 20 reps
Walking Lunges – 3 sets of 12-15 reps
Leg Press – 3 sets of 20-25 reps
Interestingly enough, Columbu did not implement any glute or hamstring isolation exercises. This is likely due to the fact that these two muscle groups were not as important in the golden era of bodybuilding.
Franco Columbu's Diet
You can learn a lot about Franco’s nutrition by reading his book The Bodybuilder’s Nutrition Book. Simply put, his diet is what you would expect from an elite professional bodybuilder. In his book, Columbu highlights the importance of whole foods as opposed to supplements.
Fresh fruits and vegetables were the most common carbohydrate choices. For protein, Columbu was a firm believer in eggs, lean meats, fish, and yogurt. He often got most of his dietary fats from eggs and meat, but commonly ate cheese and olive oil.
In true Italian fashion, he normally had a glass of wine with one of his meals each day. There really are no surprises regarding Columbu’s nutrition, but I strongly suggest reading his book for the most information.
Closing Remarks
Aside from being one of the greatest bodybuilders of all time, Franco Columbu was truly an influential man. He proved that you can do whatever you set your mind to, as long as the work ethic is there. As an author, actor, bodybuilder, doctor, and powerlifter, you might wonder if there’s anything he could not do.
To learn more about Franco Columbu’s training and lifestyle, I recommend reading any of his books. The amount of knowledge he had is truly astonishing, and the books are easy to read. With that being said, I hope you learn something from this article on the Sardinian Strongman.
Rest In Peace Franco Columbu. 1941-2019
