Did Franco Columbu train Sylvester Stallone?
Sylvester Stallone is a Hollywood sensation known for his action roles back in the 1980s. He has done movies like Rambo and Rocky, which were blockbusters, and audiences love him for his insane physique in those movies. Now you might wonder how Sylvester Stallone managed to land such an impressive physique back then. The answer to this question is that two-time Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu trained Sly for those roles.
Franco Columbu, the biggest rival and best friend of seven-time Mr. Olympia Arnold Schwarzenegger, trained Sly to get in shape. The Hollywood sensation was finding the perfect trainer who could help him nail the physique for his role. He had a feud going on with Arnold back then, so he went for his friend.
Franco Columbu trained Sylvester for Rocky II and Rambo: First Blood, Part II. The two-time Mr. Olympia was impressed by Stallone's dedication to training, his mental intensity, and his competitiveness.
"Sly gives 100% all the time, and his determination is awesome. He is an achiever. A leader. He never sits back and let’s things happen; he is the one who makes them happen," says Franco Columbu. (via Rock Body Fitness)
However, Franco Columbu was not cheap to train under, and he explained the reason why:
"I had to charge Sly a good amount for the training because he wanted to train full out, just as if he were preparing for the Mr. Olympia contest. That meant two workouts a day, six days a week. I had to drop almost everything else in order to concentrate on getting him in the best shape of his life."
Franco Columbu created a special workout for Stallone
The two-time Mr. Olympia created a two-day double workout split for Sly for his roles, as per Rock Body Fitness.
Monday, Wednesday, and Friday
Morning: chest, back, abs.
Afternoon: shoulders, arms, and abs.
Tuesday, Thursday, and Saturday
Morning: Calves, things.
Evening: rear delta, traps, abs.
"Each day we would train, I would change the exercises. I had Sly do extra sets of exercises that were working, and I dropped the ones that weren’t working. And the more results he saw, the harder he trained. I’d say, Let’s do three more sets, and he would immediately agree. The workouts got to be really fun, very exciting," explained Franco Columbu.
"Sylvester gained just about 10 pounds in six and a half weeks,” Franco says. “He has great structure, with a waist only about 29 inches. When we started, he had a 44-inch chest. At the end, his chest was almost 50 inches. And his arms went from 16 ½ inches to 18 inches. He was bigger, harder, and much more muscular. Wait until you see him in the movie. He’s going to shock a lot of people by how good he looks," concluded Franco Columbu.
Will you give a chance to the workout Franco trained Stallone with? Let us know in the comments.