Still when he heard the amount of the fee Franco would charge him for the next six weeks to train for his new film Rambo: First Blood Part II, he was shocked.
“Franco,” he told the Sardinian, “why don’t you just take my house and be done with it?”
“I had to charge Sly a good amount for the training,” explains Franco, “because he wanted to train full out, just as if he were preparing for the Mr. Olympia contest. 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.”
According to Franco, motivating his pupil was not that difficult because of Stallone’s tremendous mental intensity and competitiveness. “Sly gives 100% all the time,” Franco says, “and his determination is awesome. He is an achiever. A leader. He never sits back and let’s things happen, he is the one who makes them happen.”
“With Sly, I created a workout program that was right for him,” Franco explains, “and then I led the way, constantly increasing weights and reps. I knew for sure that this would motivate him to try and keep up with me. If I took a weight and did 12 reps, Sly would have to try and do at least seven. After all, I may be stronger than he is, but not that much stronger. Then, next set, I would do 15 reps, so he would have to increase his reps to at least 10. By the end of our weight training, he was doing curls with 70- pound dumb-bells. You should have seen how strong he got!”
“Sylvester gained just about 10 pounds in six and a half weeks,” Franco says. “He has great structure, with a waist only about 29 inches. When we started, he had a 44-inch chest. At the end, his chest was almost 50 inches. And his arms went from 16 ½ inches to 18 inches. He was bigger, harder and much more muscular. Wait until you see him in the movie. He’s going to shock a lot of people by how good he looks.”
Franco worked out a program for Stallone based on a two day double split:
Monday/Wednesday/Friday
Morning: Chest, back, abs
Afternoon: Shoulders, arms, abs
Tuesday/Thursday/Saturday
Morning: Calves, thighs
Afternoon: Rear delts, traps, abs
“Each day we would train, I would change the exercises. I had Sly do extra sets of exercises that were working, and I dropped the ones that weren’t working. And the more results he saw, the harder he trained. I’d say, let’s do three more sets, and he would immediately agree. The workouts got to be really fun, very exciting.”
Franco had Stallone training abs three times every two days, doing 500 reps every ab workout. “We trained four different ab and torso exercises: sit-ups, leg raises, side leg raises, and side bends. We did 50 reps of each, one exercise right after another, and five sets of this cycle. And wait until you see the results. Sly has great abs, intercostals, serratus, everything.”
Franco says Sly was determined to be the most impressive man on film this side of Arnold Schwarzenegger himself. “But Sly wants to go even farther for Rocky IV“, Franco reveals. “In fact, if Sly had decided to be a body builder instead of an actor, with his great proportions, his tremendous athletic ability, and his mental drive, he would certainly ended up as one of the top physique champions.”
As Stallone continues to slug it out in his workout, his jet-black hair becomes wringing wet. Sweat pours profusely off the tip of his straight roman nose and intensity conquers the contender. Working the world’s most famous biceps, he says that this is the heaviest he’s been in a while. “I was 178 for Rocky, and 200 in Rocky II. For Rocky III I was 163. For my next film, Rocky IV, I went up to 173. I like this weight, because it is a fuller, rounder look, more in keeping with the old Roman athletes. I’m not quite as sinewy as I was in Rocky III, but I feel stronger.”
Stallone’s measurements when he was filming Rambo II were: chest around 50″, 29 ½” waist, and 17″ biceps. His body fat runs 4 ½%, although when he’s not filming it’s 6%. Loud bursts of energy can be heard as the star does push-ups to get pumped up for some photos.
The gym is quiet; all eyes are on the man of muscle. He does 20 pushups quicker than you can blink an eye. Exerting a tremendous amount of energy, he hits his triceps and deltoids.
“Relax the left shoulder,” shouts Neveux.
“Relax the other pec,” chimes in the Master Blaster himself.
Sly shouts back, “this is harder than working out!” – which generates laughter from his watchful audience.
Stallone firmly believes what the ancient Greek philosopher Plato preached: “To be a fully developed man, you must build mind and body equally.” He stresses this concept to his children. “I believe you can deal with an inanimate object and become one with that object,” he says. “Imagine what happens when you take that dedication and apply it to business, love, relationships or athletics. You become so focused, so channeled that you are going to enhance your performance at a supernormal level.”
Stallone agrees without question that once you’ve begun bodybuilding and built yourself a firm physical foundation for life, y.ou never retreat. “Once you get those people in the gym,” he says, “they’re hooked!”
Sylvester Stallone.
Franco Columbu Training Sylvester Stallone for Rambo 2
Sylvester Stallone is a Hollywood legend, known for his impressive physique and iconic roles in films like Rocky and Rambo. His dedication to fitness and training is widely admired, and his collaborations with longtime friend and trainer Franco Columbu are the stuff of legend. In this article, we'll take an in-depth look at Stallone's workout routine for his most famous roles, including his diet plan and supplement advice.
The Rocky Workout
Stallone's portrayal of Rocky Balboa in the Rocky franchise is perhaps his most famous role. To prepare for the first film in the series, Stallone worked closely with Franco Columbu, a former Mr. Olympia and Stallone's longtime friend.
The Rocky workout was designed to build endurance, strength, and overall athleticism. Stallone would begin each day with a four-mile run, followed by a high-intensity interval training (HIIT) session that consisted of exercises like push-ups, pull-ups, and sit-ups. He would then move on to weight training, focusing primarily on compound exercises like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses.
In addition to his gym workouts, Stallone also spent several hours each day practicing boxing drills and sparring with professional boxers. To maintain his energy levels throughout the day, Stallone followed a high-protein diet that consisted primarily of lean meats like chicken and fish, as well as plenty of vegetables and complex carbohydrates.
The Rambo Workout
After the success of the Rocky franchise, Stallone turned his attention to another iconic character: John Rambo, the tough-as-nails Vietnam veteran who takes on corrupt officials and drug lords in a series of high-octane action films. Once again, Stallone worked closely with Franco Columbu to prepare for the role.
The Rambo workout was designed to build raw power and explosive speed. Stallone would begin each day with a series of sprints and plyometric exercises, such as box jumps and medicine ball throws. He then moved on to weight training, focusing on exercises that targeted the major muscle groups in his legs, back, and chest.
In addition to his gym workouts, Stallone also spent several hours each day practicing martial arts, including kickboxing and Brazilian jiu-jitsu. To fuel his intense training regimen, Stallone followed a diet that consisted primarily of lean meats, complex carbohydrates, and healthy fats. He also supplemented his diet with a variety of vitamins, minerals, and protein powders.
Collaboration with Franco Columbu
Throughout his career, Stallone has relied heavily on his longtime friend and trainer, Franco Columbu. The two men met in the 1970s, when Stallone was struggling to get his acting career off the ground and uColmbu was a highly successful bodybuilder and powerlifter.
Columbu's training philosophy is based on the principles of progressive overload, which involves gradually increasing the weight and intensity of exercises over time. This approach has helped Stallone build incredible strength and endurance, as well as maintain his physique well into his 70s.
In addition to his work with Stallone, Columbu has trained a wide range of clients over the years, including professional athletes and celebrities. His approach to training is highly individualized, taking into account each client's unique strengths, weaknesses, and fitness goals.
The Rambo Diet Plan
Stallone's diet plan has always been a crucial part of his training regimen. To maintain his lean, muscular physique, Stallone follows a high-protein diet that consists primarily of lean meats like chicken, fish, and turkey, as well as plenty of vegetables and complex carbohydrates.
Stallone also incorporates healthy fats into his diet, such as those found in nuts, seeds, and avocados. He avoids processed foods and sugary drinks, opting instead for whole,
unprocessed foods that provide sustained energy throughout the day.
Stallone's diet plan is designed to support his intense training regimen, providing him with the nutrients and energy he needs to perform at his best. He also supplements his diet with a variety of vitamins, minerals, and protein powders, to ensure that he's getting all of the nutrients his body needs to recover and rebuild after intense workouts.
Supplements Advice
Stallone has always been an advocate of using supplements to support his training and overall health. He takes a variety of vitamins and minerals, including vitamin C, vitamin D, and magnesium, to support his immune system and overall health.
Stallone also uses protein powder supplements to ensure that he's getting enough protein to support muscle growth and repair. He typically uses whey protein isolate, which is a highly bioavailable form of protein that's quickly absorbed by the body.
Other supplements that Stallone has used over the years include creatine, which is known for its ability to increase muscle strength and endurance, and branched-chain amino acids (BCAAs), which are essential amino acids that support muscle growth and repair.
Sylvester Stallone is a fitness icon, known for his dedication to training and his impressive physique. His collaborations with longtime friend and trainer Franco Columbu have produced some of the most iconic movie roles in history, and his workout and diet plans have inspired countless fans to take their fitness to the next level.
Whether you're looking to build endurance like Rocky Balboa or raw power like John Rambo, there's a lot that you can learn from Stallone's training regimen. By incorporating a mix of high-intensity interval training, weight training, and martial arts into your workouts, as well as following a diet that's high in lean protein and healthy carbohydrates, you can take your fitness to the next level and achieve your goals just like Stallone.
