In 1981, I was working out casually and not making a whole lot of progress. One day, I bought a copy of Joe Weider’s popular magazine, Muscle & Fitness. In the back was a full-page ad for courses by Dr. Franco Columbu, which included an office address and a phone number. I knew that Franco was a successful chiropractor but was not sure whether he offered advice for training programs.
When told that he did, I made an appointment and saw him on July 30, 1981. I remember the date because I regard it as the start of a lifetime commitment to health and fitness. His suggestions and advice were so profound — with timesaving techniques to achieve maximum efficiency — that I continue to follow them to this day. Also, he is uniquely upbeat and encouraging to anyone who tries hard.
Franco was a pioneer with his early books. He has a wealth of knowledge about health and fitness. Along with his best friend, Arnold Schwarzenegger, and his mentor, Joe Weider, Franco has helped change the world since he arrived in America in the 1960s.
He offers advice, encouragement and wisdom that, if followed, will change your life.
His books were best-sellers at the time, and their advice is timeless, which is why Creators Publishing is so excited to bring them back into publication as paperbacks and e-books. We are reprinting them exactly as they appeared when they were first published in the late 1970s and early '80s.
At the time Franco wrote this book, very few hotels offered gyms; people who lifted weights were considered oddballs and muscleheads; and almost no one paid attention to health and fitness. Since then, of course, we have had a worldwide revolution that includes a new language with terms such as cardio, aerobic, anaerobic, CrossFit, boot camp, dinosaur training and a hundred other expressions aimed at the same thing — becoming healthier, stronger, fitter and better-looking through exercise and proper nutrition.
Franco achieved bodybuilding success that puts him at the very top of that field, including multiple Mr. Universe and Mr. Olympia titles, and the same with powerlifting; he broke all strength records for bodybuilders. The reason this is important is that the physique he built in his teens and 20s is basically the same as he has in his 70s. He built solid muscles within a solid framework through hard work, heavy training and always challenging himself. At the same time, he knew the importance of making your workouts fun — so you will keep going back to the gym. As he wrote at the time, “No one has ever just plain enjoyed training the way Arnold and I did, and I’m convinced to this day that that was a major factor in our becoming the two best of all time."
Too many of the modern bodybuilders rely on chemicals and drugs as substitutes for hard work. There were bodybuilders in Franco’s time who did the same, and today they are a physical wreck, or dead. The handful who trained like Franco are still in great shape today and aging gracefully.
I consider Franco Columbu to be the next generation’s Jack LaLanne. Just as Jack did, Franco advocates challenging your body with vigorous workouts and eating a sensible diet. Franco is better educated than Jack, and his early years in Sardinia — spending vast amounts of time alone in the fields with his thoughts (and the sheep, of course) — gave him a serenity and peace of mind that is unique in today’s world, which at times seems hectic and frantic.
But Franco Columbu has the same enthusiasm for fitness as Jack LaLanne. I read this book when it was first published decades ago and found it helpful and inspiring. After rereading it in the 21st century in advance of our publishing it, I found my enthusiasm for training rekindled. You can’t help but be inspired by this book. If you follow Franco's advice, you will achieve all of your health and fitness goals.
