Franco Columbu Deadlift & More Will Inspire You to Achieve Your Dreams

Who is Franco Columbu?

Franco Columbu is an Italian actor, author, former champion bodybuilder, powerlifter, amateur boxer, doctor of chiropractic (Cleveland Chiropractic College in Los Angeles) and World Strongest Man Competition contestant.

Columbu was born in Sardinia, Italy on August 7, 1941.

He grew up in the primitive inland mountain region of Sardinia, Italy. As a young shepherd and farmer in Ollalai, he learned the high value of a strong work ethic.

He started his athletic career as a boxer and attained worldwide success as a bodybuilder and powerlifter.

In 1977, he took fifth place in the inaugural World Strongest Man Competition, although his competitors outweighed him by over 100 pounds.

Pound for pound, he is among the strongest men and most influential bodybuilders of all time. Because of his incredible strength, Dr. Franco Columbu was nicknamed the ‘Sardinia Strongman.'

Franco won the title of Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981.

Franco’s age today in 2019 is 77 years old.

franco columbu deadlift and other franco columbu trivia — How a Deadlift can Inspire you to work harder to achieve your dreams.

Franco Columbu Deadlift Records & More

Franco’s deadlift can inspire you to work harder. He knew the powerful benefits of deadlifts and became a world-class powerlifter. Check out his powerlifting world record of a 750 Lbs / 340.2 kg deadlift.

In some training sessions, he lifted over 780 Lbs / 353.8 kg. Read here about 5 Powerful Franco Columbu Workout Tips You Can Use Today

If you want more deadlifting motivation, check out the Incredible Lamar Gant Deadlift. Lamar Gant achieved the greatest pound for pound deadlift in history.

In the first World’s Strongest Man Competition held in 1977, Franco led his other competitors in the “refrigerator race.” This race required the contestants to race downhill while carrying a full-sized fridge on their back.

He stumbled and dislocated his leg 3.3 seconds into the race with the refrigerator strapped on his back. He sued the event planners and received $1 million in compensation for his horrifying injury, which required many years to recover.

Watch The 1977 Refrigerator Race and What Happened to Franco on National Television

Can You Make a Hot Water Bottle Explode?

Believe it or not, he was so strong that he could cause a hot water bottle to explode.

In April 1979, the Guinness book of world records recorded Franco as having the best lung power in the world. In front of a live audience, he blew up a hot water bottle until it burst in just 55 seconds.

Watch Franco explode a hot water bottle:

Franco Columbu Height

How tall is Franco? Believe it or not, he is only 5 feet 5 inches, which is 164 centimeters in height. In fact, what is most remarkable about his powerlifting records is his height.

At the height of 5 ft 5 inches (164 cm) and 185 pounds (83.9 kg), he could deadlift 780 pounds. Columbu was much shorter than his bodybuilding competitors, but that did not prevent him from achieving widespread success.

Powerlifting Titles

Titles Won in Powerlifting:

Champion of Italy, Germany, and Europe
World Champion

Franco Columbu Powerlifting World Records:

Bench Press 525 lbs.
Squat 655 lbs.
And the Franco Columbu Deadlift of 750 pounds.

Franco’s Workout Routine

1. WIde-grip chins:* five sets of 10 reps
2. Seated cable rows: 4 sets of 8 reps
3. T-bar rows: 4 sets of 8 reps
4. Barbell rows: 4 sets of 8 reps
5. Deadlifts: 4 sets of 6-10 reps
Source Credit: https://www.flexonline.com/training/back/even-stronger-they-look-franco-columbu

“Train each body part twice a week, as hard and relentless as possible each time.
Every second week, I’d dead-lift after my leg routine.
My deadlift workout was:
300 pounds for five deadlifts,
400 pounds for five reps,
500 pounds for five deadlift reps,
600 pounds for two or three reps,
650 pounds for one deadlift rep and
700 pounds for one rep.”

In the Movie “The Terminator”

Franco appeared as the Future Terminator in the original movie, The Terminator. In his scene, he infiltrates a resistance bunker and kills numerous resistance fighters, civilians, and even the bunker’s guard dogs. – source credit: wikia.com.

He also appeared in other films such as Pumping Iron, Conan the Barbarian, Last Action Hero, and Red Sonja. Columbu and Schwarzenegger are legendary training partners who were encouraged to come to America by Joe Weider, the ‘Father of Bodybuilding.'

Franco columbu arnold joe weider father of bodybuilding — Franco Columbu, Arnold Schwarzenegger with Joe Weider Image Credit: JoeWeider.com

The Future Terminator

Get the Complete Terminator Collection here.

Watch Franco Columbu deadlift a Car

Watch Franco Columbu's Transformation from Age 16 to Today

The Takeaway

If you are under 200 pounds, you too can build a stronger deadlift.

With the right training program and nutrition, you can break the 200-pound deadlift threshold and more.

If you are only 5 foot 5 inches or less, you can still become a major international star.

You have to fuel your body with good food and progressive strength training.

The Franco Columbu deadlift and more of his great success will motivate you to accomplish your dreams. No matter where you begin! See all of Franco Columbu's inspiring Collectibles here.

Franco Columbu Deadlift Record Will Inspire You to Achieve Your Dreams