Sure, Arnold and Franco looked tough in the gym (left), but when a cockroach appeared in their hotel room, all girly-man hell broke loose (right).
Franco Columbu was Arnold’s best bud. They both came to America in the mid-‘60s to work for Joe Weider and were even bricklayers together for extra pocket money (bodybuilding was far from lucrative back then—Weider paid them $80 a week to be in ads in his magazines).
Here’s another shot of Franco “hanging out” with Arnold at Venice Beach, from the book “Pumping Iron.”
Columbu was a champion boxer in Italy and incredibly strong—and not just his tibias muscles, as demonstrated above. He could deadlift 750 pounds, and his best bench press was 550 at an off-season bodyweight of 195.
But it was his thick physique with split pecs that put him at the top of bodybuilding. He was only 5’5” tall, but he won the Mr. Olympia twice, in 1976 and 1981.
He also competed in World’s Strongest Man competition in 1977, placing fifth. He fell carrying a refrigerator in one of the events and dislocated his knee, which no doubt lowered his placing. He was allegedly compensated $1 million for his injury, as it kept him out of competition for a few years….
Even so, he continued with his Santa Monica chiropractic business, which thrived through most of his life…
He passed away in 2019 at the age of 78 in Italy after feeling unwell on a boating expedition. But his legendary physique and strength feats live on—not to mention his antics and heart-felt camaraderie with Arnold.
Till next time, train hard—and smart—for BIG results.
—Steve Holman and Jonathan Lawson
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