Franco Columbu was originally a boxer and was also an Italian-American bodybuilder, powerlifter, actor, author, producer, and licensed chiropractor. To add to the list, he was one of the closest friends of his fellow bodybuilder, Arnold Schwarzenegger. They remained friends for a long time until Columbu died in 2019. The Austrian once revealed what made them lifelong friends.

In his interview on The Tim Ferriss Show Schwarzenegger revealed they became friends in Europe. When he met Franco Columbu, at Mr. Europe Junior competition, they both were struggling. However, on the same day, Columbu won powerlifting championships as well. Following the event, when Franco Columbu went to Munich, Schwarzenegger expressed his desire to work there as well. And when he basically shifted there, Columbu was the first person the Terminator actor asked to be his training partner. Thus, they started their journey.

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From that point onwards, they developed a deep connection with each other. The two bodybuilders trained in Germany for 2 years where their friendship flourished. The two of them went on training together in California as well. Columbu won several championships including Mr. World, Mr. Universe, and Mr. Olympia as well. Columbu helped Schwarzenegger in his powerlifting, and in return, he helped Columbu with bodybuilding.

Thus, their passion for sports brought them together. What does the End of Days actor think about his friend?

Arnold Schwarzenegger and Franco Columbu were closer because of a beautiful reason

The way he talked about his late friend, one can easily say, Schwarzenegger, admired Columbu so much. He revealed Columbu was the greatest among all and he was the strongest. “There is no one better, and he’s a great strong man,” said the former governor. Moreover, the 75-year-old actor added with admiration that the powerlifter could bend steel bars and wood and blow up hot water bottles.

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They both were so supportive of each other. Because Columbu was a foreigner in the USA, he had the sunshine and enough pieces of equipment for his training there. And thus, he flourished as well. Even though he did not speak English like Schwarzenegger, he gained a lot of fan-following. Franco Columbo had to go through a rough patch in his career. However, he came back with a bang. The Commando actor also said he was proud of his friend.

Because these two were connected by heart, they remained close to each other till the end. Do you share a bond like this with anyone? Share your views about these bodybuilders’ friendship with us in the comment box below.