Tribute to Franco Columbu: powerlifter as well as bodybuilder
Franco Columbu never got the proper and full appreciation or the credit for his training and impressive achievements. He was overshadowed by Arnold Schwarzenegger for much of his bodybuilding career. But, Franco was also an accomplished strength and conditioning athlete. Pound for pound he was one of the strongest men in the world – this is no exaggeration. With a body weight of 180 pounds, he could bench press 500 pounds. He was able to squat and also dead lift several hundred pounds. In one of his books, there is a classic photo of him deadlifting a bar with so many plates on each end that the bar is bowing or bending (see below). He also claimed to have done the strength training and the body building without the use of anabolic steroids. I would like to believe that and considering how rigorous and intense his training regimens were, he may be telling the truth. Lots of male hormone either way!
A 30 second video clip courtesy of YouTube here:
Franco blowing up a hot water bottle (don’t try this at home)
Ancien Hippie 