Franco Columbo's weight Franco Columbo's height now photo Franco Columbu biography

A little about the athlete’s biography

Franco was born on the small island of Sardinia, in the family of an indigenous farmer. At first glance, the fate of the Italian boy was predetermined - a measured and routine existence awaited him in an agricultural region, but life decreed otherwise.

Hardy and strong Colombo, tempered by hard peasant labor, soon discovered an interest in boxing. As it turned out later, he had obvious sports inclinations - in the very first boxing tournament held on the island, he won the champion title. Inspired by the victory, Franco became seriously interested in boxing and received membership in a professional fight club.

The main motive for leaving home was financial dissatisfaction and lack of real prospects of earning money. With his move to Germany, Franco Colombo meets Arnold Schwarzenegger and discovers with interest the world of bodybuilding, and with it new sporting horizons. The athlete’s non-standard anthropometric data did not in any way affect the success of his professional career; rather, they even became an additional incentive.

A series of victories in several significant competitions did not bring him satisfaction; his goal was to win the iconic bodybuilding competition Mr. Olympia. The first failure in the fight for the title in 1975 did not break the persistent and stubborn Colombo, and by the next year he won the long-awaited leadership in the competition. Since 1981, Franco left big sport and devoted himself to medicine.

Professional merits

Franco achieved incredible heights in powerlifting. The muscleman won his first bench press competition. He lifted 150 kg, which was surprising considering his recent injury. He participated and won fights in Italy and Europe. His best achievements in powerlifting were: bench press - 238 kg, deadlift - 340 kg, squat - 297 kg. Colombo also became a participant and winner of the Mister Europe competition. The man won the title of the strongest man in the world.

The next area of his achievements was bodybuilding. In the USA, Colombo decided to perform on the podium, where he won the Mr. Universe title and became a two-time Mr. Olympia title holder, after which he left this industry.

Immediately after moving to America, the bodybuilder enters medical college, which he successfully completes and works for some time in his specialty in his personal account. He is developing a special set of exercises to restore his damaged knee.

This iconic person also played the role of a writer. He became the author of several books on bodybuilding, the most famous being “Victory Bodybuilding.” The Italian's talent is not limited only to sporting achievements; Franco is also known as an actor and director.

His acting debut was playing in the film “Pumping Iron”, followed by roles in the films “The Running Man”, “Terminator”, “Beretta Island”, “Conan the Barbarian”, etc. A little later, Columbo shoots the film “Sardinia. The Most Wonderful Island in the Sea,” where he pays tribute to his birthplace.

At the moment, the man has his own small restaurant in his native Italy, to which he devotes his time.

Franco Colombo's training program and strength training secrets

Franco Colombo is famous for his outstanding form of quadriceps, which was later accepted by the professional community as the standard. Like most old-school bodybuilders, Franco Colombo's training program included basic squats, this was Franco's favorite exercise for pumping up his thigh muscles. However, the technique of performing them by the athlete is completely unique. Thus, the classic stance when performing this exercise involves placing your feet shoulder-width apart, while the Italian bodybuilder spread his feet 15 cm apart and performed the deepest possible squat with a straight back.

From the point of view of sports physiology, this position places the greatest effort on the quadriceps muscle, removing stress from the knees and spine. When building his workouts, the experienced bodybuilder preferred to use the pyramid principle, consistently reducing the weight in sets from 20 to 2 kg. This system ensures the appearance of extensive microtraumas of the fibers and works to enhance their hypertrophy.

A professional bodybuilder’s special pride is his developed back muscles. Colombo included various types of pulling exercises in his training. The optimal time period for training, according to Colombo, is the daytime window from 14:30 to 16:30. But even if training cannot be carried out at this time, the athlete needs to choose the most comfortable mode for himself and not deviate from it, turning it into a system, the bodybuilder believes.

Personal indicators

Very good indicators:

athlete's height is 166 cm;
biceps volume – 47 cm;
chest volume – 134 cm;
shin – 44 cm;
height – 166 cm;
bench press – 238 kg;
squat – 297 kg;
deadlift – 341 kg;
weight during the competition – 84 kg.

What do weightlifting legends eat?

Franco’s personal victories in weightlifting would have been impossible without an organized diet. In matters of nutrition, the eminent bodybuilder also adheres to a rather original scheme, which, however, in terms of macronutrient composition meets accepted modern standards in bodybuilding. It is noteworthy that nutritional recommendations for beginner bodybuilders and advanced bodybuilders are somewhat different.

So, for debutants in heavy sports, Colombo recommends using a four-course nutrition system. Based on the athlete’s recommendations, lunch should be the most dense and high-calorie meal. In terms of nutritional value, the daily amount of protein and carbohydrates should reach an average of 200 g, and fat - about 60 g. Surprisingly, among the instructions for beginning bodybuilders you can find very original advice: drink a glass of beer or wine twice a day.

Meanwhile, the facts of sports medicine prove the negative effect of drinking alcoholic beverages for an athlete: they reduce the synthesis of anabolic hormones and also provoke the release of a hormone with an antagonistic effect - cortisol. The diet plan of a professional athlete should consist of 6 meals, including 4 main meals and 2 snacks. The last meal should take place no later than 22:00 and include exclusively light, low-calorie foods - fruits or vegetables.

Let's focus on nutrition

What does Franco eat to stay in great shape? The scheme is quite simple: eat 6 times a day, of which 4 times are the main meal and 2 times are snacks. The greatest attention should be paid to lunch - it should contain the maximum calories. The last meal should take place no later than 22.00.

Colombo advice for beginners: drink a glass of wine or beer 2 times a day. It's surprising that pizza wasn't added to this tandem.

Franco's diet is based on chicken eggs. It is this product that is easily digestible and contains microelements, proteins and vitamins that affect the successful building of muscle mass. By the way, in the photo of the athlete his muscle structure is clearly visible.

The athlete is not keen on fast-acting carbohydrates, but before training he focuses on foods containing protein.

Leaders and outsiders of Franco's sports menu

In the personal menu of the athlete himself, a special place is given to the consumption of whole eggs. According to the bodybuilder himself, this product is easily digestible, is a source of 7 different proteins, a complex of vitamins and bioactive substances, which has a direct effect on building muscle mass.

Taking fast carbohydrates before training is taboo for Franco. A pre-workout meal should occur 90 minutes before the start of exercise, with an emphasis on protein-containing foods. A similar nutritional scheme before strength loads allows you to create an amino acid reserve for the muscles being loaded.

Being a devout fan of multi-joint basic exercises, the professional athlete proved by personal example the viability and effectiveness of the classical principles of bodybuilding. His recommendations will help you model an effective workout regimen in the gym and significantly succeed in bodybuilding!

Athlete performances

Having good anthropometric data, our Frankie in 1968 became the winner of the Italian and European Powerlifting Championships.

After heavy workloads in the USA, the athlete conquered the Mr. Universe competition in 1975 and at the same time took 2nd place in the well-known Mr. Olympia.

Colombo was not used to losing, and a year of hard training yielded results - the absolute champion of 1976 at Mr. Olympia. The day after receiving the title, Franco takes part in another competition, where he seriously injures his knee. The injury puts performances under ban; doctors said that he needs to quit bodybuilding.

Of course, our hero did not accept the doctors’ conclusion and continued special training. For 3 years, Colombo did not give up, and his efforts were rewarded. In 1981, the absolute winner of Mr. Olympia, but this was the end of his star journey in sports - this was the decision of the athlete himself.

Training and nutrition tips from Franco Colombo

You should not practice exceeding the weight of sports equipment, but always work with familiar weights. When working with maximum weights, you need to concentrate on following the technique of performing the movements. In any case, you cannot exercise without warming up the muscle groups, otherwise you can get injured and forget about training for a long time.
Heavy compound exercises work many muscle groups at once. Concentrating on the work of these particular muscle groups will help to optimally distribute the load and prevent injury.
You should not consume simple carbohydrates before the training process because they are quickly absorbed, which will not provide the necessary energy for the training process. It is better to use complex carbohydrates to provide your muscles with the necessary energy. You shouldn't exercise without eating, but you shouldn't overeat either.
According to Franco, the optimal time for effective training is between 14:30 and 16:30. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford this for a number of reasons. In this case, it is enough to eat 1 hour before training and you can safely go to training.
Each athlete must take into account his own biorhythm and train not when he loses strength, but when he gains strength. Only in this case can you work with maximum weights.
Your muscles should always feel warm, so you shouldn’t wear tight tracksuits to the gym to show off your results to others. A training suit should keep your muscles warm, which makes it possible to work with different weights.
You need to listen to your inner voice, which will always point you to the right path.
The regime is the main condition for achieving high results. Time should be allocated for sleeping, eating and training. It is better to train constantly at the same time, not forgetting about rest, since muscles grow not during periods of training, but during periods of rest.
At the end of the training process, you must first rest and then eat well, consuming sufficient amounts of proteins and carbohydrates.
During training, it is permissible to practice leaving the gym to get some fresh air. This is especially true after heavy approaches, working with maximum weights. After leaving, you need to return to the gym again and continue training.

Leg workout

This program is not designed for beginners, but for experienced athletes. In this case, you can take advantage of specialization. The exercises are basic and cannot be said to be easy.

Seven sets of squats. The number of repetitions gradually decreases with each sitting. The exercises begin with 20 squats, then 15 are done, then 10, 8, 6, 4 and 2 squats.
Four sets of leg presses. For the first approach, 50 movements are made, for the second 25. Then 18 and 8.
Up to 6-7 approaches for leg extension in the simulator. Number of repetitions up to 20.
2-3 sets of lunges with a barbell or dumbbells. Each movement is repeated up to 15 times.
6 sets of deadlifts. First, 3 sets of 5 movements are done, and then 3 repetitions, 1 and 1.

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Franco Columbu , a professional powerlifter and bodybuilder, was born on August 7, 1941 in Italy, on the island of Sardinia, into the family of a poor farmer. Throughout his childhood, he tended sheep, running along the rocks, often spending the night away from home and eating the gifts of nature, which greatly strengthened the muscles and character of the future great athlete.

Interesting facts about Franco Colombo

One day, Columbo, his wife and two friends were attacked by a group of hooligans with chains. The short Colombo seemed an easy prey to the leader. He tried to hit Franco with the chain, but Columbo beat him to the punch with a lightning strike to the chin. The blow was of such monstrous force that the entire lower part of the attacker’s face literally crumbled in front of the hooligans, paralyzed with horror, who immediately fled.
For a long time, Franco Colombo remained the unsurpassed champion in inflating hot water bottles.
Colombo wrote several books on bodybuilding, one of which, Victorious Bodybuilding, went through many editions.
In the film Last Action Hero, the film's opening credits list "Jack Slater IV" as its director.