Bodybuilding legend Arnold Schwarzenegger moved to American shores to prove his mettle as the greatest bodybuilder. Moreover, he established himself as the undisputed champion, lifting the Sandow trophy seven times. In his arduous journey, one person stood as a constant support. He was none other than the late Franco Columbu. The Austrian Oak and his best friend shared a unique relationship that stood the test of time. Columbu was responsible for pushing Arnie to achieve his goals, even if the latter slowed down. In a resurfaced video, Columbu talks about the exercise method they both followed.

The Italian bodybuilder and the Terminator spent hours at the mecca of bodybuilding, chiseling their bodies to perfection. Their hard work catapulted them to the zenith of popularity. Even more unique were their cardio methods, considered novel in the classical era. The archive video shows the 1981 Mr. Olympia talking about their training style.

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu ditched cardio for strength training

Sardinian Samson and Schwarzenegger displayed aesthetics and symmetry symbolic of the classical era of the 1970s and 1980s. More than size, leanness, and conditioning were celebrated during that period. Moreover, the exercise was also vastly different. The friends focused more on lifts, “training as heavy as possible”. Talking about cardio, Columbu said, “We didn’t do it. We didn’t talk about it.” 

Additionally, he highlighted, “The way Arnold and I trained, we limited the between rest, but we do triceps, walk over, and do biceps.” Thus, the workout was strenuous enough to get the pump going. “Weightlifting is more cardio than cardio,” explained the late boxer. 

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The pedagogy yielded results for both champions as they became a force to reckon with. Many other bodybuilders followed the pattern established by Arnold Schwarzenegger. However, that does not mean that the dynamic friends did not get their daily share of movement.

Schwarzenegger and Columbu played sports

In an old video posted by OOFA Fitness, the former governor reminisced about the golden days. The duo would get cardio from playing the sports they loved. The 7-time Mr. Olympia stated, “There was a lot of cardiovascular work we’ve done because I come from soccer and Franco came from the boxing background, so he always loved the jumping rope and to do all those kind of exercises and a lot of running.”

The Gold’s Gym was situated close to the beach. The icons would often run on the sand to get their dose of cardio. Thus, the strength athletes included cardio in their routine, but through fun times doing what they loved. Moreover, the recent surgery scares that Arnie opened up about showcasing the importance of keeping the heart healthy, and cardio is an essential part of it. The philanthropist often bikes around the city to get his daily dose. How do you include cardio in your regime? Let us know in the comments. 

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