Franco Columbu

Franco Columbu- IFBB Mr. Olympia1976, 1981

Franco Columbu was an Italian-American bodybuilder, powerlifter, actor, author, producer, and a licensed chiropractor.

Franco Columbu was born on August 7, 1941
Place of Birth: Sardinia, Italy.
Height: 1.65 m and competed in 84 Kg weight category.
IFBB Mr. Europe and Mr. Universe titles in 1970
1971 IFBB Mr. World.
2 Times Winner of IFBB Mr. Olympia competition in 1976, 1981
Died on August 30, 2019 (aged 78)

Arnold and Franco first met in Munich in the early 1960s and were friends for 54 years. They were best friends, training partners and confidant for each other.
Columbu’s death left Schwarzenegger devastated he wrote in social media, a heartfelt tribute to his “partner in crime”, closing the final chapter on one of sport’s most unusual and greatest partnerships.

Franco's Remarkable Journey...

Columbu was born on August 7, 1941, on the island of Sardinia, Italy. He was a son of shepherds and worked as a shepherd while training as a boxer. He won several fights as a boxer but then gave up the sport to pursue weightlifting and bodybuilding.
Columbu met Arnold Schwarzenegger in 1965 at a bodybuilding competition in Stuttgart, Germany and later on formed a lifelong friendship for the world to remember. Schwarzenegger stated in 2016 “He was my favorite training partner four decades ago and he is my favorite training partner today.^“

Columbu won the IFBB Mr. Europe and Mr. Universe titles in 1970, and the 1971 IFBB Mr. World in the 84 Kg competition weight category. He won the lightweight class of the 1974 and 1975 IFBB Mr. Olympias, before winning the overall competition for the first time in 1976. After few years, he returned to win the 1981 Mr. Olympia and then retired from competition.

Franco's Guinness Book Record

In 1978, Franco went into the Guinness Book of World Records for blowing up a hot water bottle until it exploded in 55 seconds. He regularly performed the heavy breathing at exhibitions, even as late as 2007.

Contribution to Entertainment Industry

Columbu appeared as himself in the 1977 bodybuilding documentary Pumping Iron.
He was the body building coach for Sylvester Stallone in the film Rambo: First Blood Part II (1985).
He had roles in films that starred Schwarzenegger, including Conan the Barbarian (1982), The Terminator (1984), and The Running Man (1987).
From the late ’70s to the mid-’80s, Sylvester Stallone relied on Franco Columbu for workout and diet advice. For Rocky II (1979), and they worked as training partners. Columbu had to drop almost everything else in order to concentrate on getting Stallone in the best shape of his life, scheduling a twice daily workout routine and working through a 6 days workout regime.”

For Rocky III (1982), Sly was peeled. “Man, back in those days I would do literally anything and everything to burn more fat,” Stallone recalls. “I wanted to get as lean as possible.” Columbu stated, “I drew up a plan to help Sylvester strip away as much fat as possible, and he achieved some fantastic results from our short time together.”

After Columbu’s death, Stallone posted this: “FRANCO COLUMBU, the greatest and strongest bodybuilder I have ever met has passed. He taught me many things that I have applied throughout my life. We will NEVER HAVE A MAN LIKE THIS AGAIN. Thank you for the memories, Franco.”