Franco Columbu

Content

  • 1 Anthropometric data
  • 2 Biography
  • 3 Training and Nutrition Tips by Franco Colombo
    • 3.1 Leg training

Anthropometric data

  • Height - 166 cm.
  • Weight - 84 kg.
  • Biceps - 47 cm.
  • Chest girth - 134 cm.
  • Shank size - 44 cm.
  • Bench press lying - 238 kg.
  • In the sitting - 297 kg.
  • Deadlift - 341 kg.
  • The result is 876 kg.

Biography

Franco Colombo was born on the island of Sardinia on August 7, 1941, in Italy. The athlete was brought up in the family sufficiently responsible, which enabled him to develop the character of a strong and confident man who always had a goal in life and achieved his goal. This young man was taught everything by his parents, so he successfully mastered the profession of shepherd and farmer. Unfortunately, Franco was not destined to become a real farmer. Such qualities as patience and perseverance are inherent in him, thanks to which, he managed to achieve serious sports peaks. Seriously enough, Colombo started boxing and after some time he became the champion of amateur competitions. Then he was seriously involved in weightlifting and, in the end, he devoted himself to bodybuilding.

Due to the fact that Franco Colombo was not tall, many experts in this matter were sure that he would not be able to achieve serious success in this sport. He proved that any growth is not an obstacle for practicing this sport, having won at two prestigious world tournaments “Mr. Olympia”. In 1977, the tournament "The Strongest Man in the World" was held and Franco took part in it. Unfortunately, the athlete could only climb to fifth place then, but there was a serious reason for this - a leg injury, otherwise he would confidently take the 1st place with a serious margin from his rivals. Despite his fifth place, he was paid $ 1 million in compensation. He was taken to the hospital in the midst of the tournament, where the doctors made a very disappointing conclusion. Due to the seriousness of the injury, doctors predicted disability, indicating that he would not be able to walk for the rest of his life. But Franco Colombo turned out to be not such a person: he not only got on his feet and began to walk, but also started serious training, as a result of which in 1981 he was in first place in the international tournament “Mr. Olympia”.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Colombo can be considered great friends after they met in 1965 in the city of Munich for bodybuilding competitions. At the same time, at the Mr. Olympia tournaments, they did not compete with each other, because they performed in different weight categories, but athletes trained almost always together.

Training and Nutrition Tips by Franco Colombo

  1. You should not practice the excess of the mass of sports equipment, and always work with the usual weights. When working with maximum weights, it is necessary to concentrate on observing the technique of performing movements. In any case, you can not do without warming up muscle groups, otherwise you can get injured and forget about training for a long time.
  2. Heavy basic exercises lead to the load of many muscle groups at once. Focusing on the work of these particular muscle groups will help to optimally distribute the load and prevent injury.
  3. Do not use simple carbohydrates before the training process because of their fast absorption, which will not provide the necessary energy for the training process. It is better to use complex carbohydrates to provide the muscles with the necessary energy. You should not exercise without eating, but you should not overeat.
  4. According to Franco, the optimal time for effective training is between 14:30 and 16:30. Unfortunately, not everyone can afford it for a number of reasons. In this case, it is enough to eat 1 hour before training and you can safely go to training.
  5. Each athlete must take into account his biorhythm and train not on a breakdown, but on their rise. Only in this case it is possible to work with maximum weights.
  6. Muscles should always feel warm, so you should not wear tight-fitting tracksuits in the gym to show others your results. A training suit should retain muscle warmth, which makes it possible to work with various weights.
  7. You need to listen to your inner voice, which will always point to the right path.
  8. Mode 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 to rest, as muscles do not grow during periods of training, but during periods of rest.
  9. At the end of the training process, you must first rest, and then eat well, consuming sufficient amounts of protein and carbohydrates.
  10. In the process of training, it is permissible to practice exiting the gym to breathe in fresh air. This is especially true after hard approaches, working with maximum weights. After leaving, you need to return to the gym again and continue training.

Leg training

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 you cannot say that they are light.

So:

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

Interesting Articles