Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Best Friend Charged a Good Amount From Sylvester Stallone to Deliver Him the “Best Shape of His Life” During His Prime

The rivalry between Arnold Schwarzenegger and Sylvester Stallone during the 80s is not hidden from anyone. The two biggest action heroes of the time wanted the best films, the best collections, and the best physiques for themselves. During the late 70s, before Stallone’s Rocky II was released, Stallone was determined to look the best on screen. And it was Schwarzenegger’s best friend who helped Stallone to attain the best physique of his life. However, he charged him a fortune to help him build his dream physique.

The bodybuilding sport is popularly known for its strong rivalries among bodybuilders like Arnold-Ferrigno, Ronnie-Jay, Phil-Kai, and many more. However, among these heavy rivals, Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu were the two best friends. Moreover, Stallone relied on Columbu for his workout and diet regimen throughout the late 70s to the mid-80s. Both of them trained together as Columbu was also competing in Mr. Olympia.

As reported by The Barbell, Columbu once recalled, “I had to charge Sly a good amount for the training because he wanted to train full-out, just as if we were preparing for the Mr. Olympia contest.”

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Columbu added, “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.” And as the 2x Mr. Olympia had to give him a major amount of his time, he charged a good amount of money to make his vision possible.

When Arnold Schwarzenegger called Franco his ‘son’

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu had a wonderful friendship together. They trained together for many years, played chess together, and had some glorious memories. However, Arnold did everything to win when it comes to winning the trophy. In Pumping Iron, Arnold Schwarzenegger called himself Franco Columbu’s father. 

Schwarzenegger said, “Franco is pretty smart, but Franco is a child. When it comes to the day of the contest, I am his father. He comes to me for advises.” Despite all these things, Franco and Arnold shared a bond of friendship till the last days of Franco Columbu; even now, Arnold does not miss posting on his anniversaries.

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Did you like Rocky’s physique in the sequels of the movie? Moreover, how interesting was the backstory behind attaining the physique between these two legends? Let us know in the comment section.