I Followed Franco Columbu’s Classic Strength and Aesthetics Approach for One Month — Here’s What Happened

Strength and aesthetics are usually considered mutually exclusive. Bodybuilders aren’t the strongest and powerlifters aren’t the most jacked. This basically means that you have to sacrifice one aspect to achieve the other.

As a personal trainer with over two decades in the trenches, I knew there could be a way around it.

After much research, I discovered the two-time Mr. Olympia Franco Columbu training approach, which promised strength and aesthetics improvements simultaneously.

I decided to push myself out of my comfort zone by following Columbu’s strength training routine for 30 days. In this article, I take you over my experience with Columbu’s strength and aesthetic training program and uncover if his classic methods still yield results today. I’ll also share tips on how you can adopt this 30-day challenge in your own routine.

Who Was Franco Columbu?

Before we dive into the nitty-gritty of this 30-day challenge, let’s talk about why I chose this program over the others.

Columbu was one of the strongest bodybuilders of his time, combining brute strength and shredded aesthetics. His resume is unmatched, having competed at the highest level in two sports — bodybuilding and strongman.

Originally a boxer, Columbu won the Mr. Olympia in 1976 and 1981 and competed in the inaugural edition of the World’s Strongest Man in 1977, where he placed fifth.

While some people think that the big muscles of bodybuilders are just for show, it wasn’t the case for Columbu. Check out his powerlifting records:

• Bench press: 525 pounds (238 kilograms)
• Squat: 655 pounds (297 kilograms)
• Deadlift: 750 pounds (340 kilograms)

Columbu proved that strength and aesthetics could coexist and you did not have to compromise one to achieve the other. He trained with Arnold Schwarzenegger and had a profound understanding of muscle development and achieving a balanced physique.

Most people do not know this, but Columbu had a doctorate in chiropractic. This added an intellectual dimension to his understanding of the human body, allowing him to tweak each exercise to maximize its impact on the muscles.

Columbu’s training philosophy was straightforward, yet brutally effective. He favored heavy compound lifts like squats, deadlifts, and bench presses to build a strong foundation. Then, he performed isolation moves like dumbbell flies and bicep curls to improve his physique conditioning.

Nutrition

Your training and diet are equally important when aiming to improve your strength and aesthetics. Overlooking either will result in substandard results.

Nutrition was a non-negotiable pillar of success for Columbu. He stuck to his diet to ensure his muscles had all the raw material they needed for maximal strength and muscle gains.

I find Columbu’s holistic training approach, which is a blend of strength, aesthetics, discipline, and knowledge to be really fascinating. I believe it provides the perfect framework for a 30-day experiment.

Decoding Franco’s Strength and Aesthetics Approach

Alright, let’s dive into the specifics of this 30-day Columbu-inspired strength and aesthetics program.

Columbu’s Sample Weekly Training Split

The Italian bodybuilder viewed strength and aesthetics as intertwined aspects of a complete physique. He often trained five days a week, as it allowed ample recovery time on the weekends so he could push himself to his limits during his workouts.

• Day 1: Chest and Back
• Day 2: Legs
• Day 3: Shoulders and Arms
• Day 4: Check and Back
• Day 5: Lights Legs and Calves
• Day 6 & 7: Rest 

Take a few minutes to analyze this training split carefully.

Columbu trained the bigger muscle groups like the back, chest, and legs twice a week. Research shows that increasing your training frequency can result in improved muscle and strength gain. (1)

Furthermore, his split balanced power and hypertrophy. On Day Two, Columbu went heavy during the leg workouts but pulled back the volume on Day Five to limit the probability of overtraining. The same applies to the chest and back sessions.

Columbu-Inspired Diet Plan

I read through several articles to build a diet plan inspired by Columbu. This is what I came up with:

Breakfast

• Four egg omelet
• Homemade yogurt made with raw milk and granola
• Fresh in-season fruit or a glass of orange juice
• A glass of water to kick-start hydration

I added a multivitamin supplement to cover essential nutrients and avoid deficiencies.

Lunch

• Large vegetable salad with oil and vinegar
• A side of cooked fresh vegetables
• A broiled protein (fish, chicken, lamb, or liver)

I drank a glass or two of water before lunch to minimize the probability of overeating.

Mid-Afternoon Snack

• Imported cheese plate paired with fresh fruit or nuts
• Tuna fish for an extra protein boost

If you do not have the budget for imported cheese, choose a local one or find a suitable alternative.

Dinner

• Large vegetable salad with oil and vinegar
• A side of cooked fresh vegetables
• A broiled protein (similar to lunch options)
• Mineral water or a glass of wine

The dinner was nothing new or special. I took most of the ingredients from the other meals and put them all together. As an Italian, Columbu was in a habit of drinking a glass of wine during dinner. I followed suit.

My 30-Day Plan: How I Adapted Franco’s Blueprint

I did not just read about Columbu’s method; I lived them. Below are the workouts I followed to build strength and aesthetics simultaneously:

Day 1: Chest and Back (Power Focus)

I adjusted the weights according to the reps I was performing. For example, I went heavier in exercises where I had to perform 6-8 reps, whereas I went relatively light in movements with 10-15 reps. (2)

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (seconds)
Barbell Bench Press	4	6-8	90
Barbell Rows	4	6-8	90
Dumbbell Flyes	3	10-12	60
Pull-Ups	3	To Failure	60

Day 2: Legs (Strength Dominant)

Contrary to what most people think, you do not have to change your workouts each week to maximize strength and muscle gain. I prefer sticking with the same workout for at least a month. This allows my muscles time to get used to the movement mechanics and extract the most out of them.

Plus, there is enough variety in this workout program as I performed two different workouts for the same muscle groups each week.

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (seconds)
Barbell Squats	4	5-7	120
Deadlifts	3	3-5	120
Leg Extensions	3	12-15	60
Hamstring Curls	3	12-15	60

Day 3: Shoulders and Arms (Hypertrophy Blend)

I leveraged supersets to maximize muscle pump and definition. Feel free to substitute the exercises according to your current fitness levels and objectives. People with lagging triceps should perform a triceps superset instead.

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (seconds)
Overhead Press	4	8-10	90
Lateral Raises	3	12-15	60
Biceps Curls (SS)	3	10-12	60
Cable Bicep Curls (SS)	3	10-12	60
Triceps Extensions	3	10-12	60

Note: (SS) Indicates supersets.

Day 4: Light Legs and Calves (Refinement)

I logged my starting weights for heavy compound lifts, like the bench press, squat, and deadlift as the goal was to increase the weight lifted or reps performed at the end of the four weeks.

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (seconds)
Light Squats	3	15-20	60
Leg Press	3	15-20	60
Standing Calf Raises	4	15-20	45
Seated Calf Raises	4	15-20	45

Day 5: Chest and Back (Volume and Shape)

Although this workout involves lifting heavy to boost strength levels, I prioritized developing a deep mind-muscle connection to maximize muscle activation and subsequent adaptations.

Exercise	Sets	Reps	Rest (seconds)
Incline Bench Press	3	8-10	75
Close-Grip Pulldowns	3	10-12	75
Pec Deck Flyes	3	12-15	60
Cable Rows	3	12-15	60

Instead of turning into a couch potato on your days off training, opt for active recovery techniques like going out for a 20 to 30-minute walk. This boosts the blood flow to all your muscles, improving recovery.

Week-by-Week Breakdown of the 30-Day Columbu Challenge

With all of that out of the way, here is my real, unedited experience of adopting Columbu’s methods:

Week 1: The Initial Shock

I was extremely excited and nervous to start this four-week challenge.

The heavy compound lifts hit hard and I experienced intense delayed onset muscle soreness (DOMS) by Day Three. However, it was a sign that I was moving in the right direction. 

I went a little slow in the first week and prioritized performing each exercise with a perfect form to prevent injury. This gave my body enough time to adapt to the increased demands. The high-protein diet kept me feeling full throughout the day and I drank 1.2 gallons of water daily to prevent dehydration.

Week 2: Strength Gains and Early Changes

As my body started adapting to this new routine, the soreness subsided substantially. I hit a deadlift person record in the second week, which validated the effectiveness of all the heavy lifting I was doing.

It did not end there; my arms started to look fuller, and I felt more confident.

That said, my squat progress was slow, and it pushed me to prioritize this compound lift in the coming weeks.

Week 3: Discipline and Refinement

This Columbu-inspired training program is as mentally demanding as it is physically challenging. I had to push through fatigue and self-doubt to maintain consistency.

Drawing inspiration from Columbu, I tweaked my form on a few exercises like walking deadlifts and overhead presses to achieve a better mind-muscle connection. This change paid off almost instantly, as I felt the target muscles firing on all cylinders.

I also adjusted my carbohydrate intake to optimize energy levels. This is also when I started to notice small improvements in my muscle size and definition.

Week 4: The Final Push and Measurable Results

The final week of a training program always brings out the best in me and this challenge was no different. I increased the weight on several exercises, signaling continued strength gains. My muscle definition and body composition improvements were now noticeable, and I started getting compliments from people in the gym.

The only low this week was that I felt some joint pain from all the high-volume training. A deload week and proper rest will fix this.

Results: Strength, Aesthetics, and Beyond

I tracked my progress meticulously throughout these 30 days to determine if this program was worth all the effort and pain.

Check out these numbers for yourself:

Lift	Starting Weight (lbs)	Ending Weight (lbs)	Increase (lbs)
Deadlift	200	250	50
Barbell Squat	180	215	35
Bench Press	150	175	25

My strength improved across the board and I can now lift heavier weights with better form and more confidence.

All the heavy lifting widened my shoulders, enhancing my V-taper. The high-intensity routine improved my overall body composition and my T-shirts have not started fitting loser around the waist and more snug around the shoulders and arms. Finally, this program gave me the best muscle definition I’ve ever achieved.

Conclusion

Although four weeks is a relatively short period to achieve muscle and strength gains, this Franco Columbu-inspired routine helped me increase my 10-rep deadlift PR by 50 pounds. All the high intensity and volume also enhanced my aesthetics, taking me closer to my dream physique.

My results are proof that Columbu’s program still holds up today. Like any other training program, you must stay consistent and disciplined to maximize your results from this four-week routine.

If you have any questions about Franco Columbu’s training routine or need help implementing it into your workouts, post them in the comments below, and I’ll be happy to help!

Next read: I Tried Arnold Schwarzenegger’s Blueprint to Mass with All-Home Substitutions

References:

1. Schoenfeld BJ, Ogborn D, Krieger JW. Effects of Resistance Training Frequency on Measures of Muscle Hypertrophy: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis. Sports Med. 2016 Nov;46(11):1689-1697. doi: 10.1007/s40279-016-0543-8. PMID: 27102172.
2. Schoenfeld BJ, Grgic J, Van Every DW, Plotkin DL. Loading Recommendations for Muscle Strength, Hypertrophy, and Local Endurance: A Re-Examination of the Repetition Continuum. Sports (Basel). 2021 Feb 22;9(2):32. doi: 10.3390/sports9020032. PMID: 33671664; PMCID: PMC7927075.

---